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HAVANA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Sail teams from Cuba and the U.S. held on Saturday a symbolic race just off Havana's famous seafront, after taking part in a regatta from Miami to the Cuban capital.
A total of 11 American boats, two from Cuba and one from Germany took part in a short race from the Castillo del Morro at the entrance to Havana's bay to the mouth of the Almendares river.
"One of the essential parts of this event (Miami-Havana) is for it to become an unmissable classic for sailors," Jose Miguel Diaz, commodore of Cuba's International Hemingway Yacht Club, told the press.
Between 1930 and 1958, Havana was an important stop on the international regatta scene and saw 25 world championships in the Start and Snipe boat classes.
Diaz added that the event also sought to "contribute to strengthening the friendship and the relations between the island and the United States."
The Miami-Havana race was inaugurated last year after bilateral diplomatic ties were restored. It is organized by the U.S. Coral Reef Club and the Hemingway Club, with support from the Southern Ocean Racing Conference.
The Hemingway Club has 18 nautical events planned for 2017, including the Tampa-Havana regatta, scheduled from May 18-25, in which a Cuban yacht will compete for the first time.
