Florida Aid Flotilla Heading Toward Cuba

Eight boats set off for Cuba on Saturday, part of a humanitarian aid mission opposed by anti-Castro expatriates. Rough seas forced three vessels to pull out.

At least nine more boats were expected to shove off by this morning, with others joining them if seas calm down, said John Young, the flotilla’s organizer.

Eight tons of food, medicine and clothing were packed for shipment on the trip organized by the group Basta! (Spanish for enough). The mission follows reports of malnutrition and deprivation in Cuba.

“What we’re doing has nothing to do with politics. It’s a symbolic gesture on our part,” Young said. “Don’t forget these are our neighbors down there.”

Opponents in Miami’s exile community decried the mission as a propaganda bonus for Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

The trip was allowed by the U.S. government under trade embargo limitations. U.S. Customs Service and Commerce Department officials were on hand to inspect the boats and their cargo destined for non-government relief agencies.