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The family of mechanic Orestes Ortega, seated, and an ex-Castro captain, Armando Rodriguez, wait in a Coast Guard boat. The girl on the left with the doll is Maritza Ortega. The woman standing in the middle is Aracelia Ortega, mother of the two girls (note she is five months pregnant). The girl in her lap is Meca Ortega.

Accompanying note by Maritza: "The time we left Cuba was 6:00pm because that was the time the sugar mill blew the horn...my dad planned it that way. It was broad daylight. We had only water and cola syrup because the crackers and other supplies had gotten wet with salt water. We had some sort of medication that was injectable and I have the glass syringe my mom brought on the trip. This was not the first attempt we made to leave Cuba. This was the successful trip. All the other times we had to return and stay in hiding. Armando Rodriguez did not help my father plan the trip he himself was in hiding and could not come out unless my dad would give him a day and time. The person that helped my father plan this trip was 'El Isleno' an old mariner. We were 2 nights at sea and it was not until that third day that my dad saw something in the horizon and decided to signal because there was a bad storm coming. Our compass was broken so dad did not know where we were and at times thought it might be a Cuban ship. The second night we were adrift because our boat was broken and it took my father hours to make a part that was broken. This is why my dad had no way of knowing where we were and was scared to signal any vessel he saw. He made the part with a hammer and a screwdriver. There are many events I can recount because I remember our trip vividly. I made it to freedom and got to grow up in the USA because my parents risked it all including our lives to make it to freedom...thank you Mom and Dad!"