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Powerboats without the range for long passages would also benefit from improved U.S.-Cuba relations. These vessels could cross from the Keys to Havana and then use the western section of the North Coast as a path from Florida to Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula (and onward toward Belize). Much of the coast from Havana to Cabo San Antonio, opposite Isla Mujeres in Mexico, is sheltered from the trade winds and ocean swell by fringing reefs, making for an “inside passage.”
Using this strategy, the 380-mile Florida-Mexico trip can be done in short hops, the longest passages being from Key West to Havana, 90 miles, and Cabo San Antonio to Isla Mujeres, 120 miles. A few years back the Cubans established a small marina at Cabo San Antonio to provide Mexico-bound vessels a place to refuel and wait for weather.
The only caveat to this “new” route is that, initially at least, there will be less support infrastructure than many U.S. boaters have become accustomed to, placing a premium on seamanship and self-sufficiency.
Read about the Bahamas-Cuba Loop
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