El Amor, La Caña y el Mar : The Mariel Boatlift the story of the Capote family from LACUJAE Continuing series.

August 2 at night, our boat journey begins.

Then we started to load the boat it was called "Chula" the Military had put prisoners and others in our boat one of the men they put on our boat looked around and made faces the whole time. We were sat in the middle with a family. The boat maybe could fit 15 we could not move everyone was foot to foot knee to knee then a boat behind us broke down it was a small boat with 4-5 people they came aboard us we got a rope and tugged the boat when we got to international waters. We would put our heads down when Coast Guard past by we had too many people. I remember waves and sharks and dolphins things I have never seen before. We eventually threw out food and Mamis precious thermo that is hard to find in Cuba around a 12-14 hour trip we slept a lot. None of us threw up, but a lot did in the boat.

August 3

The boat was silent during the trip in the dark waters, and when we got close to the Port of Key West at Truman Annex and put the American flag instead of the Cuban everyone clapped. Ernie had the cast, so Tio Jorge got him a wheelchair, and Jose was on it too, and Mami grabs Yoyi and me, and they gave us a sandwich in which Yoyi jump on like a hungry shark. Tio said if you see I disappear, it’s because they are arresting people I have to leave my son is here Jorge Enrique Capote Mateo age 18(My Cousin) Tio’s first plan was to jump in the water and swim, but there were sharks in the water. We landed on August 3 around 9:00 am Sunday in the morning on the boat La Chula. Tio Faustino Fernandez age 48 the husband of Tia Hilda Capote Corzo age 50 signs for us so the boat could not be traced to Tio Jorge then came to the Port the big shrimp boat which landed with over 100 people. We stayed overnight in Key West at the Trumbo Point our family left around 5 am for a 3 hour and a half drive to Krome Detention Center Monday, August 4 in the morning we get there around 8- 9 am. Mom called Tia Hilda because she had one call she could make and Tia Hilda said that Tia Thelma Capote Corzo age 49, Tio Jorge and Tia Nyda, Tio Faustino, cousin Jorge, my cousin son of Tia Hilda Jorge Fernandez Capote, age 15, where coming along. So Mami went to get some sandwiches because they kept announcing it over the loudspeaker come to get them Mami worried about leaving us alone when she finally went Tio pulled up, and they called our names over the speaker when he saw her he said go get the kids we are leaving he had a van. Tio gave Mami some yellow folders he said you can not lose them; these are your immigration papers. We went to the house of Tia Hilda and hey had a cake for me and toys. We did not call Cuba for a while, but we heard that Papi knew that we had landed safely in Key West.