| There is no natural phenomenon in the world so | | | | fourths to a mile deep and from 60 to 80 miles |
| closed related to an important figure of the literature | | | | wide". That current inspired him to write and to love |
| like the Gulf Stream, located between the United | | | | fishing, what he almost assumed as a profession. He |
| States and Cuba, incapable of being parted of the | | | | liked to catch pelagic fishes and established with |
| Nobel Prize for Literature Ernest Hemingway. | | | | them a decisive and philosophical fight, so far as he |
| Since the author of "For whom the Bells toll" landed | | | | was motivated to write "The Old Man and the Sea", |
| at Havana in 1928 for the first time on the steamship | | | | a short novel (a short novel or a long story?), that |
| "Orita", the see and its ocean current impressed the | | | | influenced considerably for getting the Nobel Prize for |
| young reporter and touched his feelings. In the year | | | | Literature in 1954. |
| 1932 he sailed to the island with Joe Russell, friend | | | | Actually, the medal that identifies this award remains |
| and alcohol dealer in the days of the Prohibition in the | | | | in Cuba as a gift from the writer to the fishermen, |
| United States and understood that Cuba was a good | | | | his best friends. That was very significant. This |
| place to stay. He confirmed it in 1939, when he | | | | practice in the Gulf Stream is announced by some |
| definitely bought the farm house Finca Vigía, | | | | articles for the magazine Esquire like "Marlin fishing |
| on the hills of Santa Maria del Rosario (San Francisco | | | | near El Morro", "The Gulf Stream" and "In the blue |
| de Paula) outside the city. He stayed there since | | | | waters". |
| 1940 for more than 20 years, deep emotionally linked | | | | He bought the boat Pilar in 1934 and studied carefully |
| to the country and its people. | | | | the Gulf Stream of Mexico, a place where you can |
| To him "is difficult to explain the fresh morning | | | | practice very good fishing. He anchored this boat in |
| breeze, blowing even in the hottest days of | | | | Havana Bay and in Cojimar, a fishermen town located |
| summertime on the hills around Havana."(Chronicle | | | | in the Eastern side of the Cuban capital city, where |
| "The Big Blue River" in "Holiday", July, 1949). But first | | | | the captain of his boat, Gregorio Fuentes, lived more |
| and foremost he said: "...the main reason for living in | | | | than 100 years since 1938. |
| Cuba is the "Big Blue River" covering from three | | | | |