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Photo: Leia Onofrey
“I’m from Cuba like everybody knows . . . I jumped ship in Nova Scotia in 1996 . . .When I see that boat coming, I run to the main ladder. I jump in that boat and say ‘Bye, Cuba!’”
Miguel Sanchez
Miguel Sanchez is a Cuban-American who manufactures commercial fishing nets and rigging at Reidar’s Trawl-Scallop Gear and Marine Supply in New Bedford, MA. In this excerpt, he describes going to fishing school in Cuba and then jumping ship from a Cuban fishing boat onto a Canadian boat to escape political dictatorship, landing in Nova Scotia. He speaks about the challenges of being apart from his wife and children for five years and how he helps translate for and train other Spanish speaking co-workers at this local family business.
This interview was originally conducted in English.
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Background Information:
Miguel “jumped ship” in Nova Scotia. Historically, many Cubans ended up in Nova Scotia because of the salt cod industry. After the Cuban Revolution, when Castro allied with the Soviet Union, the first wave of immigrants were Cuba’s elite. Since 1961, an U.S. imposed embargo has hampered food production and led to shortages of medical supplies, fuel, building materials, and more. Political repression and frustration with life in Cuba continues to propel immigration. Though he was studying to be a lawyer in Cuba, Miguel also attended school to learn skills such as navigation and net mending. In the U.S. most of these skills are learned on-the-job.
