03/17/2010
21 boys of Boy Scout Troop 377 in East Setauket NY have each assembled personal relief kits for Haitian boys of their own age and sent them to Liberty Schooner to be delivered on their next voyage. The contents of the kits were selected and assembled by each individual scout with a Haitian boy in mind. They include such things as first aid items, cards, candy and small toys as distractions. Each boy included a personal hand written note to the recipient expressing concern and hope for the recipient's health and success through this disaster. This effort is extremely personal and inspired by the "I can do something" spirit of the Liberty Schooner and crew. The troop is also making a cash donation through PayPal to assist "Liberty" with the cost of the voyage.
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Comments [1]
03/16/2010
Dear friends of the Schooner Liberty.
We are in the last stages of planning our second relief voyage to Haiti. The first voyage was a resounding success, our small contribution to the people of Haiti has made a difference. We impacted children and families, the sick and injured, orphans and relief workers on our last trip, and we intend doing so again. A clinic we brought supplies for, closed the day before we got there, after they ran out of life-giving medicines. Our small load, enabled them to re-open and continue to serve the community.
We can't help everybody, but we have helped a few.
This trip we are sailing to assist the UHAS (the United Haitian American Society - http://www.uhasociety.org), with medical supplies from One World Medical in Chicago. These medical supplies, valued at ten of thousands of dollars, are critical for UHAS to accomplish their mission in Haiti. UHAS Executive Director, Gerry Azor has recently said about the St Croix Hospital in Leogane.
"One such program in Leogane is at the St. Croix Hospital campus. St. Croix Hospital is owned and managed by the Episcopal Church. However, it has been closed for a few years. Following the Earthquake, a clinic was opened and currently it is being run in the Chapel building because the other buildings are not structurally safe. Dr. Gladys Memnon is the Director of the Clinic at St. Croix and we will be sending volunteers to Leogane to help in the medical relief effort. As you may be aware, UHAS has decided to help rebuild Leogane and partnering with the this clinical program will surely complement our position that medical care is foremost on our agenda".
Once again, the schooner Liberty, is planning to deliver 10,000 lbs of essential medical supplies to Haiti. The unique capabilities of the schooner allow it to deliver supplies directly to UHAS, avoiding the delays and red tape associated with getting supplies through Port-au-Prince. To cover expenses, for fuel, insurance etc, we need your help.
We have made it easy for you to participate in a tangible way to the success of this voyage. You can donate in 2 different ways.
1. Right now by Paypal (http://www.paypal.com) you can make a small donation directly to "Enough For Haiti" by clicking HERE, or go to Paypal and use email address: LIBERTY.SCHOONER@GMAIL.COM. A $5, $10, $20 or $50 donation will go directly towards funding this voyage.
2. For larger donations, or if you want to make it IRS tax deductible, you can donate directly on the UHAS website (http://www.uhasociety.org). Make sure you designate it to "Schooner Liberty".
This is your opportunity to change lives in Haiti. Much has been said about wasted resources, many people are tired of hearing about Haiti, but don't let that diminish in your mind the scale of the human suffering there. Now is a good time to be grateful for what we have in the USA, and make a contribution that you know will go directly into the hands of needy people. Donate now, and forward this email to your friends and family.
On behalf of the crew of the schooner Liberty, we thank you.
Philip
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Website: http://www.libertyschooner.com
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/libertyhere
Blog: http://sailblogs.com/member/libertyschooner
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miami-Beach-FL/Schooner-Liberty-Fan-Page/257370667691
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03/15/2010
For all of you wishing to support our next Relief Voyage, we have been able to provide you with a convenient paypal account from "Enough for Haiti". CLICK HERE
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03/15/2010
We have received interest in our upcoming Haiti Relief Voyage to help a very worthwhile cause. The United Haitian American Society out of Norwalk, CT, are attempting to rebuild, and reopen the Episcopalian Hospital, St. Croix in Leogane, Haiti as well as a clinic in Carrefour. All materials donated by One World Medical in Chicago, will go to these locations in Haiti.
In addition there are small orphanages in Carrefour, and La Source that will benefit from our voyage.
As we did on our first trip, ensuring that relief supplies end up in the hands of those its designated for, these organizations we are sailing for, will have people in Haiti on the docks ready to receive these wonderful supplies from One World Medical.
We need your donations to make this voyage a success. Please contact Captain Jared at 860-966-8705.
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03/15/2010
We wanted to give a big thank you to the leadership and congregation at Messiah Lutheran Church in Setauket, Long Island, for supporting our mission. The schooner enjoyed a wonderful summer season sailing out of Port Jefferson, and made many friends there. We are delighted Messiah Lutheran church has joined hands with us in helping Haiti. Please visit them for a Sunday service if you are in the area. Here are their details: Messiah Lutheran Church 465 Pond Path, East Setauket, NY 11733
(631) 751-1775
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03/09/2010
While feeling relieved that an important part of the mission had been successfully completed, the crew also realized that over 1000 nm lay between Jacmel, Haiti and home. We were giving each other high fives, while we also raised sail, and set a course for Jamaica. We had planned to make a stop in Jamaica as a contingency, in case we had a medical or mechanical emergency. It turns out, we were low on fuel, and needed to stop in Jamaica to refuel.
The first night out, one of the strangest and most frightening encounters I have experienced at sea occurred. At 0200 while the schooner Liberty was about 10 miles from shore, passing the small peninsular west of ile le Vache, the watch on deck saw ships lights in the far distance on our starboard side. Unable to determine the course and speed of the ship with confidence, the crew roused Captain Jared. At this time the vessel appeared to be more than 5 nm away. From the configuration of its navigation lights, it was difficult to determine its course or speed. One minute it appeared we would pass ahead of it by a long way, and then the next, a collision seemed likely. The next moment, that ship was very close, within 1 nautical mile, and on an apparent collision course. We hailed them on the VHF, while we accelerated to full ahead, and made a hard turn to port. We continued turning and turning and calling them on the radio, until we had done a complete 360, and were still on a collision course. It had become apparent that these were hostile actions. At this point, the ship, had cut inside our turn, and was standing off, 300' away, bow facing us. We slowed down to a stop, and continued to hail them on the radio, identifying ourselves as a US flagged vessel, and that we now considered their actions dangerous. While floating there, the ship accelerated straight towards us, and passed our stern by 40' at about 10-15 kts. We had a good look at her. She was a military vessel of some kind, similar to a US Coast Guard cutter, but with no identifying marks we could make out, of about 200' in length. Then they came on the radio, an nonchalantly announced they were a "freighter" bound for the Dominican Republic, they thanked us for diverting from our course, so they could "hold" theirs, wished us well on our continued voyage, and "have a good night"! It was the kind of conversation we have with ships that are more than 4 miles away, and there is no ways they held their course. They then proceeded to sail back the way they came, to hide behind the peninsular.
Of course, after everybody calmed down, there was much speculation about the incident. We believe it was some kind of covert military operation, perhaps checking for drug smuggling, and it was our adherence to radio procedure, sound collision avoidance maneuvers, and that we had identified ourselves and started giving position reports out, that convinced them that we were indeed who we said we were. Another point was that, anybody can raise an US ensign, but the hailing port is only visible on our stern. Perhaps the final rush towards us, passing astern of us, convinced them we were legit.
For the next 2 days we were becalmed. Running low on fuel, we had no choice but to be set back towards Haiti by over 30nm by the current. It was a frustrating time, and in hindsight, the log entries are hilarious. "Thoughts of murder", "impale me on the bow sprit", "lets swim with the sharks" are a few of the entries.
Early morning on the fourth day out of Jacmel, we sailed into the idilic harbor of Port Antonio, Jamaica, only to find out the diesel supply had run out the day before we arrived. Much fun was had, but what happens in jamaica, stays in Jamaica. We waited for the diesel to arrive from Kingston. The crew was well rested by the time we sailed for home.
The return trip was uneventful, until we rounded the western tip of Cuba. The wind built to gale force, from the north, and with wind against current, we had some large, steep seas. Also, Cuba was a lee shore, and just then we broke the arms of our worm steering gear. We had to rig up the emergency steering, which meant sailing a 50 ton boat by tiller. We lashed a block to the strong backs, and by using the mechanical advantage of a block and tackle, we were able to quite easily steer the boat. She was well balanced, and would stay on course for long streches, without needing to be tended.
We sailed into Key West on day 6, tired and ready for a juicy burger. We got a hero's welcome, not only because many people knew what we had done, but also, because Liberty had a celebrity there for 15 years doing charter work.
We are right now planning a second voyage, here is our press release:
The schooner Liberty, having recently returned from a successful relief voyage, is now looking for support to once again transport relief supplies to Haiti. In partnership with the Haitian Health Foundation (www.haitianhealthfoundation.org), the schooner Liberty, is planning to deliver 10,000 lbs of essential food and medical supplies to their hospital in the coastal town of Jérémie. Founded in 1985, HHF provides health and human services to more than 200 000 people from the surrounding villages. The unique capabilities of the schooner allow it to deliver supplies directly to HHF, avoiding the delays and red tape associated with getting supplies through Port-au-Prince. Call Sharon (973-309-1881) if you want to help us get to Haiti.
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