Updated on: March 28, 2026 / 10:00 PM EDT / CBS/AP
Two sailboats that went missing while carrying humanitarian aid from southern Mexico to Cuba landed in Havana on Saturday afternoon, hours after Mexico’s navy said it had located the vessels days after they went incommunicado amid bad weather.
The boats, carrying at least eight people, departed from Isla Mujeres on March 20 and then lost contact, prompting concern in Mexico, Cuba and abroad. The Mexican navy said an aircraft located the sailboats about 80 nautical miles northwest of Havana and that one of its vessels was en route to provide support. The convoy arrived in Havana later Saturday, with the navy escorting one boat into Havana Bay.
Adnaan Stumo, coordinator of the sailing convoy, said the delay was caused by bad weather that forced a longer route and that the sailors were “never in any serious danger.” Stumo, a U.S. citizen, thanked the Mexican navy for its support and said the group was “delighted” to begin delivering aid.
“We arrive with a simple but powerful message: solidarity with the Cuban people doesn’t stop at borders. It crosses oceans,” Stumo said, adding that the boats had lost contact with convoy coordinators and maritime authorities during difficult sea conditions.
The Nuestra América Convoy, a global coalition helping organize aid shipments to Cuba, said Friday that, based on reported vessel speeds to Cuban maritime authorities, the expected arrival window was Friday through Saturday and that the boats were led by experienced sailors. James Schneider, communications director for Progressive International, which helped coordinate the convoy, thanked Mexican and Cuban authorities and said he was relieved the crews were safe. “The convoy remains on track to complete its mission — delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Cuban people,” he said.
The arrival comes amid growing international aid shipments to Cuba as the island faces widespread blackouts linked to a U.S. fuel blockade that U.N. leaders warn could precipitate a humanitarian crisis. President Trump, in a speech Friday, said “Cuba is next” after discussing actions related to Venezuela and Iran.
A delegation of religious leaders arrived in Cuba the same day the vessels were located, visiting hospitals, a nursing home and meeting local clergy. “Immense suffering is being caused to the people,” said the Rev. Philip Vinod Peacock, general secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.