In the winter of 2002, I took a trip in the Cafe to the Abacos, Bahamas, the Berry Islands and Bimini. In the Berrys we were desparately looking for gas for the run back to Miami and pulled up to this small island and asked a guy (he was on a cell phone) where we could get gas. A few minutes lator the local police showed up (he was on the phone with them) and decided we didn't look right and accused us of running drugs. My friend and I were separated and grilled for a while as to where we had been etc. Then they started searching the Cig and all compartments. I remember him walking down the center of the cabin and stomping down with his foot and commenting that it felt hollow. I quickly showed him the drain next to the cabin door and noting that there was drainage from the v berth area under the cabin floor. There was an awful lot of tension for about 30 minutes as to what was going to happen next as I pictured them with a chainsaw starting to cut. He searched all baggage (we had been on this run for a week and there was a lot of bags) and then proceeded to the engine compartement. The next thing I remember was one word from him to his superior "sattisfactory". It was a very nervous time when they were searching, but they were just doing their job and this Bahamian Police force was very professional. I think we were the talk of this little Island as they weren't too many people living on it at this time of year. The same guy helped up get gas, dock the boat at the marina for the night and served us drinks at the bar. He just followed us from point one to the other. A true story.

Ed

Cool story. it can be a bit unnerving when you are in a foreign country like that. In a lot of these countries you are required to "prove your innocence", not the other way around as we know it. Not sure about Bahamas.

In the bad ole drug days in the 80s there were countless stories
about drug runners getting caught in the Bahamas , thrown in
undisclosed places and their families black mailed into paying money to keep them fed and alive. I imagine the quality of law enforcement is worlds better these days that tourism and development have overtaken illegal activities on the main islands but I still would be very careful over there.

Now a days, its Cubans. We were pulled over outside Islamorada a couple of years ago in the Sonic by the Coast Guard. I got to talking to them and they explained that they now look for these types of boat to smuggle Cubans across. Something like $ 10,000 a head for each one. One foot on American soil and there in.

Man I am in the wrong business again :lolhit:

It would probably be cheaper for the US to pay each Cuban $10k to stay over there... I'm sure each one that comes over costs us a lot more than that in the long run!

Might want to check your facts on that.. The average Cuban American costs the US less than many native born white non hispanic citizens.
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Economics

The median household income for Cuban Americans from Cuba is $36,671, a figure higher than all other Hispanic groups.

US-born Cuban Americans have a higher median income than even non-Hispanic whites, $50,000 as compared to $48,000 for non-Hispanic whites

Education

25% of Cuban Americans from Cuba have a college education, about twice the average of all other Hispanic groups.

39% of US-born Cuban Americans have a college degree or higher, as compared to only 30% of non-Hispanic whites, and 12% for all other Hispanic groups.

I wasn't talking about US born, so I'm not sure why you included that in your stats. Still not sure how one could believe the average Cuban illegal immigrant would cost the US gov/tax payers well over $10k over the course of their life... and their kid's life, and their...

I included them because they came from Cubans who were not US born ,just pointing out that them and their US born descendants are not the burden on the US many think they are..
Too many people lump them in with other latino groups which are a burden to the rest of us . They are also not illegal, they are legal once they set foot on our soil.
For better or worse that is the law.

And sorry to original poster for going off topic

I just heard a funny story from a buddy. he and another boat was traveling togather and over the radio he heard from his firend "what do you think the rage on the cubans is in fresh water? I know it's about 1/4 mile in salt. Do ya think they can swim that far out here?" shortly after the coast guard showed up.