The wonderful reforms of the Cuban dictatorship continue to inspire the Cuban people. Inspire them, that is, to design ingenious rafts to escape the island slave plantation:
Homemade refugee boat found abandoned off Marathon
DUCK KEY, Fla. — Two Florida fishermen found a boat used by people fleeing Cuba. What makes the boat unique is it appears to be entirely homemade.
That this 14-foot makeshift boat is even seaworthy is astounding enough. It looks like a pile of junk metal. But look closely and you see precise welds, a homemade throttle, rudder cut by torch from a street sign and signs of a desperate flight to freedom.
It even has a motor converted from an Isuzu, complete with the muffler that came with the car.
A pair of fishermen spotted the craft Tuesday adrift 2 miles off Marathon and found an up-close connection to some desperate group’s well-planned journey from Cuba, probably within the last week.
On board were three sets of men’s clothing, fuel in plastic bottles, canned food, powdered milk and glocose in IV bags … and anxiety medication.
Officials say the people on board were picked up by the Coast Guard and likely will be sent back to their home country.
