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Cubans make it stateside
after 10 days at sea
By Shannon O'Boye, South
Florida Sun-Sentinel. Posted on Wed,
Dec. 01, 2004 in The Tallahassee Democrat
FORT LAUDERDALE - Ten Cuban refugees -
dehydrated but healthy - paddled to shore
on a stretch of upscale beachfront early
Tuesday morning after what they said were
10 days at sea.
Police started getting 911 calls about
6:45 a.m. after condo residents in the 3800
block of Galt Ocean Drive spotted an overloaded
raft in the water, Sgt. Andy Pallen said.
All 10 men made it ashore, ditched the
homemade raft and started walking south
along the beach.
The craft was constructed of several inner
tubes wrapped in protective plastic, connected
by planks of wood that formed the raft's
bottom.
The men had a small outboard engine on
board when they left Cuba, but it died halfway
through the trip, Pallen said. They had
two bicycle pumps on board in case the inner
tubes started to deflate.
"They rowed the rest of the way and
rode the current," Pallen said.
The men ran out of water several days ago
and were in desperate need of something
to drink when they reached shore, Pallen
said. They looked for help, trying the gates
on several of the condominiums, but everything
was locked.
When the first police officers found the
men, who ranged in age from 30 to 65, they
gladly accepted water and blankets.
Several Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue medics
responded to the scene to check out the
men. When they finished the exams, U.S.
Border Patrol agents took the group to a
Pembroke Pines facility for processing.
Pallen said the men, some of whom are related,
were expected to be released to family members
who live in South Florida.
The government's policy regarding Cuban
refugees allows those who reach land to
stay in the country. Those intercepted at
sea are usually sent back to Cuba.
© 2004 South Florida
Sun-Sentinel.
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