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Film Synopsis:

The mission of the trip is to foster a better understanding between the two countries and at the same time share ideas that support environmental sustainability. We learn of environmental artist Paul Arsenault’s lifelong commitment to documenting pristine ports of call around the world and see how many of those locations are now being threatened by manmade pollutants, including the artist’s hometown of Naples in Southwest Florida.

We dive Cuba’s pristine reefs with Dr. David Guggenheim one of the foremost marine biologists who has been working closely with the Cuban government to document Cuba’s incredible undersea coastline. We also discover that each of us can play a critical role in protecting the planets reefs that are in danger of becoming extinct before the end of this century.

Brought to the surface in Cuba Reframed are some intriguing details about the death of Cuba’s most famous American tourist author Ernest Hemingway. We witness the power of connection between underwater explorer Jacque Cousteau Cuba’s Communist leader Fidel Castro as Cousteau negotiates for the release of over fifty political prisoners after their historic meeting. We also tag along on a fishing tournament that brings Hemingway and Castro together for the first time.

The Wolf’s crew is taking part in a sailboat race to Cuba that marks the 500th Anniversary of the city of Havana. Visiting Hemingway’s former home and favorite bars, we get a behind the scenes look at how artist Paul Arsenault goes about capturing his subjects and hear firsthand the significance the subject plays in his own life. Others aboard Wolf also have their own special agendas.

For Dr. Dave Randle, Ex. Dir. of the Whale Center’s Waves of Change and Blue Communities Initiative, the trip brings an opportunity to establish relationships for future college sustainability educational programs, and to connect with the Cuban leader of the URI (United Religions Initiative) who heads a non-denominational coalition of churches on the communist island.

Husband and wife crew members Crystal VIlleges and Paul Menta, proprietors of Key West First Legal Rum Distillery, look forward to their return trip and to sharing their love of kite surfing with young Cubans who don’t have the means to be involved in this adventurous sport.

Musician Sir C.W. Colt and fiancée Flory Montanas bring their passion for music, and it is this gift they intend to bring the island, both as performers and by giving two promising young Cuban talents a guitar of their very own.

Crew members and artists Tommy Avery and Mally Weaver return to Cuba and plan to revisit some of their favorite haunts in Old Havana, painting street scenes capturing the historic city’s unbreakable spirit.

Whale Center Waves of Change board member Rebecca Tobias, whose father left Cuba decades ago, is bringing a special Peace Banner to the Island, backed up by a long, forgotten treaty between the U.S. and Cuba, still intact today.

For Admiral Finbar, and wife Julie McEnroe, it is a family affair. During the 1940s and 1950s, Finbar traveled to Cuba regularly with his parents to visit cousins, often staying at the Hotel Nacionel, and they are looking to sharing family stories with his son and grandson who are meeting them in Havana.

Perhaps the most notorious hotel on the Island is the Hotel Nacionel, former haven to mafiosos and Hollywood elite back in day. Today it is where a special ceremony will take place and the peace banner will fly high once again. We’re also introduced to Cuban Reverend Joel Ortega and hear his views on how even though one country may fly a communist flag, the human element is what matters most and that’s what makes us all much more alike than different.

By the time our ship is safely back in port it becomes evident that art is playing a critical role in not only solving the myriad of problems facing the planet but also in breaking down the walls constructed that keep people of different backgrounds and political parties isolated.