This announcement from SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, International Marine Insurance Services, was posted by good friend, Wally Moran, on the Seven Seas Cruising Association website. Thank you Wally!

We at IMIS are proud to have the Jackline Insurance Program be at the forefront of facilitating the travel of U.S. cruisers to Cuba.

After discussion with the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Asset Control, it was acknowledged by the Office that U.S. insurance companies could insure vessels authorized to travel to Cuba and pay for the repair of insurance claims occurring there. This lead to new updates to the Frequently Asked Questions page published by the Office.

Additional information about travel to Cuba is published by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Once the requirements of the Departments of Commerce and Treasury have been satisfied, an application may be made to the U.S. Coast Guard for permission to enter Cuban waters. The form to make that application is CG-3300. The underwriter of the Jackline Insurance Program will require a copy of that form once it has been approved in order to actually initiate insurance coverage for Cuba.

The cost to Caribbean cruisers for the typical one or two week stay in Cuba is just $200. Well worth it for the privilege to travel to Cuba and engage with its people in whatever manner of cultural exchange you have planned. Please bear in mind, though, that, as is the case for other places where travel is normally restricted by the Jackline insurance policy, special coverage for places like Cuba will not include coverage for theft of or from the vessel.

Information about theft risks and protections in Cuba, as well as information about navigating some of the special hazards of Cuban waters, is available at the excellent cruising resource NoonSite.com. As is the case in many under-developed countries, navigational hazards are not well marked or maintained and that is the case even for the most often visited harbor where Marina Hemingway is situated. Fortunately, NoonSite.com has a special page dedicated to Marina Hemingway. NoonSite.com also has references to other resources, like cruising guides, of which you may wish to take advantage.