Overview
- The boats, which Mexico’s Navy said Saturday it had located about 80 nautical miles northwest of Havana, later entered the port with all nine aboard — including a three-year-old — safe.
- After the aerial sighting, the Navy established radio contact and dispatched a ship to provide assistance as the crews continued toward Havana.
- The vessels — Friendship and Tigger Moth — departed Isla Mujeres on March 21 as part of the civil convoy Nuestra América carrying relief that organizers said totaled about 30 tonnes across the flotilla.
- Mexico activated its Plan Marina search-and-rescue operation and coordinated with maritime rescue centers in Poland, France, Cuba, and the United States, reflecting how small craft searches tap cross-border rescue networks.
- Public reports diverged during the search when the U.S. Coast Guard said it received a report the boats had reached Cuba, a message later clarified by Mexico’s on-scene location of the catamarans offshore.