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This guy was quite the character, he told me his father was, Gregorio Fuentes, Hemingway's inspiration for writing 'Old man & the Sea.' He said that his father was taking care of Hemingway's boat while he was living in Cuba and that parts of his store was made up from parts of the stern from the originally boat. Although the story was based on his father experiences in the sea, his own experience of coming to America was almost parallel to the story.
He escaped communist Cuba in the 70's on a small wooden raft trying to reach the Florida Keys (were he currently resides), which is about 90 miles North West of Havana. Allot of Cubans have tried this method and either drowned, got chowed up by sharks or got themselves caught by U.S. Coast Guard and deported back to Cuba for even worse reappraisals from the Government.
While on his wooden raft he would only fish to eat and once he caught an actually swordfish that he struggled to pull, from his lack of strength being in the sea, for 2 days on his hook that brought him as close as 2 miles of Key west and saved his life from being stranded in the ocean. To show his appreciation he cut the line and let it go, but he swore to me that ever since that day 40 years ago for 5 years he would see the same fish sculled on its fin from his hook near his boat every time he was at sea, he told me that a bond is always created between Man and Beast when they spill blood in a struggle.

Hemingway's never stated that he had a real live protagonist to his story, that it was completely from his mind, but after spending hours with this man listing to him in his cigar shop, telling me all this I became a believer.

If you Google GREGORIO FUENTES, you will see wealth of info on this subject and also a striking resemblance to this man!!!

I titled it 'SANTIAGO' which is the main character in Hemingway's book. the lady next to him is his daughter.