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Cruisers’ Net Weekly Newsletter – March 20, 2026
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Good News for Cruisers: Top Expert Declares Cuba Hurricane-Free – Loose Cannon
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Good News for Cruisers: Top Expert Declares Cuba Hurricane-Free
Idiocy? Or Could There Be a Grain of Truth in the Latest Presidential Poop Sandwich?
That time the President improved upon a National Weather Service map with a sharpie. Yeah. No. Dorian turned right and went up the coast. Now, the same man says that Cuba is “not in a hurricane zone.” 
“I think Cuba, in its own way, tourism and everything else, it’s a beautiful island, great weather. They’re not in a hurricane zone, which is nice for a change, you know? They won’t be asking us for money for hurricanes every week. I do believe I’ll have the honor of taking Cuba.” —President Donald Trump, March 16, 2026
Introduction: Yes, the hapless guy with the hurricane Sharpie says Cuba—one of the most hurricane-hit places on earth—is not in a hurricane zone. This man also happens to live in Florida and yet is somehow unaware that many hurricanes that hit his state got there by crossing the Florida Straits from Cuba.
Havana, at the center of this historical NOAA track map below, is like ground zero for cyclonic mayhem.
Hurricanes over eastern Cuba since 1851. Yet, having said that, we owe our leaders the benefit of a doubt. Maybe the Commander-in-Chief was channeling a Loose Cannon story written a couple years ago that described a section of Cuba’s North Coast as having been historically free from direct hits, while blessed with several sheltered bays. Enjoy.
The Hurricane-Hole Row That’s a No-Go
Now would be a good time to talk about how government stupidity on both sides of the Florida Straits is keeping us away from some historically proven hurricane holes, which happen to be in Cuba.
Most cruisers have heard of Luperon Bay in the Dominican Republic. Geography has made Luperon a great hurricane hole for several reasons—some obvious and some not.
A narrow entrance opens into two basins, both of which are surrounded by hills and have deep sticky muck for holding. But it has a climatological advantage as well. The best shelter in the world isn’t much good if the location itself is a hurricane magnet. The opposite is demonstrably true in the case of Luperon, which has not had a direct hit since hurricane tracking began in 1851.
The National Weather Service keeps a record of all hurricane tracks since 1851. This only shows tracks after 1880 as of 2024. The darker the color the stronger the storm winds. Tropical storm tracks were excluded from this depiction. Luperon: Irma at Her Worst, 45-Knots
Luperon’s cruisers fretted at the approach of Irma and Maria in 2017, but the eye of each came no closer than 65 miles as they passed to the north—as usual.
Cruiser weather consultant Chris Parker noted that being on the left-hand quadrant of a hurricane is fortuitous in its own right,¹that being the orientation of Luperon vis-a-vis Irma and Maria. Then he explained the role of topography:
No location in the western North Atlantic is completely safe from hurricanes, but if we were looking for a relatively safe spot, it would lie on the north coast of a large, mountainous landmass. Almost all hurricanes move in a general westerly direction during most of their time in the tropics. Later they turn north, then northeast or east-northeast. There are exceptions, but this is the usual pattern.
If a west-moving hurricane passes along or just north of the north coast of our large mountainous landmass, then harbors along the north coast will experience the less-strong south side (left-front-quadrant) of the hurricane.
If a west-moving hurricane passes over our large mountainous landmass, dry air and tall mountains disrupt the hurricane’s structure causing rapid weakening of the entire system. If a west-moving hurricane passes south of our large mountainous landmass, then it is so far from the north coast that conditions on the north coast are mild…
In order for a west-or northwest-moving hurricane to affect Luperon, it would pass over 100-200 miles of the mountainous Dominican Republic, including several 10,000-foot-plus peaks located south of Luperon. This would severely weaken the hurricane, minimizing damage in Luperon.
In his analysis, Parker also mentioned Puerto Vita in Cuba, which happens to be the easternmost port of entry on that country’s North Coast—same phenomenon. What he didn’t say is that—unlike the D.R.’s one-of-a-kind Luperon—Vita is just one of seven pocket bays on a 100-mile stretch of coast fronting on the Old Bahama Channel.
From West to East, they are Nuevitas Bay, Puerto Manati, Puerto Padre, Puerto Vita, Naranjo, Banes Bay and Nipe Bay. And these are just the bodies of water with marked entrance channels.
All Hurricane Tracks Since 1851
You certainly wouldn’t want to shelter in Havana or the Florida Keys, as you can see by this depiction of hurricane tracks beginning in 1851. The area outlined in black, however, shows significantly less storm-track density. Below are close-ups of adjacent areas roughly within that box. (U.S. Weather Service) 
A catamaran enters the bay at Puerto Vita. (Photo by Peter Swanson) Off Limits
But even during Obama’s second term—when we were allowed to take our boats to Cuba—we wouldn’t have been welcome at any of the places mentioned here except Puerto Vita, which is a port of entry and has a marina operated by a company that is a subsidiary of the Cuban military.
In fact, unless you were seeking refuge from a storm or experiencing a medical or mechanical emergency, there’s a high likelihood that a foreign boat arriving at the other six bays would be told to leave immediately or first thing the next morning.
No point going through all the trouble of maintaining a police state, if you’re going to let folks wander around wherever they please.
Nipe Bay is huge, and its shores are largely undeveloped. Ships come in to service the generating plant. (Photo by Peter Swanson) There’s not a whole lot in any of these places for the cruising crowd anyway, except maybe Puerto Padre. I have not been there, but descriptions make it seem like a nice place.
Ports like Nuevitas and Manati feature crumbling commercial facilities. Some like Vita are bordered by thick mangroves. Naranjo is a base for excursion boats serving guests at a nearby resort. Nipe, a huge bay, is surrounded mostly by forest and pasture, the view dominated by a power plant at the small bayside village of Felton.
Nope, Vita aside, nobody wants us in the Cuban hurricane holes—not at the moment. But the potential…ahh, the potential.
Bay Charts, East to West, from Varied Sources (Just for Fun)
Nineteenth century depiction of Nipe Bay, which is show in a photo further up the story. 
Banes Bay is more than five miles wide. (Google Earth) 
These chartlets for Puerto Vita and Puerto Naranjo are taken from Waterway Guide Cuba by Addison Chan. 
Here’s how Navionics depicts Puerto Padre. 
Nautical author Nigel Calder made his own harbor sketches for his now outdated “Cuba: A Cruising Guide.” 
And finally Navionics’ rendering of the industrial port of Nuevitas Bay. LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Every so often he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
1
“Prudent mariners know the right-front-quadrant (relative to its forward motion) of a hurricane is typically the most dangerous part. In the right-front-quadrant, not only do winds blow toward the path of the hurricane, but strength of wind increases by the forward speed of the hurricane, and we typically find about 90 percent of tornadoes and waterspouts and most destructive microbursts in this quadrant.
“Conversely, left-quadrant (relative to its forward motion) of a hurricane is its “navigable semicircle”. In the left-quadrant, wind blows away from the path of the hurricane, we subtract two times its forward speed from the “max sustained wind” (usually found in the right-front-quadrant), and we typically see fewer severe weather events. Let’s illustrate the difference in wind speed due simply to storm motion.
“Let’s examine a stationary Category 2 hurricane with 90 knot sustained winds. Now put the hurricane in motion at 10 knots of forward speed. The moving hurricane will support 100 knots (Category 3) winds in its right-front-quadrant, but only 80 knots (Category 1) winds in its left-front-quadrant. In addition, although hurricane structure varies, with most west-moving hurricanes along he latitude of the Northern Caribbean, the bulk of inbound tropical moisture feeds from the south into the right-front-quadrant while air feeding into the left-front-quadrant is pulled from the north (less-moist mid-latitudes).”
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- Reply to G
I was considering subscribing to Peter's vlog… until I read the initial paragraph.
That's when I discovered that the author was into making jabs at a politician, ( I'm sure just for the effect ).I get enough of that sort of junk from the news. I don't need it on, near or anywhere in the vicinity of a boat!
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The Great Escape: Three ‘Trafficked’ Dolphins Make a Bid for Freedom – Loose Cannon
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The Great Escape: Three ‘Trafficked’ Dolphins Make a Bid for Freedom
Sold to a Park by Che Guevara’s Daughter in Communist Cuba
Ocean World is now one of the Dominican Republic’s leading tourist attractions. (Photo by Peter Swanson) There’s a place in the Dominican Republic called Ocean World, the Dominican version of SeaWorld in America, and Sir Richard Branson doesn’t like either of them.
Back in 2019, long before he was found inhabiting the Epstein Files, Branson made news by declaring that his travel empire would no longer sell tickets to any park that kept whales and dolphins in captivity. This was considered moral high ground at the time.
Public opinion was beginning to turn against the notion of enslaving these clever marine mammals for the sole purpose of our entertainment. Maybe this will entertain you instead: A story about how a trio of dolphins gamed the system.
Once upon a time, my boat was anchored in Luperon Bay, and I was working for the tourist cats at Puerto Plata. I was skippering and maintaining the boats. At the time Ocean World was opening nearby.
Just a few miles to the east of Luperon is a fabulous little day anchorage called Cambiaso, and next to Cambiaso is this tiny little cove overlooked by rock bluffs. I heard from my friends in the tourist industry that Ocean World people had stretched a mesh fence across the mouth, and they were keeping dolphins there while the water park was being finished.
Owned by a German billionaire, Ocean World had bought three juvenile dolphins for $50,000 each from Cuba. Havana needed cash (as it always does) and was engaging in a worldwide dolphin trafficking scheme.
Cuba was the world’s leading dolphin exporter, and by the time Ocean World was coming online, it had sold more than 100 dolphins for between $30,000 and $130,000 each, according to news reports.
The dolphins-for-dollars scheme was being run by none-other than a daughter of Che Guevara—Che the Beret, Che the freedom fighter. As it happens, Celia Guevara was a veterinarian by profession and a marine mammal-monger by necessity.
Of course, Loose Cannon had to have a look. Cambiaso was so isolated back then you could hardly get there by road. True, there was a road, but it was awfully rough, so I borrowed a dirt bike. Once arrived, I dismounted and walked toward the little cove, and, behold, there it was—the Army of the Dominican Republic.
The place was cordoned off like Area 51, and a platoon of soldiers stood guard, M-16s slung over their shoulders. Dominican authorities may have been worried about animal rights protesters. Who knows?
So, I spoke to the soldiers, telling them that I was all by myself, and I wanted to go see the dolphins. “I am sorry, sir, you may not pass. No one may go further than this point.” Meanwhile a college-age woman wearing shorts and a white blouse strode right past us toward the cove. “What about her,” I asked?
“She is the Cuban woman in charge,” one soldier said. “She may pass.”
As a newspaper reporter, I had learned that sometimes there was a way around a police cordon, especially out in the country. As I was walking back to the bike, I saw a Dominican guy about my age who looked like a fisherman. “Amigo,” I said. “The Army won’t let me look at the dolphins. Is there a way around the blockade?”
There is, he said. I told him that I would take care of him, if he could get me to where I could have a good look.
The cove at Cambiaso on a calm day. The bluff at top right provided a good view of the trapped dolphins. (Photo by Peter Swanson) We went to the shack where he lived with his family. He came out with two fishing rods, one of which he gave to me. Follow me, he said, explaining that there was a path to a good fishing spot that the Army by law cannot block—something akin to aboriginal rights. His fishing spot happened to be on a bluff overlooking the dolphin detention center. Rods in hand, we sauntered over and pretended to fish.
There they were: Three dolphins fenced in, swimming in circles. Sad—that was going to be their forever-life.
Soon after, we heard the shout, a old woman. The mighty Dominican Army couldn’t stop us, so they sent the fisherman’s mother. The jig, so to speak, was up, and at her insistence we retreated back to their humble home. I thanked my man and paid him 15 bucks for his help.
Key fact: This cove is open to the north, so it’s got protection from the prevailing easterlies, but when a frontal system rolls down from the U.S. or there’s a far-off storm over the ocean, waves will roll right down its throat. Apparently, according to my tourist industry friends, Ocean World had been warned about this but didn’t listen.
One very fine northerly day that’s exactly what happened. The waves rolled in, each time completely submerging the fence. And that allowed $150,000 worth of teenage dolphins to get inside those waves and swim over the fence and away from the cove, never to be corralled again.
They lived happily ever after.
The end?
Not quite. Ocean World had to go back to Cuba and buy some more. The dolphin show must go on.
A dolphin performs at Ocean World. (Photo by Peter Swanson) LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Every so often he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
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The Sea Pines Resort – March 2026 Events Calendar, Harbour Town Yacht Basin, SC AICW MM 565
Harbour Town Yacht Basin, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, is ready for your reservation with newly renovated docks, upgraded electrical service and onSpot WiFi, also a CRUISERS NET SPONSOR. And, as always, numerous activities at the Sea Pines Resort are offered for your enjoyment, as you will see in the Event Schedule below. Hilton Head Island is absolutely marvelous any time of year.
Kerry Maveus
kmaveus@hunter-pr.com | www.hunter-pr.com
mobile: 831-917-2878
P.O. Box 1049 | Pebble Beach, CA | 93953
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TRAFFIC IN THE GALÁPAGOS, II – Janice Anne Wheeler, Sparring With Mother Nature
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STOP to enjoy SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE! It’s a great escape. If you just found our engaging little community, please read SPARS & SPARRING, .….it introduces my wonders and my wanders. ~J
If you missed last week’s Galápagos piece you can see it here:
TRAFFIC IN THE GALÁPAGOS, I
·Mar 8Read full story Usually, when I find a place that speaks to my soul, I tend to keep that information sacred, tucked around my heart, so to speak, especially when wildlife is included in the phenomenon. More than once a favorite high-altitude hike made Outdoor Magazine’s “Top Ten Trails” and then those pristine experiences changed forever. They became too busy for my taste, and if you think it’s selfish not to share such gems lest they be spoiled, well, that is one of the many adjectives you can use to describe my character.
I found the Galápagos so remarkable that I wanted to share and added a YouTube channel to STEADFAST’s repertoire. I have considered taking this step since TALLY HO started documenting a wooden boat rebuild, and it’s definitely experimental. While there are a few folks around who call STEADFAST the TALLY HO of the Chesapeake Bay, there is no time here for long, edited works with background music. The YACHTING STEADFAST channel may eventually regale you with occasional stories of life aboard a classic sailing yacht, raw and rare processes, innovations and experiences; it currently gives you glimpses of the diverse creatures I found on the equator. Please know I’m a writer, and my main conveyance will always be the magic of words.
The guide who showed me Mother Nature’s awe-inspiring Grand Canyon (he knows of what he speaks) said simply, “Janice. The Galápagos. Go. Ya gotta go.” I’d always wanted to, for as long as I can remember. I thought I knew what I was in for, but beneath the surface, there was, and is, far, far more to discover. Some day, there may be too much human traffic looking for a peaceful place in the world, but for now, Sea Lions (Los Lobos del Mar) rule, so I tell you, if you have any inclination, “Go.”
I’ve been SCUBA certified since I was thirty; the last six years I was more than satisfied surface diving and spearfishing in the stunning blues of the Bahamas. But the Galápagos are bucket list stuff; I dusted off the dive computer and paid the price for a review and single-diver guide. Was it worthwhile? Oh yes, my friends. Among diving enthusiasts, it is the Hammerheads that are notorious here (among other stunners), and dozens of those massive, matchless sharks circled above as we tucked between the underwater cliffs of Léon Dormido, Sleeping Lion, now known as Kicker Rock, just west of Isla San Cristóbal. I was gripping hard against the current, heart pounding at the proximity, eyes wide with the wonder of it all.
You can see the rocky base of Léon Dormido on the horizon line. Seeking Sea Turtles
Who to my wandering eyes would appear?
This gentleman here
Twixt the boat and the beach,
Not even slightly out of reach
Off came the sarong
as I yelled to the Captain I wouldn’t be long
Quick search with a snorkel, I found him grazing
Endangered creatures, nothing short of amazing
More giants appeared and their guest count was short
The Crazy American had no retort
They found me although I was not really lost
If I had been left it would certainly cost
I could not hide my giant smile
It got broader with each passing mile
I am touched by something few folks can report
Seeking Sea Turtles is my favorite sport ****
I didn’t imagine that day could have gotten any better but know this, even long-time guides and Captains still get damn excited about dolphins. Every time. And halfway back to the Harbour hundreds found us, the largest pod I have seen. It was awesome, but not the best quality capture of it all!
There was more than meets the eye everywhere, really. Early one morning on Isla San Cristóbal, capital of the Ecuadorean Provincia de Galápagos, all the municipalities gathered, dressed to the very hilt of their swords.
An unforgettable parade commenced: prideful, colorful, contrasting. Many residents possess physical characteristics far more like the indigenous peoples of South America than the Spanish whose language they speak and Christian Churches they worship. Similar to the unique creatures they protect, many emanate peace, and also extoll a certain fierce independence. It stopped traffic, that much is certain.
On that same island, for sixty-five dollars (Ecuador uses U.S. currency) you can hire high-energy Cesar to take you on a six-hour deep-dive tour that includes plant and animal identification, history, geology, biology, endangered species, agriculture, the invasive blackberry problem as well as anecdotes; how someone, just fifteen years ago, decided that the Caldera on San Cristóbal would be the perfect spot to raise Tilapia (they’ve been eliminated) and how his family has made a living here for generations. “You have an amazing country,” I told him genuinely. “Sí, amiga,” he looked at me in the rearview mirror carefully, to make sure I understood what was beneath the surface. I’m not fluent in Spanish, and yet the proud joy of sharing his homeland transcended the language barrier; I know I understood most of what he conveyed. He was respectful enough to answer questions as he has done thousands of times before. I asked a park ranger for the best guide and he called lucky #07 Amarillo Taxi; I paid $100. Buena suerte en encontrarlo! Good Luck finding him!
All my encounters in the Galápagos, as short as the time was, taught me that one can be perfectly, peacefully immersed there while still challenging your own limits, experiencing things you’ve seen only in National Geographic or science class, eating amazing, fresh, flavorful food and drinking local beer. These lava tunnels on Isla Santa Cruz are one of the incredible surprises; reminding me to embrace all twists and turns.
My first lava tubes & their first brewery; Isla Santa Cruz.The final bus driver braked sharply, swung wide. Luggage tumbled, passengers grasped, necks craned, for one last glimpse of a not-too-creatively-named Land Iguana, much like this one standing just off the airport runway on Baltra.
This was the last soul I spotted in the Galápagos, and he certainly didn’t disappoint; so much to immerse yourself in, above and below the surface. Back on STEADFAST next week! ~J
Please RESTACK & send my work along to wanderers everywhere!
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For more information on the Galápagos, feel free to inquire in the comments.
I so appreciate your support of my work. Have a wonderful week!
© 2026 Janice Anne Wheeler
Living aboard Sailing Yacht STEADFAST again soon!
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