Hurricane Relief efforts for the Bahamas

Thanks to Carey Chen for donating this artwork to push the Stop off and drop off campaign. 

A few weeks ago the Central Bahamas were Ravaged by Hurricane Joaquin. I was in constant contact with Michelle Williams ( from Riding Rock Marina on San Salvador) by Cell phone as the storm lashed the island For days. As the Eye passed San Salvador we lost all cell communications.  The day after the storm left, I got on the internet and tried in vain to contact anyone on any of the central Bahamian islands. There was Not a word getting out or in. Facebook was lit up with many people doing the same thing I was. People were franticly trying to find out about loved ones and friends. Early Saturday morning after spending hours on line and feeling helpless, I decided to do the simplest thing. I started a gofundme account to benefit the Seventh Day Adventist Church on San Salvador. I knew that Michelle is affiliated with that church and that by directing funds to that church, that the funds would go to those in need the most. When I set up the Account. I set a goal of $10,000 for the fund. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that it would grow the way it did. ( $30,000)  I figured that if we got a couple thousand bucks we could help a little. As soon as I set up the account, The money began pouring in. More unexpectedly, my phone began to ring off the hook. Fellow boat crews and boat owners from all over began calling asking me to tell them what to do. The first few days were wild. I spent hours on the phone with one person then another. More people joined in the efforts for each island and folks like Richard Peeples grabbed the reins and began working to get supplies donated. I was Contacted by Dhardra Blake with Yachtaid Global who was a big asset in helping to get things rolling with relief supplies and water supplies for the islands effected.  The blue water community came together. It was impressive to watch.
A lot of folks say Facebook is the devil and it is bad.... Without Facebook none of the relief efforts would have ever happened. My Facebook messenger exploded with messages from boats and crews wanting to help over the past few weeks. I friended a guy named Adrian Cartwright on FB and he became the guy for Long island as Richard and I were doing for San Sal. I did not know Adrian at all but figured out really quick that his heart was in the right place. He did a great job taking care of the people on Long island. Things snowballed from day to day and efforts grew by the hours. There were countless sport fish boats that called saying that they were loading their decks with relief supplies and heading south. We are talking about thousands of dollars worth of fuel.... But the owners of those boats stepped up and sent their crews south.  I could sit here and name them all, but none of them did it for recognition. They did it because it was the right thing to do.
As the week went on the gofundme account continued to grow as well. There were donations from deck hands for 20 bucks and from boat owners amounting to thousands of dollars. There were hundreds of Bahamians that donated to the gofundme account as well.  My Facebook friends list tripled in size as Bahamians from all over friended me to thank us and to ask what they could do. The outpouring of generosity was and still is amazing.
After the relief efforts being to fade... AND THEY WILL. All of our friends in the central Bahamas will begin to rebuild.  I got to thinking how can we keep the efforts going on the rebuilding effort. So I came up with Stop Off and Drop Off. Over the next 3-5 months there will be hundreds of sportfish boats and yachts heading south to the Turks and Caicos and the Dominican and the Virgin islands. Every single one of those boats will have to drive right by one or two of the affected islands. It would be nothing to stop by home depot and grab a box or two of roofing nails or a couple sheets of plywood or throw together a box of school supplies for the kids before any of us head south. Stop by one of the islands and just give that stuff to whom ever you feel can use it the most. This effort will do a few things. It will bring in needed supplies, it will cause a boat to stop and use the services of a marina and more importantly it will show the folks on those islands, that we still have them in our hearts and minds. Please feel free to contact Capt. Barbara Evans at 239-572-0887. She is managing this effort and can answer all of your questions.
I am asking that all boat crews heading south PLEASE throw together some rebuilding supplies for the islands. It is nothing in the realm of things and our friends on these islands need all the help they can get. Any of you that have spent any time at all in these Out Islands of the Bahamas know that these islands live week to week by the supply boats that bring stuff to them. They do not have a Home Depot or a hardware store to stop by and pick something up.
Tell everyone to Stop off and Drop Off to our friends in the Bahamas.