US vessel cruising to Cuba

[Dave22q]

I thought I would share the result of substantial research. There are hoops you have to jump through to sail to Cuba. Three permits used to be required 1 for the person (OFAC), 1 for the boat (BIS), 1 for the USCG.
There a number of exceptions where OFAC waives the permit. The one I liked was people-to-people. You are supposed to keep a log or diary of your contacts but there are no specifications required. This has to be the main purpose of your trip, 'tourist activities' is a no no. BIS also waives the permit for 'sojourning boats' on a voyage of 14 days or less meaning no changes in ownership, crew or command, etc.
The USCG does restrict your options. The permit process takes about 10 days and you have to specify dates for departure, arrival in Cuba and return to US waters. You are only allowed to stay 14 days under this, simplified procedure. I personally see no problem with a late departure for any of the reasons we all know. I plan to not return late as I think expecting a Cuban expat Coast Guardsman from Key West to be understanding is a stretch. I hope this helps planning by some of you.

[Dave852]

When I sent the coast guard an email saying that I would be 4 days late entering Cuban waters due to a cold front they replied immediately "As long as you don't exceed the departure date of 4/17/16 from the Cuban
territorial seas, as stated on your itinerary, it shouldn't be a problem.
Otherwise, you will have to resubmit a new CG 3300 application with the new
dates and await for its approval before entering the Cuban seas."
and I was thinking they would just shift the date 4 days, silly me. Turns out we did not need the 14 days anyway so worked out.


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