368 Tranquility
As people and governments around the world mobilize to send much-needed supplies to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, the cruising community is doing its part as well. OceansWatch is an international not-for-profit organization that works with sailors, divers, and scientists worldwide to help coastal communities. They are working with the Seven Seas Cruising Association, to help coordinate a fleet of sailing vessels to take food, medical aid, and other relief supplies to Haiti. Five boats in the Florida Keys and Virgin Islands are preparing to depart on or around February 8. One is the 74-foot schooner Wolf, based in Key West. OceansWatch member vessel Tranquility is also gathering aid supplies and donations to deliver to Haiti in the next few weeks.
The boats will take as many supplies and materials as possible, and there’s still time to get needed materials to them before they depart. If you’d like to donate goods, food, shelter, medicines, tools, tarps, water containers, shipping containers, and the like, or if you have a boat in Florida or the Caribbean and would like to help, or if you’d like to join the crew on one of the boats, please e-mail a brief summary of your experience, skills, and availability to OceansWatch (usa-info@oceanswatch.org). The group will help you join the fleet or find a berth on one of the boats. Financial contributions to the relief effort can also be made at the group’s website (www.oceanswatch.org).
Sylvia Driver, the director of Horizon Yacht Charters of the British Virgin Islands, is also trying to help by making it easy for guests to donate US$20 to the Red Cross fund for earthquake victims. Driver reports that Horizon Yacht Charters of the B.V.I. will also match guests donations of US$20. Contributions for the earthquake victims in Haiti can be made either on arrival at the Horizon base in Nanny Cay, B.V.I., or Horizon can add your US$20 donation to your charter rate during the reservations process.
For further information, contact Horizon (info@horizonyachtcharters.com).
