Cuba denied ...

[marleyjah]

Hello am new to this forum and the U.S

have just purchased a Rival 32
and was planning on sailing to Cuba
but seems like thats not possible on a U.S registered boat

I have experience sailing the Med but nowhere else
and had been reading and planning the voyage starting from the keys
than to Cuba and than to Jamaica.

now it seems like my plans have to change

any advice on easy sailing from the Miami area to Jamaica
on other routes ?

from what im reading up the windward passage is the best way to go
would appreciate any advice on good routs there and good places to stop
looking to mostly use mooring and less marinas

thanks

[TQA]

Originally Posted by marleyjah

Hello am new to this forum and the U.S

have just purchased a Rival 32
and was planning on sailing to Cuba
but seems like thats not possible on a U.S registered boat

thanks

Congrats on the Rival, nice boat.

If you visit Cuba on a US flagged boat it is VERY unlikely that you would have any problems in Cuba.

On you entering the USA just make sure you have NO Cuban merchandise and NO Cuban paperwork and NO evidence that you spent US dollars in Cuba.

For more see The Cruising Guide to Cuba by Simon Charles.

[marleyjah]

thanks for the reply

so what do you do when you leave from key west ?
i mean can you tell the coast guard that you are going to Cuba ?

do you not need to get special permission from all kinds of government organizations ?
USCG ,dept of commerce ,dept of treasury and on and on ....

its just some things ive been reading which do sound kinda ridiculous

[Squidd]

Originally Posted by TQA

On you entering the USA just make sure you have NO Cuban merchandise and NO Cuban paperwork and NO evidence that you spent US dollars in Cuba..

Isn't Customs going to get a little concerned here..?

[Brent Swain]

Don't tell them you plan to go to Cuba. That gives them grounds for seizing your boat. Just sail via another country on your way there, and on your way home again.

[RXBOT]

Sounds like the poster is not a US citiizen so it probably is ok for him/her to visit Cuba and as they are going on to Jamaica from there they are not re-entering US waters anyway.

[bljones]

"marleyjah"?

Oh yeah, with a tag like that I can see the Cubano authorities just loving you.

[sorcerer33]

Check out cruisingsabbatical.com
You may find one answer to your questions - although it may not be the right answer for you.

[killarney_sailor]

Can you register your boat in your own country? Does away with one problem.

If you want to go through the Windward Passage it would make sense to go down through the Bahamas to get there rather than having to beat so much to windward from Key West. Could leave from a variety of points to the Bahamas and there are lots of interesting places to visit there before the WP. The advantage of the WP is that you are to windward of both Cuba and Jamaica so it is easier to get where you want to go.

[hellosailor]

marley, in the US the term "registered" indicates a boat registered to a state, not a federally documented vessel. So, is you boat registered, or documented? State or federal?

If you are new to the US, unless you have just now become a US citizen you cannot own a federally documented vessel. That's reserved for citizens only.

Your exact status, and the boat's status, will make all the difference in the world once you depart Cuba and make your next landfall---whereever that is. If you depart Cuba and return to US waters, expect a thorough inspection from US authorities, no matter what your situation is. They're not happy about anyone from the US visiting Cuba informally, and they'll make that very clear to you.

Be sure about these things before you go.