 Hurricane Beryl Takes and Gives7/15/2024
2 Comments We were tucked snugly into our lovely slip in Grenada when the news hit: Hurricane Beryl was headed our way. Having just arrived in Grenada after a long trip back to the U.S., we were not quite up for an overnight passage, but we decided to err on the side of caution and make a run for Trinidad. When we told locals we were heading south, they were a bit surprised and disapproving: "It will be fine! Just some winds. We've been through it before," they scoffed. As we were preparing to leave, we had been advised to file a float plan and message a man in Trinidad by the name of Jesse James. I messaged him, and he connected me to a WhatsApp group of cruisers like us. Then off into the night we went. The exodus of boats from Grenada to Trinidad. Image from Chris Schramm A view of what we are running from. Image from PredictWind. We left just after dusk and actively reminded ourselves of our nighttime protocols (we were a bit rusty since we had been off of the boat for a month and a half). Sadly, this passage was a difficult one. We never get seasick, but due to a number of factors, this time, Roy did. We had a lot busier time managing boat systems this time than in the past. And by the time we arrived 13 hours later, neither of us had slept much, and we were both exhausted. After dropping anchor in Chagauramas, we headed straight to the office of MSATT, where volunteer operations were being organized. We were literally first in line and immediately began our customs and immigrations clear-in process. The volunteerism around us was impressive, to say the least, as people jumped in to help newly arriving cruisers navigate the required paperwork (and trust me—it was a lot). Over the next few days, boats continued to pour in—hundreds of them well into the night. Despite being overwhelmed with the influx of visiting boats, the government of Trinidad and Tobago made the decision to waive certain fees for cruisers and to allow "force majeure" leniencies. Well done, T&T! Jesse James and other volunteers help cruisers clear in to Customs and Immigration. Dr. Lambie, a local veterinarian shown far right wearing green, generously donates her time for boats with pets. Photos from Sharon Rose. With so many boats in the anchorage and particularly deep anchoring conditions, we were all nervous as the hurricane approached. Luckily, in the end, all we saw was some strong winds and rain, and nothing too dramatic. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief. After Beryl made landfall in Carriacou, us cruisers in Trinidad shifted our attention to the friends and hosts at the lovely places we had just visited (namely, Grenada, Carricaou, Union Island, and Mayreau). Those islands weren't so lucky. Union Island. Photo from Jeremie Tronet. Devastation after the sea wall breaks in Bridgetown, Barbados. Carriacou, where we had been just a few months earlier. What our team sees upon landing on Union Island.Relief efforts begin.A group of volunteers quickly emerged to arrange the transport of relief supplies to these islands via private cruising boats, and we enthusiastically joined in. Where we were located (Chagauramas, Trinindad), an Operations Center was established at a donated space within Power Boats Marina, and Roy and I started manning it. Our small crew started working 12-hour days: accepting incoming donations, loading up delivery boats, and organizing relief supplies. It was exhausting but so rewarding! The Operations Center Team: Roy, me, and Jesse James. Not pictured: Thierry and Magali from s/y Cervino and Sue Ann from MSATT. West Bees Supermarkets assembles 320 food hampers for us, funded by a GoFundMe campaign. Food and water donations start pouring in from the Kiwanis Club, Habitat for Humanity, Living Water Community, and many others, due to Jesse James' strong connections within the Trinidad community. The government of Trinidad & Tobago donates 200 cots.Heroes emerge.First and foremost was Jesse James. A Trinidad businessman, Jesse has been supporting the cruiser community in Trinidad for years, mostly in a volunteer capacity. I quickly learned that this extraordinary man has a heart of gold. He reached deep into his contacts to secure donations, organize local points of contact, and assemble much-needed food and hardware kits. He worked tirelessly alongside us under the mantra: "failure is not an option." Then boat owners started signing up to become delivery boats, willingly allowing us to load their meticulously maintained boats down with supplies and volunteering to take them wherever needed. In most cases, this meant dramatically altering whatever plans they already had in place. Boat owners stuff supplies onto their vessels wherever they can fit them. The clock was ticking, and we knew we needed to get supplies to the islands quickly, so boats started heading off as fast as we could load them. Monika and Steve (back row left) of s/v Groovy are the first to depart Trinidad with supplies, bound for Mayreau. Shown here with volunteer loaders and Jesse James (front right). Keith of s/v Dyar Straits makes his delivery in Bequia. Photo from Keith Dyar. The Tradewinds charter company spends more than $30K on essential supplies and sends four of their boats to the affected islands. Photo from Parva Navis Sailing. The crew of s/v Sea Dog, bound for Union Island. Volunteers load cases of water and other supplies onto s/v Sea Dog. Volunteers load an outboard motor donated by Sailing AWEN. Jeremy of m/v Optimist Creed (second from right) takes a moment to say goodbye to us as he prepares to depart on his family's 63-foot Nordhaven, which is loaded down with many thousands of pounds of supplies. m/v Optimist Creed's cargo includes eight brand-new generators, arranged by Jesse James and generously donated by FT Farfan. s/v Nomadic delivers supplies to Union Island and then other areas, all with a three-month-old baby onboard. Solo autistic sailor Johannes Li (middle left) delivers supplies to Petite Martinique and then lends his labor and master electrician skills to address islanders' needs. Photos from Parva Navis Sailing. The crew of Sea Pixie prepares to sail with supplies for Carriacou and Union Island. Dutch sailors raise funds in The Netherlands and transport supplies via multiple boats from Trinidad. Being of Dutch heritage, I was beyond proud! Shown here (L to R): crew of s/y Roller Coaster, s/y Paradiso, and s/y Dali. s/y Satisfaction and s/y Stardust also participate in the convoy. Photo from @RollerCoasterSails. The crew of s/v Ocean Twins (back row) fills their catamaran with supplies. After overcoming multiple obstacles leaving Trinidad, they still manage to make successful deliveries to Mayreau and Union Island. Shown here with volunteer loaders. Phil of s/v Spero (back row second from right) makes not one but TWO trips from Trinidad (one single-handed) with supplies. He is shown here with volunteer loaders, including Amos (front row far right), an impressive team motivator and local businessman who appears on short notice whenever needed. Volunteers load up s/v Spero for her second voyage. Frik of Sailing Sisu makes a solo voyage to Carriacou with a boat full of life-saving supplies. He is shown here with volunteer loaders, including Sue Ann of MSATT (far right), who is always there when needed. Volunteers Thierry and Magali (left) of s/y Cervino enjoy a moment of levity with Phil of s/v Spero. The couple, who hail from Switzerland, is instrumental in the relief efforts. These were just a few of the examples of cruisers who jumped in to help while in Trinidad. And through it all, they asked for nothing in return. In the end, our small-but-determined crew loaded up 24 boats with many thousands of pounds of food, clothing, tools, water, and other essential supplies. And although Beryl took an immense toll—ravaging islands, flattening homes, and even claiming lives—it also gave something. It gave me a strong appreciation for the good that lies within us and the people willing to step up selflessly in times of need. Hi, I’m Cori.I've been traveling around the world with my husband, Roy, for more than three decades. We're currently living on a boat full-time and making our way around this planet one anchorage at a time. ArchivesJuly 2024 CategoriesAll Caribbean Humanitarian Aid
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Hurricane Beryl Takes and Gives7/15/2024
2 Comments We were tucked snugly into our lovely slip in Grenada when the news hit: Hurricane Beryl was headed our way. Having just arrived in Grenada after a long trip back to the U.S., we were not quite up for an overnight passage, but we decided to err on the side of caution and make a run for Trinidad. When we told locals we were heading south, they were a bit surprised and disapproving: "It will be fine! Just some winds. We've been through it before," they scoffed. As we were preparing to leave, we had been advised to file a float plan and message a man in Trinidad by the name of Jesse James. I messaged him, and he connected me to a WhatsApp group of cruisers like us. Then off into the night we went. The exodus of boats from Grenada to Trinidad. Image from Chris Schramm A view of what we are running from. Image from PredictWind. We left just after dusk and actively reminded ourselves of our nighttime protocols (we were a bit rusty since we had been off of the boat for a month and a half). Sadly, this passage was a difficult one. We never get seasick, but due to a number of factors, this time, Roy did. We had a lot busier time managing boat systems this time than in the past. And by the time we arrived 13 hours later, neither of us had slept much, and we were both exhausted. After dropping anchor in Chagauramas, we headed straight to the office of MSATT, where volunteer operations were being organized. We were literally first in line and immediately began our customs and immigrations clear-in process. The volunteerism around us was impressive, to say the least, as people jumped in to help newly arriving cruisers navigate the required paperwork (and trust me—it was a lot). Over the next few days, boats continued to pour in—hundreds of them well into the night. Despite being overwhelmed with the influx of visiting boats, the government of Trinidad and Tobago made the decision to waive certain fees for cruisers and to allow "force majeure" leniencies. Well done, T&T! Jesse James and other volunteers help cruisers clear in to Customs and Immigration. Dr. Lambie, a local veterinarian shown far right wearing green, generously donates her time for boats with pets. Photos from Sharon Rose. With so many boats in the anchorage and particularly deep anchoring conditions, we were all nervous as the hurricane approached. Luckily, in the end, all we saw was some strong winds and rain, and nothing too dramatic. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief. After Beryl made landfall in Carriacou, us cruisers in Trinidad shifted our attention to the friends and hosts at the lovely places we had just visited (namely, Grenada, Carricaou, Union Island, and Mayreau). Those islands weren't so lucky. Union Island. Photo from Jeremie Tronet. Devastation after the sea wall breaks in Bridgetown, Barbados. Carriacou, where we had been just a few months earlier. What our team sees upon landing on Union Island.Relief efforts begin.A group of volunteers quickly emerged to arrange the transport of relief supplies to these islands via private cruising boats, and we enthusiastically joined in. Where we were located (Chagauramas, Trinindad), an Operations Center was established at a donated space within Power Boats Marina, and Roy and I started manning it. Our small crew started working 12-hour days: accepting incoming donations, loading up delivery boats, and organizing relief supplies. It was exhausting but so rewarding! The Operations Center Team: Roy, me, and Jesse James. Not pictured: Thierry and Magali from s/y Cervino and Sue Ann from MSATT. West Bees Supermarkets assembles 320 food hampers for us, funded by a GoFundMe campaign. Food and water donations start pouring in from the Kiwanis Club, Habitat for Humanity, Living Water Community, and many others, due to Jesse James' strong connections within the Trinidad community. The government of Trinidad & Tobago donates 200 cots.Heroes emerge.First and foremost was Jesse James. A Trinidad businessman, Jesse has been supporting the cruiser community in Trinidad for years, mostly in a volunteer capacity. I quickly learned that this extraordinary man has a heart of gold. He reached deep into his contacts to secure donations, organize local points of contact, and assemble much-needed food and hardware kits. He worked tirelessly alongside us under the mantra: "failure is not an option." Then boat owners started signing up to become delivery boats, willingly allowing us to load their meticulously maintained boats down with supplies and volunteering to take them wherever needed. In most cases, this meant dramatically altering whatever plans they already had in place. Boat owners stuff supplies onto their vessels wherever they can fit them. The clock was ticking, and we knew we needed to get supplies to the islands quickly, so boats started heading off as fast as we could load them. Monika and Steve (back row left) of s/v Groovy are the first to depart Trinidad with supplies, bound for Mayreau. Shown here with volunteer loaders and Jesse James (front right). Keith of s/v Dyar Straits makes his delivery in Bequia. Photo from Keith Dyar. The Tradewinds charter company spends more than $30K on essential supplies and sends four of their boats to the affected islands. Photo from Parva Navis Sailing. The crew of s/v Sea Dog, bound for Union Island. Volunteers load cases of water and other supplies onto s/v Sea Dog. Volunteers load an outboard motor donated by Sailing AWEN. Jeremy of m/v Optimist Creed (second from right) takes a moment to say goodbye to us as he prepares to depart on his family's 63-foot Nordhaven, which is loaded down with many thousands of pounds of supplies. m/v Optimist Creed's cargo includes eight brand-new generators, arranged by Jesse James and generously donated by FT Farfan. s/v Nomadic delivers supplies to Union Island and then other areas, all with a three-month-old baby onboard. Solo autistic sailor Johannes Li (middle left) delivers supplies to Petite Martinique and then lends his labor and master electrician skills to address islanders' needs. Photos from Parva Navis Sailing. The crew of Sea Pixie prepares to sail with supplies for Carriacou and Union Island. Dutch sailors raise funds in The Netherlands and transport supplies via multiple boats from Trinidad. Being of Dutch heritage, I was beyond proud! Shown here (L to R): crew of s/y Roller Coaster, s/y Paradiso, and s/y Dali. s/y Satisfaction and s/y Stardust also participate in the convoy. Photo from @RollerCoasterSails. The crew of s/v Ocean Twins (back row) fills their catamaran with supplies. After overcoming multiple obstacles leaving Trinidad, they still manage to make successful deliveries to Mayreau and Union Island. Shown here with volunteer loaders. Phil of s/v Spero (back row second from right) makes not one but TWO trips from Trinidad (one single-handed) with supplies. He is shown here with volunteer loaders, including Amos (front row far right), an impressive team motivator and local businessman who appears on short notice whenever needed. Volunteers load up s/v Spero for her second voyage. Frik of Sailing Sisu makes a solo voyage to Carriacou with a boat full of life-saving supplies. He is shown here with volunteer loaders, including Sue Ann of MSATT (far right), who is always there when needed. Volunteers Thierry and Magali (left) of s/y Cervino enjoy a moment of levity with Phil of s/v Spero. The couple, who hail from Switzerland, is instrumental in the relief efforts. These were just a few of the examples of cruisers who jumped in to help while in Trinidad. And through it all, they asked for nothing in return. In the end, our small-but-determined crew loaded up 24 boats with many thousands of pounds of food, clothing, tools, water, and other essential supplies. And although Beryl took an immense toll—ravaging islands, flattening homes, and even claiming lives—it also gave something. It gave me a strong appreciation for the good that lies within us and the people willing to step up selflessly in times of need. |
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