·

CYOB at Havana boatpast

Havana Boatpast

May 23, 2019

On Monday, May 6 a flotilla of power and sailboats cruised along Havana’s waterfront in a celebration of the city’s 500th anniversary. The Rally was organized by Florida Yacht Charters and included the crossing from Key West to Havana, something of a mildly eye opening adventure for the participants, many of whom had never crossed the Gulf Stream before. That rookie group included this humble reporter.

Guidance From Dockhands
Guidance From Dockhands

I was along for the ride as the token Canadian, but the balance of crews on board the 20 or so participating boats was from the USA. For those folks this was a welcome taste of forbidden fruit that required FYC to do a lot of paperwork, prepare the event to meet US government regulations and obtain individual visas.

Kelsey MarieThe Cubans, including their port of entry team, were extremely welcoming for all of us. The border experience was thorough but friendly and Havana’s Marina Hemingway made an excellent base for the events. The harbourmaster’s team of hard working chicos got everyone safely moored along the marina’s piers in short order.

Havana Boatpast Moorings
Moorings adjacent to the Yacht Club at the end of Canal C

 

 

The waterfront parade was the featured highlight of the program, hosted by Commodore José Miguel Diaz Escrich of the Club Nautico Internacional Hemingway de Cuba, which boasts a legion of international members, many in this country.

 

Three of Us
Three of us aboard. No problemo!

In Havana the Americans, who are required by their country to engage in cultural people to people interchange as a condition of visiting Cuba, visited museums and dance companies, toured cathedrals and enjoyed some pretty fine dining. (For those of you who have experienced all-inclusive resorts, please don’t confuse that buffet ramble with the snazzy ‘paladares’ of Havana- they are genuinely fine places to dine in tropical style.)

CityscapeThe parade of boats traveled along Havana’s historic Malecon with colours rampant and horns aplenty. The historic Morro Castle that guards the entrance to the harbour is stunning landmark and the boats took ample opportunity to swan in front of it. The flags flew and the cameras whirred.

More to come including how to charter to Cuba in the October issue of Canadian Yachting.

-JM
Havana Boatpast Boats

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related Articles

  • The Whitsunday Islands

    A timeless return By Mathew Channer Photos by Sailing-Whitsundays.com On my first day as a commercially registered yacht captain, I sailed a Fontaine Pajot 38 catamaran from mainland Australia across the Whitsunday Passage to the western shores of the world-famous Whitsunday islands. We cruised northeast on a 15-knot beam reach… perfect catamaran sailing conditions, watching…

  • Beneteau is Changing Things

    Wellcraft 355 – that brand’s current models steer an Axopar-ish course June 25, 2026 The tastes of boaters going in some new directions and Beneteau, the very large French-based builder, is heading its fleet to meet those modern flavours. As reported in Boote, a prominent European source and elsewhere, Groupe Beneteau is responding to the ongoing…

  • To Halifax

    June 11, 2026 It’s darn near impossible to walk through the Halifax waterfront without the strain of Stan Rogers singing Barrett’s Privateers blaring on your internal audio system. The Halifax waterfront is so stunning, so packed with history. It’s what makes the Nova Scotia capital important and evocative – a bedrock of Canadiana for centuries….

  • Lettre de Cuba

    11 juin 2026 Nous avons reçu récemment une intéressante lettre du commodore José Escrich du Hemingway International Yacht Club de Cuba. Les Canadiens qui ont visité la marina Hemingway et le club nautique au fil des ans ont toujours reçu un accueil très chaleureux, quelles que soient les relations entre les autres pays. Le commodore…

  • A Tough Go

    West Marine’s Toronto store had a limited shelf life May 28, 2026 If you’re a normal boat owner, you spend at least 25% of your boating hours kvetching about the galactic prices for new boats, parts, and supplies. Fortunately, that still leaves 75% of your time to enjoy your current boat, but still…. Once there…

Video Gallery

Bennington 22 MSB

By Andy Adams

If you’ve already had firsthand experience with a pontoon, you will easily understand the appeal of the Bennington 22 MSB. But if you haven’t, let’s start by reviewing a few of the reasons why pontoon boats have become top sellers in markets across North America.

Pontoon boats began in the early 1950s as basically four steel drums lashed to a frame. They were not unlike the log rafts of ancient cultures and not much more sophisticated at first.

Read More

Destinations

The Best of Two Worlds

By Mathew Channer

Interior British Columbia might not be as famous for recreational boating as Canada’s Great Lakes, yet it is no less a world-class boat­ing destination. The mountains offer their own flavour of marine adventure with their series of long, deep ribbon lakes, and there is perhaps no area that embodies this more uniquely than the iconic Okanagan basin in southern B.C. One could be forgiven for assuming this valley was purpose-built for nautical fun, with a few delightful perks thrown in to make the area entirely irresistible (wine-tasting, anyone?).

Read More

Lifestyle