Published Monday, May 31, 1999, in the Miami Herald

U.S. yachts complete Havana Cup regatta

HAVANA -- (AP) -- The first of 230 yachts from the United States cruised into the Hemingway Marina early Sunday, completing the fourth annual Havana Cup regatta.

Some Cuban exiles say the race helps President Fidel Castro's communist government, and members of the Cuban American National Foundation were on hand to protest as the boats left Tampa Bay on Friday.

The sailors say they see it as a way to better understand the country. ``We wanted to see Cuba, to meet the Cuban people,'' said Steve Hasting, a lawyer from Corpus Christi, Texas, whose boat was the third to dock early Sunday morning.

Copyright 1999 Miami Herald