- Local News for Southern Sailors - July 2002 Next Story
FEATURE
Determined sailors explore Cuba
despite threats and tough weather
By Doran Cushing
It had only been days since the appointed one — George Bush — had pounded his chest (and filled his campaign chest) while talking tough on Cuba to a fan club in south Florida. How would the threats of new enforcement against U.S. citizens going to Cuba play out in the real world?
|
Michele Geslin and Peter Goldsmith |
The second annual Conch Republic Cup went off without a hitch as 31 boats raced to Cuba from the Florida Keys in late May. The multi-race format was time-challenging, and the blustery conditions, which prevailed for the four-race series, took a toll on the fleet. Despite blown sails, broken booms, and parted halyards, the sailors seemed to revel in the Cuba experience.
There are few easy Gulf Stream crossings, and this one was no exception. The opening race began from Key West Harbor May 21 with the only mark of the course being Sand Key to port before heading southeast to the Gulf Stream and Varadero, Cuba. An evening start and the full moon provided spinnaker conditions early on, followed by close reaches and reefed mains as the breeze and waves built during the night.
Morgan Lambeer's Finn Gulf 34 Jack Moran Machine took the monohull honors. John Scanlon's Newick 37 trimaran Roamin' Chariot followed up on its Clearwater-to-Key West race win with honors across the Stream to Cuba and Fred Bickley's Irwin 54 Mango Latitudes (the South-winds cover girl this month) was the cruising class winner.
Varadero is a resort-oriented community some 70 miles east of Havana. While the area does cater to tourism and all-inclusive luxury retreats like Club Med, the town itself is home to the area's residents enjoying some of Cuba's finest beaches. The racers were hosted at Marina Darcena for several days, then a small fleet of visitors joined six Cuban teams for a buoy race along the coast. Local boats took the honors with the Elan 43 Siboney winning in the keelboats and a French-built 75-foot catamaran, Ciclon, topping the multihulls.
The following day, May 25, brought more wind and following seas as the U.S.-based flotilla raced from Varadero to Havana with a finish line near the entrance to Havana Harbor. The 61-mile downwind race saw race organizer Peter Goldsmith's San Juan 7.7 Mooloolaba take racing fleet honors despite breaking the boom gooseneck shortly before the finish at El Morro. Mango Latitudes won again in the cruising fleet, as did Scanlon's Roamin' Chariot among the multihulls.
With no rest for the weary, the traditional race from Marina Hemingway to El Morro and return was scheduled for May 26. With the strong easterly conditions still howling and the Gulf Stream still churning, a cruise/parade to Havana and back was substituted for the race...and no one in the fleet was disappointed. As the formal ceremonies were winding down at Marina Hemingway, Commodore Jose Manuel Diaz Escrich of the host Club Nautico presented trophies to race winners and recognition plaques to organizers Peter Goldsmith and Michele Geslin. Southwinds magazine was also recognized for its ten years of support of the friendship between sailors in the U.S. and Cuba.
"In the sea, we are all equal," Commodore Escrich said. "It is more important than ever to continue the friendship between the sailors in the U.S. and in Cuba."
 and Peter Goldsmith |
It would have been hard to find a happier sailor than Ken Wagner of St. Petersburg, FL, who took home some of the trophies from the week's activities.
"I've been following this race for years," Wagner said. "I finally got a boat that I was comfortable with. I was bound and determined to finish the Varadero to Marina Hemingway race," he added. "We had three uncontrolled gibes, but the crew hung in there. Coming to Cuba was an outstanding experience...a fantastic experience. The Cuban people are so warm."
Wagner credited his experienced captain, Michael Hawkins, for building the confidence to make the trip. "He taught me so much. I wouldn't have done it without him."
Two days later most of the American sailors were headed home on the final leg of the Conch Republic Cup—Marina Hemingway to Key West. With the wind on the nose and moderate, the fleet returned to Key West May 29 with some verbal harassment from U.S. officials, but no other problems were reported.
Taking top overall honors for the Conch Republic Cup was Dale Kamerzel's impeccably-maintained O'Day 30 Ocean Spray. Despite the rough conditions
throughout the trip, Kamerzel's 12-year-old boat and three-person crew (including Scott Phipps and Kelly Davis) survived without a breakdown. It was their first trip to Cuba.
"Kudos to Michele and Peter...a superb job" Kamerzel said.
This event is more of an experience than an out-and-out race. Many of the boats had never raced before, and some of the crews had never sailed before...visiting Cuba was the objective, not competition. While the boats came from ports along the East Coast and Florida, many of the crew were Americans from across the country who ignored the threats from their government to see Cuba for themselves.
It remains to be determined if the Cuba visitors will be hassled by the U.S. government. In one of those bizarre (and possibly unconstitutional) laws, the burden of proof is shifted to American citizens that they did not spend money in Cuba. It remains to be determined what action, if any, the Treasury Department will take against organizers of this and future regattas to Cuba. Some participants were questioned about the role of the race organizers upon their return to Key West. As of late June, no actions have been taken against anyone who was involved with the Conch Republic Cup.
Sailors who are interested in visiting Cuba must be aware of U.S. regulations relative to travel in Cuba. All pleasure vessels headed for Cuban waters departing from the state of Florida must apply for permission "to depart during a national emergency." For information on this application, call the Coast Guard Seventh District at (305) 415-6920.
For more information on the travel restrictions for Americans (and ways of dealing with any subsequent actions by the U.S. government), see www.cubalinda.com. This site is primarily a travel agency which organizes trips to Cuba and within Cuba, but a special section on their home page includes detailed information on the U.S. laws. Next month: Flying to Cuba from the United States and a journalist's view of Havana. |