Boats Sail Near Cuba in Castro Protest
KEY WEST, Fla. — Thirty-four pleasure boats carrying veterans of the Bay of Pigs invasion and other Cuban exiles sailed close to Cuba on Sunday in a floating anti-Castro protest commemorating the anniversary of the island’s independence.
Cuban patrol boats were waiting, but there were no confrontations, a Coast Guard spokesman said.
Boats ranging in size from 16-footers to oceangoing cruisers sailed from Key West across the Straits of Florida toward the Cuban coast 90 miles away. The boats, following a Coast Guard recommendation, stayed at least 20 miles from shore. Participants held a religious ceremony in memory of Cubans who have lost their lives opposing Fidel Castro’s government or trying to leave the island.
“At least the people in Cuba will know we have not forgotten,” said Alexis Rodriguez, a coordinator of the protest.
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