An early morning Mayday in the midst of the Havana Cup flotilla caught the attention of Captain Donna Nickelson aboard her Tayana 42 Restless.  After hearing no response to the Mayday, and then another call from the distressed vessel Morningstar, Nickelson reacted quickly.
   "I heard the urgency in the voice.   I responded to the Mayday and kept in radio contact with them as we headed toward their boat."

Morningstar burns to the waterline, then sinks
Brian Kolka photo

    On an unusually calm morning on May 30, the Whitby 42 Morningstar out of Gulfport Marina near St. Petersburg was motor sailing across the Gulf Stream.   With no warning or time to prepare for abandoning ship, the boat was quickly engulfed in flames as the crew boarded their inflatable dinghy to escape the inferno.
  "We really don't know what happened except it was extremely fast,"recalled owner Rob Hoogeveen.   "Within minutes we were jumping over the side."
    Another sailboat in the area, the large catamaran Wild Orchid, also heard the call and saw the smoke.   They were able to reach the crew of Morningstar more quickly than Restless and rescued the four crew as the fire raged.   Wild Orchid was participating in the Havana Cup flotilla so they continued on to Marina Hemingway, now with four extra crew.
    Aboard Restless, also bound for Cuba, there was nothing which could be done to aid the burning yacht.
    "We watched the boat burn to the waterline... 11:05 was the last burst before it sank," said Nickelson.
    Wild Orchid arrived at Marina Hemingway later in the day, but with the new crew lacking any identification, and with the boat not reportedly on the list of participants in the Havana Cup, the four rescued sailors were transported to a downtown Havana jail for having entered Cuba illegally.
    After two days and the efforts of the Dutch Embassy in Cuba, along with the offer by St. Petersburg sailor Hal Batey to carry the Morningstar crew back to the U.S., Hoogeveen and crew were released by the Cuban authorities for the trip back to Key West.
    Speaking about the Cuban experience and about the help from Batey, Hoogeveen said, "He (Batey) went out of the way to be sure we were going to get home."  He added, "We met some really nice people along the way, but we just wanted to get home.   The Cuban people we dealt with were great.   There were just so many levels of bureaucracy."
    The crew of Morningstar flew home from Key West on June 5 after a slow northbound crossing of the Gulf Stream.   Batey said the U.S. officials at Key West expedited their clearance after hearing about the incident.

   Getting the Morningstar crew out of Cuba
Entering a third world country without a passport or identification is a very serious matter, and being an American carries no weight here.   Unfortunately, no one knew of the problems that were to befall the crew of Morningstar.
    The crew were detained and sent to a jail in Havana.   They were segregated and interrogated.   Through pleading with the guards, the two women were allowed to share a cell with their husbands.   The conditions were horrible-no running water and a toilet that didn't flush.
    When their story was related to me, I knew they were in serious trouble.   Some time ago I was in a similar situation and I knew if someone didn't help these people, they could be detained indefinitely.
   I went to the immigration office at the marina, determined to help free these people.   I explained that I would take them back to the U.S. aboard my vessel.   After about two hours the officials realized I wasn't going to go away.   Four hours later I was led inside where my proposal was being considered.   After being grilled about why I was willing to do this, my float plan was approved and the Morningstar crew were headed back to the marina.
    About an hour after sunset I was led back into the immigration office.  There were no less than 30 officials lining the walls of the tiny rooms and for the first time I saw the crew of Morningstar.  They sat together in front of me, tired and visibly shaken, still wearing the same clothes they were rescued in.
   When the head official announced they would be leaving for the U.S. with me, they sprang to their feet to thank me.  I asked that they thank the officials and they gave handshakes and a very heartfelt "muchas gracias."
   Until this point I didn't understand why things had proceeded so smoothly.  Then I was informed that two of the "Americans" were actually Dutch and British.  Their consulates had arranged for passports.  If they had been Americans it would probably have taken several more days as the American Embassy was of no help whatsoever.
   A half hour later they were free to go and the Dutch representative took them to a complementary hotel room where they received clothes and meals.

The rescued Morningstar owners-Rob and Tina Hoogeveen, Hal Batey and Craig, and Morningstar crew Terri and Tom
Photo Courtesy of Hal Batey

   A day later we were headed for Key West.  The trip was uneventful and we cleared in without incident.
  We've been in touch a few times and I look forward to seeing the crew of Morningstar again.  After all, U.S. sailors have to stick together.