South Fla. family rescued at sea, sailboat returns home from Cuba

DeLisser family, friends, crew got stuck in Cuba for week

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – It was supposed to be a sailing race to Jamaica and back. Instead, the deLisser family, their friends and crew got stuck in Cuba for a week.

"I'll never forget it," said Arielle deLisser, of Pinecrest.

The voyage with her father, Eamonn deLisser, and friends Maricio Verdier, Blake Cabassa and Ed Cabassa started in Fort Lauderdale in early February. They made it to Jamaica just fine. But things got complicated on their way back.

"Coming back we lost our rudder," deLisser, 22, said.

They could not continue and decided to go to the closest port in Cuba. Once anchored on the Isla de Pinos, an island south of the main island of Cuba, they were greeted by Cuban immigration and customs officials.

"Fifteen people all wearing surgical gloves ... they had their drug dogs barking," said Arielle deLisser.

But she never felt afraid of the agents, who she described mostly as unarmed.

For five days they waited on their boat named Senara until the American Interest section got them out of Isla de Pinos by way of a ferry. Once on the main island, they took a cab into Havana and got to see a bit of the city.

Of the country, deLisser took away this: "Everything is rundown, falling apart," she said. "Everyone is kind of like scared of the system and has to to make sure they're doing exactly what is supposed to be done."

Scrolling through pictures on her laptop, deLisser talked about the beauty of the country.

"I think it's cool we got to travel a bunch of places and see a lot of different things before all these people come in, if that's what ends up happening," she said, referring to the changes in US-Cuba policy.

The group made it back to the U.S. but had to leave the sailboat behind. Wednesday afternoon, after another voyage, deLisser's father and his crew finally brought the sailboat back to the Coral Reef Marina in Coconut Grove. As they sailed into the marina, family and friends cheered. A yacht tooted its horn.

It's not just about the boat, but about the people who helped, said Eamonn deLisser before even setting foot on the dock.

Finally, the Senara was home.