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Yachting Community Responds in Hurricane Affected Regions

Yachting Community Responds in Hurricane Affected Regions

Resources are desperately needed for relief efforts in the Caribbean... Please help spread the word among sailors preparing to head in that direction.

By Daria Blackwell, PRO Ocean Cruising Club - 10/09/2017

Agustin Martin, Ocean Cruising Club Port Officer in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands is organizing collection of humanitarian relief supplies in the Canaries to be taken by yachts across the Atlantic from Europe. The ARC organization is on board and the Caribbean 1500 has been approached. One OCC member, Chris Russel, will be in the ARC and will coordinate distribution on the ground from St. Lucia. 

Suzanne Chappel is taking part in the Salty Dawg Rally to the Caribbean from the US and is coordinating the same at that end. However, the base that Salty Dawg was going to in the islands has been destroyed so they are trying to find an alternative destination for the Rally. Their Board is also considering how best to deploy the fleet once it reaches the Caribbean.

The greatest difficulty right now is obtaining water, food and building supplies to rebuild shelter. The devastation is total in Barbuda (all people have been evacuated), Anguilla, St. Martin, Virgin Gorda, Tortola, Nanny Key, Jost Van Dyke and others. The scale of destruction is like nothing anyone has dealt with before. 

Sailors in Puerto Rico, St. Croix and Antigua have set up bases. Right now they are buying whatever supplies they can get hold of there and bringing them to the smaller islands by boat where the navies of the US, UK, Netherlands and France are not getting to, and evacuating people on the return trip. But supplies are running short in those islands. Unfortunately, Jose is about to strike so relief efforts will be hampered. 

They are predicting that conditions for development of more storms will continue strongly. An early start toward the islands would be unwise, but if you can get to the Canaries to help with on the ground coordination, that would be great. 

Please do help spread the word among any sailors you meet who may be in a position to help. 

More specifics:

Jonathan Robinson of Sea Mercy has informed us that their desalination units and communications equipment are already on their way to the Caribbean. Anyone with a watermaker on board could be very helpful. 

Sailors Helping has been established and is operating out of Puerto Rico. They are looking for volunteers and donations. http://sailorshelping.org. To volunteer or make a donation, visit the Sailors Helping website. And while the comments above reference USVIs and BVIs, that’s not the limit of their focus—at top of the wish list: a peace keeping group to evacuate large number of people at once from St Martin (where the reports of destruction and raiding have been extreme).

“The islands DO NOT need direct cash, or clothes, first aid kits or baby supplies. They need cots to sleep on, tarps for shade, food and water, and building supplies. This is where we will be focusing our efforts." To read the latest news, please see their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/sailorshelping

Three Sheets Sailing is operating out of St. Croix in conjunction with Sea Boss. 
https://www.facebook.com/Threesheetssailing/

Yacht Sea Boss
https://www.facebook.com/yachtseaboss/

Scott and Brittany Meyers (of Windtraveler and Aristocat Charters) have started this fund to provide immediate relief to the BVI....
https://www.facebook.com/sailwindtraveler/

YachtAid Global sent out a call to action for the Superyacht industry to collectively engage in relief efforts to benefit those who will be impacted by hurricane #IRMA, and those already impacted by tropical storm #Lidia in Mexico. They are a good point of contact for those wishing to assist. Reach out to #YachtAidGlobal to find out when and where to leverage your assets. 
http://yachtaidglobal.org/severe-hurricane-irma-call-to-action

Related Links and Downloads:

·         YachtAid Global

·         Sailors Helping

·         Sailors Helping Facebook Page

·         Three Sheets Sailing 

·         Yacht Sea Boss

·         Windtraveler Facebook Page

 


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