Sailors Helping

Hurricane Maria followed the path of Irma last month, beating down the Caribbean islands and pulling on the heartstrings of anyone watching the devastation. There are countless hurricane heroes helping the displaced and distressed. Among them is a group of Caribbean cruisers led by Victoria Fine, a sailor and digital strategist maven with disaster relief chops.

These tenacious boaters have been on a mission to provide relief and reconstruction from the moment they could emerge after the storm passed. They’ve coordinated planes and boats with hundreds of thousands of pounds of emergency supplies, including aid for the most vulnerable sick and elderly.

It’s no secret that organized assistance wasn’t available in the immediate aftermath of the storm, so these folks were the only help for those in need until military and NGO support arrived.

Now, they’re letting the pros handle emergency relief while they get about the business of rebuilding their beloved islands.

With Puerto Rico as their base, the team is working with site coordinators throughout the Caribbean to provide much-needed construction materials (thanks to this grant!). They’ll send volunteer cruisers who have the skills to get to work Habitat for Humanity-style. And stay tuned for news about a cruising rally, boaters on a mission to visit multiple locations and rebuild cruising destinations en masse over the course of a couple of weeks.

Tell the truth: Did you have any idea that there was an international community of people who live on their boats and do awesome stuff like this? And don’t you want to hang out with them on Facebook and Instagram?