Tag Archive for: Fort


HAVANA, July 28   A Fort Myers speedboat company is gearing up for a record-breaking journey to Cuba.

It wants to break a 50-year-old world record for the fastest boat crossing between Key West and Havana, wanting to reach Cuba in just an hour Saturday.

The 50-foot Apache Star can reach speeds up to 115 mph, and its engines produce 2,800-horsepower at the propeller.

The Key West Coast Guard will escort the boat within 15 miles of Cuba.

It took three years for McManus Superboats of Fort Myers to realize their dream.

“The process has literally been a nightmare. It’s taken 12 lawyers, three different countries – United States, Spain and Cuba – in order to get the two licenses and the permit in order for the client to be able to achieve his goal,” said Mark McManus, company president.

McManus plans to keep building boats after the journey to Cuba.

There are three tracking systems and two GPS devices in the boat. Progress of the journey can be tracked online. We’ll have the link as soon as the website goes live.

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/29652839/fort-myers-speedboat-to-attempt-key-west-cuba-trip-record#.VbgA0bN_Oko