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Sailboat race is latest sign of better US-Cuba relations

In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, five 16-foot-long Hobie Cat sailboats line South Beach in Key West, Fla., Saturday, May 16, 2015, prior to the beginning of the Havana Challenge. The more than 90-mile-long race is believed to be the first U.S. government-sanctioned sailing regatta between Key West and Cuba in more than 50 years. (Bert Budde/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, five 16-foot-long Hobie Cat sailboats line South Beach in Key West, Fla., Saturday, May 16, 2015, prior to the beginning of the Havana Challenge. The more than 90-mile-long race is believed to be the first U.S. government-sanctioned sailing regatta between Key West and Cuba in more than 50 years. (Bert Budde/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP) In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, five 16-foot-long Hobie Cat sailboats line South Beach in Key West, Fla., Saturday, May 16, 2015, prior to the beginning of the Havana Challenge. The more than 90-mile-long race is believed to be the first U.S. government-sanctioned sailing regatta between Key West and Cuba in more than 50 years. (Bert Budde/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)

By Associated Press 1 min read

HAVANA (AP) – U.S. sailors in are making history as they race across the Florida Straits to Cuba.

An amateur race billed as the “Havana Challenge” is taking place for the first time with U.S. government authorization thanks to the historic easing of tensions that began in December.

Five 13-foot catamarans departed early Saturday from Key West. They were expected to reach Marina Hemingway in Havana by sunset – and perhaps sooner if strong winds in the 90-mile-wide Florida Straits helped them gain speed. They planned to race Cuban sailors on Tuesday.

Organizers have staged the race in the past without government permission, making it technically illegal. Organizer Joe Weatherby says they received a Commerce Department license this year and now hope to make it an annual event.