Sailing race to Cuba gets OK

Sailing race to Cuba gets OK
Published on April 24, 2015 |
by Assoc Editor

Key West, FL (April 24, 2015) – Imagine a dozen, 2-man, 16-foot Hobie
catamarans sailing across 90 miles of treacherous seas to the land of
the forbidden, Cuba. There the adventurous but experienced sailors from
the eclectic island of Key West challenge the Cuban Olympic Sailing
team, explore the Caribbean island from a local's perspective, exchange
cultural peculiarities, and return home on the final leg of the Havana
Challenge.

The adventure sailing trip and Hobie Cat race between Key West and
Havana has been resurrected, with a group of sailors set to make the
roughly 90 mile trek on May 16.

The race, called the Havana Challenge, has been in the works for the
past year. Late last week, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued the
necessary permits, called temporary export licenses, for at least 10
boats to participate in the regatta. The organizers have requested
permits for at least 22 boats and are hoping to receive the remaining
permits by May 16, event organizers said.

In addition to racing across the Florida Straits to Marina Hemingway in
Cuba, the sailing crews will be racing against the Cuban national team
in front of the historic Malecon roadway and seawall in downtown Havana.
Also, organizers will host youth sailing trips with Cubans.

The event is the brainchild of Key West-based Capt. George Bellenger and
is organized by him, his wife Capt. Carla Bellenger and Capt. Joe
Weatherby. The three captains started making the trek via Hobie
catamarans in the late 1990s as part of their personal adventure sailing
trips. The last trip made by any of the crew was in 2001, after which
the annual event was put on hold.

The event is being sponsored by the nonprofit Key West Community Sailing
Center. A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to youth
sailing scholarships at the sailing center, organizers said.

The Bellengers, who run kayak, sail and ecotours in Key West, decided to
resurrect the trip last year, and along with Weatherby, have been
working with the U.S. State Department, Coast Guard, Department of
Commerce and other federal agencies to obtain the proper licenses and
permits. The commerce permit was the last major hurdle they had to clear.

Key West Community Sailing Center hosted the commodore of the Marina
Hemingway while he was visiting South Florida for the annual Miami boat
show earlier this year. The commodore has been very supportive of the
event, organizers said.

The Bellengers and Weatherby also have been holding regular meetings
with a group of captains and sailors who want to participate in the
event. They met Wednesday night at the Key West Community Sailing Center
to hammer out some of the details and logistics.

Weatherby and the Bellengers also have been working with Key Westers Tom
and Nancy Coward, who organized a youth soccer trip that took Key West
youngsters to Cuba.

The Havana Challenge falls under the sport and culture categories of the
12 allowable "people to people" exchanges, the Bellengers and Weatherby
said.

"We are bridging cultures through traditional maritime heritage," George
Bellenger said. "We just want to sail and have a cool trip. We want to
race the Cuban Oylmpic team in a beautiful place."

"There are cultural and personal relationships between Key West and
Havana that date back more than 100 years," added Weatherby, an
organizer of the USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg artificial reef project
off Key West. "We are just trying to re-establish that relationship."

The group's earlier treks were much different and much more of an
adventure than what is planned for the May trip. The early trips were
just a small group sailing with primitive GPS equipment, which often
didn't work and required the crews to use small hand-held compasses to
navigate the treacherous Florida Straits.

On one trip in 1997, the Bellengers' Hobie Cat began sinking six miles
offshore. They had to navigate around Cuba's coral reef to beach the
boat on land. Also, Carla Bellenger had to tie a bandana around one of
the riggings to help them navigate to shore. Despite the perils, they
have successfully made the crossing each time and have had amazing
experiences, which included watching a humpback whale give birth to a
calf, they said.

"We have had all kinds of adventures," Carla Bellenger said. For the May
race, there will be chase boats carrying emergency medical equipment.
Other boats will be fitted with salvage equipment so in the event one of
the Hobie Cats breaks down, it can be towed or lifted out of the water
and repaired, organizers said. The organizers are hoping to make the
Havana Challenge an annual event.

Source: Sailing race to Cuba gets OK >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News -
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