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Related: About this forumMan 'Drives' from Cuba to USA
This page is dedicated to the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of the various Cuban refugees who have attempted to sail to the United States on homemade vessels cleverly crafted from old American cars. Unfortunately, often they have been caught before reaching American soil, and returned to Cuba. Here's to you, floating Cubans! Your cleverness and your persistence inspire me. May you all achieve your goal, and finally reach the land of McDonald's, Disney, and Coca-Cola.
The Original Cuban Truck Raft
The original attempt at reaching the United States was done with a converted 1951 Chevy pickup truck on July 16, 2003. The truck's drive shaft was attached directly to a propeller and the craft could reportedly reach a leisurely 7 knots (8 mph). 55-gallon oil drums were used for flotation. The dozen or so Cubans in the truck were caught just south of Key West after being sighted by a U.S. Customs aircraft.
[font size=1]Starboard side of the truck raft. Photograph taken by the U.S. Coast Guard.{At the website, you can click the image for a larger version.}[/font]
[font size=1]Another side view of the truck raft.[/font]
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Taking the Buick Out for a Spin
In early February of 2004, three of the original truckonauts made a second attempt to reach Florida. Their new, more sophisticated vessel, with a passenger complement of eleven, was crafted from a 1959 Buick: the interior was welded to be watertight, the prow of a boat was attached to the front of the car, and, amazingly, the car was fully functional and still had its tires. Their audacious plan was to reach landfall in Florida, discard the boat parts, and drive to a relative's home in Lake Worth, FL.
[font size=1]The 1959 Buick converted car-boat[/font]
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Taxi, Please!
Not to be outdone, Rafael Diaz Reyes, another of the original truckonauts, made another attempt at U.S. landfall on June 8, 2005. His craft, a converted 1949 Mercury station wagon, appears to follow the design of the second-attempt 1959 Buick car boat. It carried 13 people and was stopped at the usual area just off Key West. The Mercury was apparently originally a taxi. Driver! To Florida, and hurry!
[font size=1]Miami NBC6 video grab showing taxi boat getting pulled over by the U.S. Coast Guard[/font]
Afromania
(2,768 posts)Welp, we know who to call to get us out when things reach their fruity epoch here in the good ol' US of A.
Mika
(17,751 posts)Oh .. that's right ... they failed to pass the US's immigration background check done by US officials IN Cuba.
Many had violent felony arrests/convictions - a disqualifier for a US visa, and others had child support/custody violations in Cuba - also disqualifiers for a US visa.
So why did these people who couldn't legally get to the US do it in these ways? ... the US's Wet Foot/ Dry Foot policy that allows ALL Cubans - no matter their criminal record or other disqualifiers for a US visa - to stay and enjoy the many percs offered to CUBANS ONLY vie the US's Cuban Adjustment Act (aka: special socialist programs just for Cubans only).
The thousand who have entered the US via illegal means are made legal the second they touch US soil.
And now they roam the streets of Miami - my location - criminals, felons, rapists, child abusers, etc etc etc., made instantly legal and free.
There are MANY legal means for Cubans who do qualify for a legal US immigration visas.
I'm certainly not going to celebrate these people who did not qualify for a visa for anything other than their ingenuity.