The Hemingway International Yacht Club of Cuba received several members of the U.S. sailing community this week, including Dr. James Cavanaugh, a member of the Chicago Yacht Club and who is visiting the island for the first time.
Cavanaugh was received by the National Captain of the Brotherhood of the Cuban Coast, Commodore José Miguel Díaz Escrich, according to a report by Prensa Latina (PL) news agency.
During the meeting, James Cavanaugh joined the Hemingway Club of Cuba “as a sign of his support and recognition of the prestige achieved by this Cuban nautical institution,” the report highlighted.
The visitor commented that he had been interested in participating in the 2020 St. Petersburg-Havana Regatta, although it was not finally held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, he coincided with Commodore Escrich in recognizing the role played by Nancy Sindelar, a member of the Chicago Yacht Club, in establishing friendly and collaborative relations between their two nautical institutions.
Sindelar visited the headquarters of the Cuban Club on several occasions, during the Hemingway Colloquia, organized by the Hemingway Museum.
The visit strengthens relations of friendship and collaboration with the U.S. sailing community, according to PL.
U.S. Sailing Association
On the 14th, Escrich had also received Captain Pierre Wallinder, Instructor of the U.S. Sailing Association and director of the Buffalo Sailing School, New York, according to what the Club itself reported from Facebook.
Pierre Wallinder, who was accompanied by several members of this Association, has sailed throughout the Caribbean aboard his 57-foot catamaran.
During the meeting, he expressed to Commodore Escrich his desire to return to Cuba aboard his boat, from Key West to the Hemingway Marina.
Escrich thanked Wallinder for the honor of having the opportunity to receive him and bring a message of friendship, “which gives this Cuban nautical institution the opportunity to strengthen relations of friendship and collaboration with the U.S. Sailing Association.”
Regata de EEUU a Cuba inicia festejos marítimos por los 500 años de La Habana
In addition, Commodore Escrich proposed working on future projects such as the signing of a Friendship and Collaboration Agreement between both institutions and carrying out joint activities, such as an exchange of experiences between the Sailing School of the Hemingway International Yacht Club of Cuba and the Buffalo Sailing School.
These activities, Escrich remarked, “would be an important contribution to strengthening the excellent friendly relations of the Yacht Club with the U.S. sailing community.”