Pageant News Bureau - Hit the Beach

Ms. Hit The Beach! is the title she holds today. But there was a time, only five years ago, when Chabeli Lopez was praying for a beach to hit.

She was lost at sea, and the outlook was not bright. Along with a few friends and relatives, she had set out on a homemade raft, fleeing Cuba for the United States. The sea was getting rough, and the raft was starting to fall apart. "The sharks were circling in the water," she recalls.

Also see
Miss Hit the Beach! 2000

Rescue came just in time, thanks to the vigilant patrolling of the U.S. Coast Guard. The tattered raft was spotted, and the passengers were picked up with no loss of life. But the little band of intrepid "boat people" soon had their hopes dashed. They were told they had no legal right to land in the United States, and they were sent back.

But they weren't returned to the Cuban government. They were taken to Guantanamo Bay, a tiny coastal patch of Cuba that is controlled by the United States. Ms. Lopez had not quite reached her goal, but she had a chance to petition the U.S. government for entry.

She wasted no time in getting started on the paperwork, and a few months later, she was welcomed into the land of her dreams.

With the same determination that she had shown on the raft, Ms. Lopez set about building a new life. She studied English and quickly acquired a basic command of the language. She found a job. She met and married a handsome South Florida police detective.

And she discovered bikini pageants. "I didn't know they had such a thing," laughs Ms. Lopez. She loved the beaches in her native lands, but nobody ever won any prizes for looking good when they went there.

The fact that strolling in the sunshine could lead to fame and fortune was a startling revelation.

When it came to the Ms. Hit The Beach! competition, she was nervous about one thing. Not her body, but her English. "I have an accent," she said modestly, "and I still get some words wrong. But I think they really liked me."

They liked her very much. In November 1999, at Hedonism III in Jamaica, Ms. Lopez was crowned Ms. Hit The Beach! This cheerful young wife has come a long way, from Cuban socialism to American democracy to pageant royalty. She's a bikini queen.

And now a word about wildlife Not everything that comes from the sea is as beautiful as this beach girl. But all marine life is important to the balance of nature. Many species of sharks are endangered, and we at PNB support efforts to protect them. We want to see sharks well fed and healthy.

But when we look at Chabeli Lopez, we can't help being grateful that the sharks missed one meal.

The girl who discovered pageants

Both pageant photos by Brian T. Baybo

With first runner-up Angel Gomez (right) and second runner-up Mary Reily (left).

©1999 Andy Chabot