A race through troubled watersMore than 500 Americans head to Cuba for Hemingway regattaMay 29, 1997Web posted at: 11:46 a.m. EDT (1546 GMT) (CNN) -- Ernest Hemingway's tradition lives on, in the waters between the United States and Cuba. More than 500 American citizens took part this week in the Havana Cup, a regatta the author started between Tampa, Florida and the Cuban capital, where he lived for about 20 years.
The race was suspended after the 1959 Cuban Revolution but reinitiated a few years ago. This year's regatta is the biggest in history -- about 130 boats brought the largest number of Americans to Cuba for a single event since the revolution.
The trip had the air of a South Florida yacht club "It was fun. It was great," said yachtsman Tommy Pheill. "We had some foul weather; we broke some equipment; it took us about 56 hours -- a lot longer than we had hoped for -- but we are here, and we are happy." The U.S. government forbids its citizens from coming to Cuba as tourists to spend money, but Washington gave the regatta participants special permission, as long as they brought their own food and other essentials. 
Many participants say it's time to make the seas between Cuba and Florida connect the countries, not separate them. "Let's move on, let's just move on," said Havana Cup winner Ira Rawe. "Let's make these people our friends. These are very hospitable people." Some Cuban Americans in Florida strongly oppose the regatta, claiming it plays into the hands of Cuba's communist government. But for hundreds of American boating enthusiasts who have taken part in the Havana Cup, politics clearly is not an issue. Havana Bureau Chief Lucia Newman contributed to this report. 
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-- lots of boats, lots of flags, lots of beer and cheer.