The Boating Ceography of Cuba and Its Recreational Potentials
Gustavo A. Antonini '
Abstract
This paperdescribes the boatinggeography of Cuba, The evolutionof recreationalboating in pre- Revolutionary Cuba is traced. Physical and infrastructural conditions that determine the island's marine recreationalgeography are discussed. Nine boating regions are identified and described,in terms of area, coastaltopography, shoreline, water depth, currents, entrance channels, anchorages, shore facilities, boating activities, and hazardsto navigation. Boating facilities in Cuba are comparedwith other Caribbeancountries andsouth Florida, in termsof growthover the past40 years. Developmenttrends in marinasand yacht clubs,boat yards, and other boating facilities, as charter boating, are analyzed. Finally, the dilemmasand opportunitiesfacing boaters in searchof discoveringCuba are highlighted.
introduction
Cubahas a specialallure it is a subtropicalisland, unspoiled and largely undeveloped. This is appealingto a growingnumber of recreationalboaters, disenchanted with increasedregulation of U,S, coastal watersand the crowdedcondition of Caribbeancruising locales. To manyFlorida boaters, Cuba's geographicallocation, one-day's sail from our shores, gives the island a specialappeal it is a tropical destinationjust over the horizon Figure I!, This paperdescribes the boatinggeography of Cuba. The evolutionof recreationalboating in pre- Revolutionary Cuba is traced. Physical and infrastructuralconditions that determinethe island's marine recreationalgeography are discussed. Nine boating regions are identified and described, in termsof area, coastaltopography, shoreline, water depth, currents, entrance channels, anchorages, shore facilities, boating activities,and hazards to navigation.Boating facilities in Cubaare compared with otherCaribbean countries andsouth Florida, in termsof growthover the past 40 years, Development trends in marinasand yacht clubs,boat yards, and other boating facilities, as charter boating, are analyzed. Finally, the dilemmas and opportunitiesfacing boaters in searchof discoveringCuba are highlighted.
Boating Before the Revolution Yachtracing on the island can be traced to 1930when "Gidge" Gandy of St. Petersburgand Rafael Possoof Havanaorganized a racethat becamethe classicSt, Petersburgto HavanaRace, the forerunnerof theSouthern Ocean Racing Circuit SORC!,and an annual ocean sailing event for over30 years Hewitt,
' Professorof Geographyand Latin American Studies, Sea Grant Extension Specialist, Department of Geography,3141 Turlington, University of Florida,Gainesviile, FL 32611, 904! 392-6233.
A number of individuals provided assistancewhich made this study possible. Kiko villal6n Marine Concepts,Ft, Myers!examined the environmentalsite analysisbased on his extensivesailing experiences in cuba, and georgeFoyo Instftuto de Dceanologfa,Havana! reviewed current shore facilities. HectorRenh Ledesma and Pauleox, Geographygraduate students, prepared the camera- ready maps and tables.
Arturo Sordo,Mario Bustarnante,Sergio Callo and Kikovillal6n gaveoral accountsof sailingand recreational boating history during this period. 1985!.4Cuban boaters, as GomezMena, Heron Dorena,Vidana, Rasco, Inclan, Gallo, Sordo,and the Bustamantebrothers, promoted offshore yacht racing with their boats,Gaiocamm, Polux, Bicho Malo, Bellatrix, andthe famedCriollo and Ciclon.' The Club NauticoInternacional de la Habana Photo 1! served asthe catalyzinginstitution, which sponsored boating and sailing events. In time, powerboat cruises and racesbetween Miami andHavana were organized Photo 2!, asboating became more popular on the island, and betweenFlorida and Cuba, Boating in Cubaduring the pre-1950period was, to a large degree,a pastimeof upper-middleclass and well-to-do individuals, Beginningin the early 1950s,however, boating became more popular as organizations, like the Federaci6nNautica Cubana and Amigos del Mar, wereformed by Cubansseeking to learnmore about the lore of the sea, Recreationalboating facilities began to be establishedin Havanaand elsewhere, such as the Club Amateurde Pescain Santiago Photo 3! andthe CienfuegosYacht Club Photo4!. Recreationalboating facilities,by the late 1950s,were being built at SantaFh andJaimanitas west of Havana!and at Varaderoto the easton the north coast Photo5!, By andlarge, however, boating in pre-RevolutionaryCuba offered primitivemaintenance facilities Photo 6!. Shoreaccess outside Havana was restricted to towndocks Photo 7!. This was the statusof Cuba's recreationalboating when the Revolution occurred and the island was sealedfrom outsidecontacts. At the close of the 1950s,recreational boating and fishing were beginning to appealto an increasingnumber of middle-incomeCubans. Local boating clubs had been organized. Some specializedmarina facilities had been built to meetlocal andU.S. demands,However, the popularity of offshorecruising, as it is knowntoday, had not yet emerged.An islandcruise, in thosedays, was an exceptionalevent.' Typical boating activities were day sailing, design class racing, and deep sea fishing, The St. Petersburgto HavanaRace was the annualevent that cappedthe boatingseason, The Revolution froze constructionof boating facilities. The dredgedresidential canal-front developmentat Barlovento,predecessor of MarinaHemingway, and the AcuaMarina at Varadero,had just beencompleted. The Club Nauticosituated in Havanaharbor eventually was converted to an OfficersClub. Cubanboating was poised for the 1960s"take-off" in popularityand growth, However,the islandnever experiencedthe demandfor tropicalcruising vacation-lands as did otherCaribbean islands. Theseconditions maywell changein the nearfuture.'
'Motor Boating, The Rudder and Yachting magazines,during the post-war to early 1960s,published race results, Examples include Bertram 951 and 1952!, coulson 956!, Loomis 954 and 1957!, MCMas'ters 951!.
Both criollo and ocldn, a 47' sparkman-stevensdesigned yawl, were built at the Hermanos Blanco boat yard on the Almendares River in Havana. Local high quality boat-building and superior seamanship provided the Cubanswith winning results. Vidana'sCriollo took overall ClassA honors in tHe st. petersburg-Havana Race and won the southern ocean Racing circuit in 1957, successfully competing against such heavyweights as Carleton Mitchell's Flnlsterre. Local construction elsewhere produced quality commercial vessels.Two-masted 60 ft fishing schooners were built at Bataban6 and a full displacement launch built at Cienfuegos lancha Cienfuegina!were noted products.
Jansen 950! cruised from cabo Ivlals to cayo verde, on eilly ll, a 58 ft Elco in 1949, en route from san Juan to Miami. The stevensons 955a,b,c! spent 10 months in 1952 cruising cuba aboard Sea Eagle,a 46 ft cruiser, and reported conditions west of Havanaand for the south coast from Cabo SanAntonio to Nlquero. Aguilera 956! circumnavigated the island during NOvember-December 1955,logging 2178 miles aboard Indra, a 47 ft Chris Craft, Conover 958!, aboard the sloop Revonoc, sailed the Isle of Youth-Cabo San Antonio-Havana coast,
'There is substantial evidence that Cuba is being redlscovered by recreational boaters, judging from recently published art cles, as Allen 991a,b!, cushlng 994a,b,c!, Flannery 992!, and Fleming 992!. Small-craft charts :50,000 scale! are being published by the Cuban lnstituto de Boating Environment Cuba'scoastal geography presents a varietyof boatingconditions. An understandingof the pattern anddistribution of theseconditions offshore, nearshore,onshore is basicto appreciatingCuba's boating potentials. This sectionexamines key physical resourcedeterminants'. Cubahas a 1900mile coastline longer than Florida! which trends southeast - northwest.' Largeopen embaymentsfringed by coralreefs are found along the southcoast; smaller, island-studded bays characterize the northcentral and westernshores, Coastalshelf areas,which comprise60% of the inshore zone, have water depthsless than 100 f Figure 2!, Elsewheredeep water o100 f! lies within 2 miles of the coast. Seventypercent of Cuba's coastalshelf waters Figure 3! are navigable ~ 1 f! for small-craft. The setand
Hldrografia to meet boater demand; charts for the north coast, from Marina Hemingway to Cdrdenas,and the south coast Canarreosislands! are currently available to the public through El Navegante, Mercaderes 15, Havana, The Instftuto ls preparing a yachting guide Carcfa Aivarez, 1994!. other cruising guides are ln press, as described in caribbean Journal 994! and by Moquin 994!, 'Mariners'measurement conventions have been adopted: mile is nautical 080 ft!; water depth is fathom f = 1 ft!; elevation is meter m = 3.28 ft!.
Resource mapping was conducted at a 1:1,200.000 scale using NOAA Chart 11013, Straits of Florida and Approaches, as the compilation base. U.S.Navy, Hydrographic Office, 1:150,000 series charts were used to determine shoal/deep water conditions. The 21 charts covering the Cuban coast were obtained from the University of Florida Map Library and the I.fbrary of congress, washington. Additional hydrographIc and shore facilities information was obtained from the Cuban Coast pilot ICH, 1988! and the Seven Seas Cruising Association, Comrnodores' Bulletin reports SSCA,1993a,b, 1994!. Source data were digitized into a geographic information system using ARC/INFOand final copy was produced using Mlcrografx Designer. Accessto and availability of anchoragesas well as shoresidefacilities fuel, water, repairs, etc.! are otherimportant characteristics of the island'sboating resources. Seventy percent of the principalentrance channels passes! are deep water Figure 10!, Thesepasses provide access to anchorages Figure 11! and shorefacilities Figure 12!. Current 994! recreationalboating facilities are listed in Table2 andillustrated in Photos 8-11," Most protected all-weather! anchorages 0% of the total! arelocated in pocketbays situated in the eastern and northwestern sectors. The island's shore facilities are more or less evenly divided between marinascatering to recreationalboats, and small-scalecommercial operations, principally fishing ports, offering minimal services.
Boating Regions
Environmentaland site featuresconfront the boater as areally associatedsite conditions. The boating geographyof a localeis definedby the interplayof suchsite conditions.An associationof localeswhich shares similar conditions defines a boating region. Nine regions with unique boating conditions have been identifiedand mapped Figure 13!, Their locationand size, near and offshore waters, cliinate and prevailing winds, shore features,potential boating activities, and hazardsto navigation, are describedbelow.
Region 1 Cabo Cruz to Punta Maisi1.
This South,Region is 225 miles long and covers 12% of Cuba's coastline,It is an area of mountainousterrain Turquino Peak, 2020 m! and deep inshorewaters Bartlett Trench, 3700 fi. There are two wet seasons,October and May-June. Mountain-valleygravity winds predominatethough weakened Trade Winds are found in more shelteredlocations. Coastalcurrents along this south coast are weak and set westward. Off Punta Maisi, Cuba's easternextremity, currents set east and north, are weak in winter and moderatein summer, Protectedanchorages are situatedat Baitiquiri, Puerto Escondido,Guantanamo, and Santiago.Deep water passes are at Escondido,Guantanamo and Santiago; shallow water channels are at Baitiqueriand Puerto de Pilon, Commercialshore facilities are at Santiagoand Caimanera Guantanamo!, Punta Gorda marina is locatedat Santiago. Boating hazardsinclude strong down-draft mountain winds, currents and seasoff Punta Maisi, and strong ebb currentsin the narrow entrancechannels leading to protected anchorages.
Region 2 Punta Maisi to Punto Maternillo!.
This SoutheastRegion is 225 miles long and covers 12% of the coastline, Hills and mountainsin the east gradewestward to coastalplains. Deep water lies close inshore. There two wet seasons,October- Januaryand May-June. ReinforcedTrade Winds alternatewith a nocturnalland breeze,Coastal currents off Puerto Padre are moderate and set southeastward; those off Punto Maternillo are northwest setting and weak in winter, and southeastsetting and moderatein summer, Most anchoragesare protectedpocket bays with deepwater accesschannels. Commercialfacilities are at Baracoa,Nipe, Gibara, and Nuevitas. Marina facilities are at Samaand SantaLucia Nuevitas!, Boating dangersinclude reinforced Trade Winds on this
"Facilities data are from Hernandez-Sotolongo 994!, Hernandez Sotolongo et al 994!, and Diaz Escrlch 994!. Acua Marina, at the west end of Varadero, near the Paradiso Hotel, has a deep water entrance channel and U,S,-type berths, Chapeiin Marina, on a natural, deep water protected channel in the lee of Hicacos Point east end of varadero!, has a large by Caribbean standards! boat repair facility and slipway for deep ft! draft vessels. Tarar5 Marina, near col mar, east of Havana, is a small shallow water facility with Mediterranean-type mooring that caters to sportsfishing clientele, windward coast and strong ebb currents in the narrow channelsleading to protectedanchorages and shore facilities.
Region 5 Punto Maternillo to Varadero!.
This NortheastRegion is 280 miles long and covers 15% of the coastline.The Sabanaand CamagCiey barrier island chains createa seriesof bays, such as la Gloria, Jigiiey, Buenavista,Santa Clara, and Cardenas. Half the bays are very shallow f !. A fringing coral reef extendsalong the seawardedge of the island chains. Mangrove and coastalswamp account for 70% of the shoreline and cover numerouscays; the remaining shorelineconsists of marine beachesand river floodplains. Caibarienmarks the transition from two wet seasons October-November and May-June!which extendeastward, to one wet season May-June! which extends westward. Reinforced Trade Winds alternate with a nocturnal land breeze, Currents in the Old BahamaChannel off the Camagueybarrier islandsfluctuate seasonally;they are northwest setting and weak in winter, and southeastsetting and moderatein summer, Currents in the Nicolas Channeloff the Sabana barrier chain are weak and west setting year-round.All anchoragesare unprotectedand there are only two deepwater entrancechannels, at La Isabelaand Cardenas, Commercialshore facilities are located at Caibarien, La Isabela and Cardenas, and recreational boat services are available at Cayo Guillermo. This sectionof the Cubancoast presents several notable dangers to recreationalboating: for an offshore passage, the Old BahamaChannel, a narrow deeptongue of oceanbetween the BahamaBank and Camagiieybarrier chain, combinedwith reinforced Trade Winds along the windward fringing reef coast, and few shallow water passes;for day sailing and inshorefishing, shoal bay waters f! and numerouscoral heads.
Region 4 varadero to eahfa Honda!.
This North Region is 135 miles long, covers 7% of the coastlineand includesHavana. The 100 f deepwater contour lies 1 mile offshore. There are no barrier islands. A coastal plain fronts this stretch of the shore, Raised marine terraces make up 50% of the shoreline; the remainder consists of beaches and floodplains, There is one wet seasonfrom Juneto September. ReinforcedTrade Winds during the day alternate with a nocturnal land breeze, Coastal and offshore currents vary: near Matanzas eastern sector!, a weak nearshore current sets westward, and a strong offshore current sets eastward; off Bahia Honda western sector!, the west setting coastalcurrent is weak in winter and moderatein summer,while the offshore current is strong and setseastward, Most of Cuba's commercialand recreationalboating facilities are situatedin this region; commercialsites are at Matanzas,Havana Almendares!,Mariel, Cabanasand Bahia Honda; recreationalsites are at Varadero Gaviota, Acua and Chapelin!, Tarara and Jaimanitas Hemingway!. All anchoragesare protectedpocket bays and are accessedby deepwater channels. Though nearshorewaters are clear of hazards, this is an exposed windward coast.
Region 5 Bahia Honda to Cabo San Antonio!.
This Northwest Region is 135 miles long and covers 7% of the coastline. The Colorados barrier island chain parallels the mainland coastalplain and enclosesa shallowwater shelf with numerouscays and shoals, especiallynorth of Los Arroyos; about 50% of this areahas water depths 3 f. Deeperwater and fewer obstructions are found south in the Gulf of Guanahacabibes. There is one wet season, from June to September. The Los OrganosMountains have a weakeningeffect on winds over 60% of the region's central sector; there are minor variations in the Trade Winds over the western third. Coastal currents are weak and set northeastward. Offshore currents set southwestward, are weak in winter and moderate in summer. Currents off Cabo San Antonio, Cuba's western extremity, are moderate in strength and set variously north or south, There are four unprotected anchorages, one commercial facility at La Esperanza, and one recreational facility at Palma Ruhia. All entrancechannels are shallow. Principal hazardsare shifting currents off Cabo San Antonio, shoals and coral heads in the bays, and few shallow water passes. Region 6 Cabo San Antonio to Cabo Frances!.
This West Region is 80 miles long and covers 4% of the coastline. Deep water ! 100 f! is 1 mile offshore, This is a sparselysettled coastal plain consistingof elevatedmarine terracesand headland shorelines. The Trade Winds blow with minor variations. There is one wet season,from May to September. Currents are weak; nearshore currents set southwestward and offshore currents set eastward. There is a recreationalboating facility at La Gorda, The coastis open and the one anchorageat CorrientesBay is exposed.
Region 7 Cabo France's to Ensenada de Cazones!.
This Southwest Region is 400 miles long, covers 20% of the coastline, includes the shallow Gulf of Batabano,and the Isle of Youth. A coastalplain fronts the shore which is mangroveor river floodplains, or has few marine beaches. Water depth on the Bataban6shelf generally is less than 4 f, but shoalsless than 1 f lie to the east. The Canarreos barrier island chain extends north and east from the Isle of Youth. There is one wet season,from May to June. The northern two-thirds of the Gulf experiencesweakened Trade Winds, while Trade Winds with minor variations cover the south sector including the Isle of Youth. Gulf currents are very weak and set westward; embayededdies in La Broa set clockwise and in Siguaneaset counterclock- wise. Commercialfacilities are at La Coloma and Batabano;recreational boating facilities are at the Isle of Youth Colony Hotel! and at Cayo Largo. All anchoragesare unprotected. The entranceto Siguaneais deep while Rosario Channelinto Cayo Largo is shallow. The main hazardsto navigation are the few passes, shifting shoals and shallow bay waters.
Region 8 Knsenada de Cazones to Punta Maria Aguiiar!. This SouthcentralRegion is 145 miles long and covers 8% of the coastline. Generally, deepwater > 100 fj lies less than 1 mile offshore; there are someoffshore islands and shoalswith f, as off Cayo Miguel and Cayo Piedras. This is a coastalplains landscapethough sometopography, in the vicinity of the easternmostTrinidad Mountains, is upland 4%!. River floodplains and marine beachescomprise 86% of the shoreline. There is one wet season, from May to June. This lee shore weakens the Trade Winds, and mountain-valley gravity winds are experienced near the Trinidad Mountains, Nearshore currents are affected by the land-seabreezefront, blowing onshoreduring the day and offshore at night, Commercial and recreationalboating facilities and a protectedanchorage in CienfuegosBay arereached by a deepwater access channel. No major navigationalhazards are found in this boating region.
Region 9 Punta Maria Aguiiar to Cabo Cruz!. This CentraleastRegion is 280 miles long and covers 15% of the coastline, This is an extensive embayed,shallow water 6 f,! region, and includesLa Vela Sound,the Gulf of Ana Maria and the Gulf of Guacanayabo.Numerous shoals and islandsfill thesewaters. A barrier island chain, Jardinesde la Reina, is situatedwell offshore and demarcatesthe edge of the coastalshelf. A coastal plain, consisting of mangrove and somebeach and river floodplain shorelines,extends along the perimeter of the mainland. There is one wet season,from May to June, WeakenedTrade Winds are experiencedin this region but so are strong atmosphericconvection and turbulencein the form of intensethunderstorm activity, especiallyover the Gulf of Guacanayabo.Currents on the shelfare very weakand set north-northwestward. All anchoragesare unprotected. There are recreationalboating facilities at Cayo Blanco Trinidad! and Jucaro, Five deepwater passesprovide accessto this region. Principal dangersare the intensethunderstorms during the wet season and mountain offshore winds near Trinidad. Tables3-7 summarizeenvironmental and site characteristicsand provide a meansfor identifying commonconditions amongboating regions. For example,Table 4 showsthat most deep water passesand protectedanchorages are situatedin Regions1 and2: this coincideswith deep inshore water and a predominanceof upland coastal topography Table 5!. Precipitationregimes fluctuate throughout coastal Cuba,but the following conditions are shared; a May-Junewet season in Regions1,2,3; and a November- Aprildry season in Regions4,5,6,7,8,9 Table 6!. Reeffishing, flats fishing and diving opportunities prevail in Regions3,5,7,9, while offshore sailing is foundin Regions1,2,4,6,8 Table 7!. Table7 alsoshows that the mostcommonly shared boating hazard is currents,followed by onshorewinds and few passes. Cubapresents a rich, extensive but untapped cruising ground with a rangeof boatingconditions. The mapsand tables presented above offer a blueprintto understand better the potentialities and drawbacks to recreationalboating in Cuba.How Cuba's boating facilities compare with those elsewhere in theCaribbean and south Florida is discussed below.
Trends in the Development of Boating Facilities in Cuba and the Caribbean
WhenCarleton Mitchell anchoredCaribe in AdmiraltyBay, Bequia,the mostnortherly of the Grenadines,in 1948,he founda pristinedeserted roadstead Photo 12!, the quaintvillage of Elizabethtown, andfriendly people, who offered "...green coconuts filled with water,tops neatly lopped off with a machete, .,and, on making an offering tto pay],were told 'we nevercharges strangers'" Mitchell, 1948!, Streetvisited that anchorage in the late 1970s and reported up to 30moored vessels Street, 1974!. Today, duringthe Easter Regatta, one can find 150recreational boats at anchor Photo 13!, ModernPort Elizabeth is a townwith 2,000individuals and over fifty, local yacht-supportedbusinesses: chandleries, docks, fuel/waterbarges, communications, mechanics, sail and canvas repair, water taxis, bars, restau.ants, boutiques,supermarkets, etc. Doyle, 1994!. Hiscock 957! on WandererIII visitedEnglish Harbour, Antigua, site of Nelson'sDockyard, in 1952,and described a gatheringof eightyachts, tied to abandonedstone quays and historic, decaying buildings Photo 14!. Robinson 966! cruisedthere on Mollihawk and Viking II in thelate 1960s and describedthe beginnings of a charteryacht base, Today this location is notonly Antigua's yachting capital buta majorCaribbean marine recreation center, servicing hundreds of cruising vessels. Antigua Week, the Caribbean'spremier regatta, is basedat EnglishHarbour, and attracts over 100 racing yachts from many countries.Doubtless the Hiscockswould havedifficulty recognizingthe Harbourtoday Photo15!. Thesechanges in theboating landscape are repeated elsewhere throughout the Caribbean; the GuadeloupeYacht Club at Point-i-Pitre in 1948,with its dockson a shelteredcove Photo 16! and the marina today Photo 17!; Yacht Haven, St. Thomas, when Eggleston 959! visitedaboard Renegade, in 1957, "a verydeluxe marina" serving 50 yachts Photo 18!, and presently, a 200 slip destination marina resort Photo 19!. Even"belly-button" islands have been affected by this growth in demandfor boatingfacilities: Marina Cay,in theBritish Virgin Islands, White's 953! famouspre-war homestead hasa marinawhich provides fuel,ice, water, hot showers, laundry, restaurant, dive shop and boutique services. Bahamas boating locations,described by Rigg 949! andcompared with Fields 993! areworlds apart. Secludedboating locales have been the grist of boaters'dreams of cruisingto distantplaces, and the Caribbeanhas been a partof thosedreams. The underlying psyche, that "...one of thegreat charms of cruising... is thatyou go when and where you please -- youoperate completely by whim,"offers telling commentof theimportance that "get-away" seclusion appeal has in a boaters'mind Eggleston,1959!. An understandingof the changes that have occurred in thegrowth of recreationalboating within the Caribbean canoffer insights concerning the potential impact of Cuba'sopening to marinerecreational activities. Is it possibleto quantifyhow much change, what type of change,and where such change has occurred? Pre-1960 Boating Facilities. Onehundred and seventy-four facilities, consisting of marina/yachtclubs 4!, boatyards 3! and town docks 7! werefound at southFlorida, Caribbean and Central American/Mexican locations during the closingyears of the 1950s,Figure 14maps their locations Appendix 1 providesspecific location data!. Table8 summarizesrelative distributions of facilitieswithin eachfacility category column %! andcompares southFlorida with the Caribbean.Table 9 examinesthe relativedistribution of differenttypes of facilitiesby eachlocation row %!. South Florida accountedfor 61% of all facilities, 70% of the marina/yachtclubs, and 84% of the boat yards;100% of the town dockswere in the Caribbean.Within the Caribbean,most 2%! marina/yacht clubs were in the Bahamas; Cuba and the Leeward/Windward Islands each accounted for 16%. One-third of all boatyards were in Cuba;Bahamas and the Virgin Islandseach accounted for 25%. Forty-fivepercent of all town docks usedby recreationalboats were in the Bahamas,35% were in Cuba and 16% in the Leeward/Windward Islands, The relative distributions of boating facilities by location Table 9! were; south Florida had 42% in marina/yachtclubs and 58% in boat yards there were no town docks!; the Caribbeanhad 28% in marina/yachtclubs, 18% in boat yards, and 54% in town docks. Within the Caribbean,the Bahamas,Cuba and the Leeward/Windward Islands had two-thirds of its facilities in town docks, Generalconditions at the closeof the 1950swere: a largeconcentration of specializedboating facilities in south Florida; reliance on town docks in the Caribbean which serviced occasional recreational needs.There were in southFlorida more boat yards 1! thanmarina/yacht clubs 5!; the Caribbeanratio was 12:19 therewere no yardsin PuertoRico or the Leeward/WindwardIslands!. Cubaranked second after the Bahamasin total numbersof boatingfacilities marina/yachtclubs !, boatyards !, town docks 3! - far exceedingany of the other island locations Appendixesla and b!,
1993 Boating Facilities. Therewere 589 facilitiesin the region:marina/yacht clubs 00!; boatyards 58!; andtown docks 1!. The mapin Figure 15 showstheir distributionand Appendixes Za and b givesspecific location data. Tables 10 and 11 presentrelative summariesof facilities. Thereis an almosteven distribution of marina/yachtclubs and boat yards between south Florida and the Caribbean.Concentrations of marina/yachtclubs in the Caribbeanwere in the Bahamas 7%!, Leeward/WindwardIslands 2%!, northernSouth America and the Virgin Islands 4% each!. Boatyard concentrationswere in the Leeward/WindwardIslands 5%!, Cuba 9%!, the Bahamas 7%!, andnorthern South America 3%!. Over half of all town dock facilities were in Cuba, Were there adequate yard facilities in the Caribbean? Data show a 2:1 ratio in south Florida of marina/yachtclubs to boatyards. Cuba, Hispaniola and Central America/Mexico met this measur; other locationsfell short; the greatestdiscrepancies were the Bahamasand Puerto Rico.
"South Floridadata are basedon the Inlandwaterway Guide 955!. Boatingfacilities in the caribbean are based on observations by Davidson 956!, Eggleston 959!, El amand Mudie 956!, Hiscock 957!, Mitchell 948!, pye 961!, and Rigg 949!. ' south Floridadata are basedon the WaterwayGuide 993!, coat ng facilities in the Caribbeanare based on observations by Doyle 989 and 1990!,Fields 993!, Scott 990!, Stone and Hays 993!, and Van Sant 989!. Cuba data are field observed. An analysiswas made of charterboats in the Caribbeanand south Florida." Figure 16maps their distribution and Appendix 3 presentsspecific location data. The easternCaribbean accounted for 94% of all charter boats which totalled over 1000 vessels. Conditions prevailing in 1993 included specializedboating facilities in the Bahamas 9!, Leeward/WindwardIslands 3!, northern South America 9!, and Virgin Islands 6! Appendix 2!. Marina facilities in Cuba 6! rankedwell below the leading boating centersin the region but above Jamaica !, Central America/Mexico ! and Hispaniola !. The high proportion of boat yards to marina/yachtclubs in Cuba is explainedby the large number of small yards servicing fishing fleets that can provide minimal service to recreational vessels.
Development Trends. The Caribbean's share of recreational boating facilities before 1960 was 39%, as compared to south Florida. Today the Caribbeanhas 52% of the marina/yachtclubs, boat yards and town docks Figure 17!. Relativechanges in the number of facilities at specific locations, as a proportion of the total facility stock in the Caribbean,is shown in Figure 18. Though the Bahamasstock of facilities has increasedfrom pre-1960 8! to 1993 9!, its shareof the total has decreasedfrom 42% to 23%. Major net expansionsoccurred in northern South America, the Leeward/Windward Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Table 13 shows specific relative changes,expressed as percentdecline or percent growth of the total, in marina/yachtclubs and boat yards, The largestproportional increasein boat yards has been in the Leeward/WindwardIslands. Northern South America experiencedsubstantial relative growth both in marina/yachtclubs +14%! and boat yards +13%!; Puerto Rico sustainedsmaller increases,+3% and +6%, as did Hispaniola, +1% and +3%. Combinedrelative growth-declinetrends were sustainedby the Virgin Islands with marina/yachtclubs +9%! and boat yards -15%!, and Jamaica,-8% and +1%. Major relative declinesin both boating facility stocks marina/yacht rlubs, and boat yards were experiencedin the Bahamas,with -15% and -8%, and Cuba, with -8% and -15%.
DilemrTlas and Opportunities
Cuba is the remaining, undeveloped,premier cruising area in the Caribbean,Its varied geography, size and location make the island a magnetfor coastaldevelopment, Dissatisfaction with crowding, crime and pollution at traditional Caribbeancruising locationsis prompting recreationalboaters to examineCuba more closely as a boatingdestination, and to encourageinvestments in Cuba's boating infrastructure. Resultsof this boating geographystudy underscorethe island's exceptionalmarine recreationalresources. Boating has had a mixed impact elsewherein the Caribbean, Positive effects can be found in the types of local investmentsthis form of tourism promotes,ones that support locally owned and operatedsmall enterprises.Estimates from the easternCaribbean of boaterexpenditures/annum are $1US million/1000 cruisers and $40US million/500 bareboatand skipperedcharters Doyle, 1994!. Theseexpenditures in waterfront communitiesare "stay-around"funds that becomethe mainstayof local economies. There are, however, environmental and social costs embedded in promoting recreational boating. An increasedboating population often brings changesin habitat and the loss of wildernessexperiences. Mitchell's pristine Admiralty Bay of 1948 lost its wildernessquality in later yearswhen 30-100 boats anchoredthere, Such impact can be slowed or even reversedby limiting the number and location of moored
"Data on numbers and locations of charter boats were taken from the Chartering Directory Cruising World, 1993! for south Florida and the Caribbean; Cuba tallies are based on field observations and interviews. 10 vessels.The Virgin islands 990! hasadopted legislation to dealwith unseaworthyand derelict vessels moored in St. Thomas harbor. Recreationalboaters may alsodamage living coralby anchoring,or throughinexperienced reef diving andspear fishing. Many Caribbeanislands, recognizing the importanceof their reef ecosystems,have establishedmarine and coastal protected areas, There are over 100in the region OAS, 1988!and Cuba accountsfor a largepercentage Figure 19!. Parksoffer a wayto manageuse in an ecologicallysustainable mannerand generateincome, Bonaire UnderwaterPark, NetherlandsAntilles, is a major reef resort which attracts8000 divers annually 983!; it servesrecreational users diving, fishing!, researchers,nursery stock producers,and generates an annualincome of $5 million OAS, 1988!. Many marineparks in the region werelegislated after degradation had occurred, Cuba has many pristine marine areas where its parkssystem canfocus on maintainingquality coastal resources prized by recreationalboaters. There are areas, however, undergoing rapid development Oro, 1992!, Boatersmay also impact the environmentby dischargingeffluent toilet andgrey water!,disposing of garbage,producing noise, or destroyinghabitat by prop-dredging.Opinion research from Florida indicates, however,that boatersvalue highly scenicbeauty and clean marine!waters as part of their boating experience,and are less likely to polluteor disturbthe environment if provided with adequatedisposal facilitiesor visitor guidance Antonini et al, 1990and 1994!. Recreationalboaters may have a socialimpact on localpeople, The disparityin disposableincome betweentourist boater and local person, and the ensuinglove-hate relationship is well documented.Attitudes andvalues change: what was once given is now marketed.Mitchell was freely offereda greencoconut on arrival at AdmiraltyBay in 1948. Boaterstoday are beset by hawkersin skiffs competingto sell coconutsfor the highest price, Thereis little doubtthat increased recreational boating between the U,S. and Cuba could have major economic,social and environmental consequences for Cuba,south Florida and the Caribbean.Balancing thesepotential conflicts will requireenlightened attitudes and policies. Caribbeanand south Florida experiences,both goodand bad, offer valuablelessons to guideopening Cuban waters to the public and future developmentof its boating resources, I.iterature Cited
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