Humanitarian organisation Sail Aid International is making preparations to embark on its 20th aid voyage to Haiti, bound for the southern coastal island of Ile a Vache, with a cargo of food supplies and solar equipment.

Published 4 weeks ago

Cruiser Impact: Sail Aid International

Source:  Sail Aid International

Commencing in Puerto Rico at the start of May, the organisation loaded over 4000 pounds of basic food (rice, beans, flour, pasta, cooking oil and tomato sauce) plus 34 solar panels, multiple charge controllers, inverters and 20 batteries onboard their flagship Tandemeer, a 1980 Nautical 56.

The Tandemeer will be under the command of Captain Sequoia Sun who has been delivering aid cargo on sailboats to small islands in the Caribbean since 2010. The missions have been mostly to Ile a Vache, but also to mainland Haiti, the Bahamas, Cuba, Vieques and Antigua after hurricanes and to support ongoing aid and relief efforts to disadvantaged people in need.

“The food will be distributed to the poorest and most in need families through several long established aid organizations on the island and the solar equipment is intended to be installed on schools that have no electricity,” said Captain Sequoia.

Island of Stark Contrasts

“The island of Ile a Vache is a land of stark contrasts; absolutely stunning beauty and natural resources, but with the two large and many small tourist destination hotels sitting idle and abandoned due to the shutdown of tourism caused by the civil unrest and rule of law collapse in Port au Prince,” he said.

“There are no gangs or guns or violence in southern Haiti so it is safe to visit, but international travellers cannot get there without passing through Port au Prince which is unsafe and in chaos and mostly ruled by armed gangs since the assassination of President Moise in 2021.

“Ile a Vache may be beautiful and safe, but there is no electricity, no running water, no stores, no government, no jobs and really no way for any of the 15,000 island residents to work or earn money so they live right on the edge of subsistence and poverty.”

Delivering Hope and Goodwill

“While Sail Aid acknowledges there is little we can do to solve Haiti’s larger problems, we believe the boat loads of aid we deliver offers some hope and good will in addition to feeding and supporting the residents there to make their lives just a little bit better,” said Captain Sequoia.

About Sail Aid International

Sail Aid is 100% expense free and all expenses of delivery are covered by the volunteer crew and
captain, so Sail Aid operates as a 100% donation efficiency non-profit organisation.  100% of all donated funds go directly to Haiti and the people there.

The organization welcomes anyone who wishes to lend a hand to isolated coastal villages and island communities where the small amount of aid and relief supplies delivered by sailboat can make a very large difference in the lives of the people they reach.

Sail Aid International is a partner organization of Move To Matter, Inc. a Connecticut 501(c)3 not for profit charity. All donations to Sail Aid made to “Move To Matter for Sail Aid International” and are fully tax deductible in the US as per IRS regulations.

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Related Links:

• Sail Aid International
• Cruising Impact Page on Noonsite

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