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 the 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.
Starboard side of the truck raft. Photograph taken by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Back view of truck raft, showing spacious cargo capacity.
Closeup of the truck raft from the front, showing one of its passengers checking the engine under the hood.
Another side view of the truck raft.
This valiant and ingenious attempt at fleeing Cuba earned the original crew the proud title of camionautas (truckonauts). Unfortunately, instead of being rewarded for their cleverness, the Cubans were repatriated back to Cuba. Sadly, the pickup truck was also later sunk (reportedly through the copious application of machine-gun fire!) by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Disclaimers: Border protection and immigration policy are complicated issues; this page just recognizes the spirit of the truckonauts who took brave and clever steps to take matters in their own hands. It is not the author’s intention to violate any copyrights. Please contact me if there are issues with images or quotes on this page. Please e-mail any suggestions, corrections, or pointers to additional information and photographs to Andrew Ho (webmaster@floatingcubans.com).
Agencies/floatingcubans.com/InternetPhotos/Arnoldo Varona/TheCubanHistory.com
THE CUBAN HISTORY, HOLLYWOOD.