By Joan Conover
Thanks to the assistance and networking of groups of sailors, as well as several non-profit organizations such as Hope Fleet International, significant progress has been made to transport critically needed and requested medical and food supplies via boat to the distressed island nation of Haiti.
International Rescue Group (IRG) is a nonprofit organization which has the support of several private vessels such as the 56-foot ketch Tandemeer, the 50-foot catamaran Rendezvous Cay, and the 97-foot gaff-rigged ketch Zeepaard. These vessels and their captains continue efforts to transport desperately needed cargo for developing countries. Trips with these vessels have continued from 2014 to this year’s unique voyage to the Caribbean destination. The transporting vessel, s/v Zeepaard, made the voyage south with Captain Ray Thackeray and chief engineer Paul Brown to Florida in spring 2024.
First, IRG and crew aboard s/v Zeepaard spent months prepping in Hampton, Virginia. They refitted and loaded cargo relief donations. Zeepaard is an older Dutch steel-hulled vessel with mizzen, main and jib, along with engines/generators and almost 1,000 gallons of fuel storage/water storage for 500 gallons. She has cargo space for tons of supplies and is designed as an island trader-style passagemaker. She has already traveled to and from Haiti several times. See some of her adventures at the IRG website (www.internationalrescuegroup.org).
Haiti is in free fall, a location traumatized by strife from both a government collapse of services and a spreading outbreak of cholera. The government is in gridlock, with multiple gangs controlling areas of the country, and specifically the capital, Port Au Prince. Limited aid seems to be getting to the remote areas from relief donations; there is hoarding of supplies by both the government and gang members. Hoarding/storage issues are also increased due to the lack of safe distribution capabilities. Haiti’s many major issues due to systemic breakdown — disease, lack of clean water, limited food distribution, limited or no medical supplies, and conflict between rival authorities — underscore the need for this effort.
The vessel was delayed in 2021 first by maintenance needs, and then by the COVID epidemic. During COVID years, the vessel was in Mexico. During that time the crew kept busy. Zeepaard was hauled out, the steel hull inspected and painted, and the rigging repaired. The hull was given a new coat of white paint above the waterline, supposedly barrier coat. After this major refit, cargo was loaded and Zeepaard headed east via the Gulf Stream in April 2023. Leaving from Yucatán, Mexico, with two tons of extra donated cargo from sponsors, they sailed up the eastern seaboard. Due to summer 2023 weather, Thackeray, Brown and crew sailed north to Chesapeake Bay, staging for a U.S. East Coast departure for Haiti in winter 2023-24. They arrived in Hampton to wait out the hurricane season, with a goal of doing additional refit maintenance as well as sourcing additional donations to fill their holds.
Summer Refit & Prep
On arrival in the Chesapeake Bay, Zeepaard took a slip at Little Creek Marina, Norfolk, Virginia, a favored stop for transit vessels. A local IRG supporter donated the slip fees. The repair became a significant effort with an engine/transmission refit required starting in August 2023. On arrival, IRG reached out to Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA) cruising station host effort, a volunteer program with local contacts/hosts worldwide.
During that time, the IRG concentrated on loading additional supplies and completing the necessary repairs with help from local volunteers. Other major repairs included drive chain replacement, alternator repairs, sail repairs, and updates to existing electronic charts to better cover the routes the vessel would take. A 400-pound anchor was created to increase the holding for this heavy vessel with its now ten tons of relief supplies.
“One night I ran an anchor watch, it was quite a blow gusting up to 42 knots with sustained winds at around 32 knots for much of the night and early morning,” Thackery told me. “The custom-built anchor held with no flip or drag, though we have rotated in strong currents about 10 times now.”
The boat was also provisioned in Hampton, with a visit to Game’s Farmers Market, an Amish store with butter, long storage eggs, and dehydrated provisions. This unique Hampton store is a hidden gem for boaters, and the crew topped up their needs with meats, cheeses, and mixes. Loading of supplies/donations was done incrementally during October and November, with final loading December from Salt Ponds Marina, Hampton.
Captain Ray and his crew also sourced materials from their donor base, obtaining a 150 HP Perkins replacement. They took a second-hand van to pick up an engine, returning to the vessel and loading the engine onboard with the crane at the dock. Brown, a talented engineer, got advice from local mariners. This became a community project for local cruisers. Salt Ponds Marina assisted with engineering, transportation and procurement of parts and labor. Word spread, and other local marinas and cruisers helped with collection and storage of donations, fuel, and much more. SSCA members provided engineering assistance, helped to rebuild alternators, and sourced donation materials.
Zeepaard’s electronics and nautical charts were also updated with new marine charts from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as well as additional charts from open sources such as thechartplotter.com, to enhance Haitian harbor entry. “We downloaded all the charts recommended, which we have in our new ship’s nav computer which has a 14-terabyte drive donated by Chris Gillman,” said Thackeray. Gillman is a marine engineer who donated both his time and workshop materials to IRG.
One sailboat donated onboard secondary equipment, such as outboard engine(s), long term storage items and more. Others donated needed supplies, such as crutches and medical devices. All were stored close to a marina dock area where Zeepaard could load directly. The marina even used its towing skiff to help nudge Zeepaard in and out of the estuary for its final load and refueling efforts during the second week of December.
In Hampton, there were also challenges. When Zeepaard relocated to Mill Creek, local police notified Thackeray of a city regulation allowing days of anchoring, with 30 days between visits. This required relocation of Zeepaard to three separate anchorages during their stay in the bay. A local television interview did nothing to lift the anchoring limits, but did engender additional support from the community.
Ten Tons of Supplies
Other groups and nonprofits, hearing of this effort, started adding to the cargo, including over 2,000 pounds of tools. Items were collected and stored at either Salt Ponds Marina or on board. Erin Gatling, Willoughby Bay Marina, assisted with social media blasts and a dropoff donation box. They also provided dinghy space, anchoring suggestions and more during the times Zeepaard was anchored at the south side of Hampton Roads.
Hope Fleet’s Danny Moroney worked with King’s Fleet-Maritime Ministries in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, to arrange donations from several of their collaborating groups. Moroney drove over a ton of food supplies such as rice in the Hope Fleet van to Zeepaard in Hampton and made arrangements for special garden seeds and cholera medical kits.
“Hope Fleet, Kings Fleet, and Maritime Ministries have contributed enormously,” Thackeray said. “Hope Seeds alone provided enough non-GMO stock for every farm on Île-à-Vache. Hope Fleet provided well over a ton of food for the hungry. And Maritime Ministries sent 350 patient sanitation kits for cholera patients.”
Total cargo summary was estimated at 10 tons including 55 bicycles, over a ton of food, a ton of medical supplies, $60,000 in seeds, a ton of farming and other tools, 100 recycled sails, two wooden boats and an inflatable, fishing and diving gear, plus miscellaneous deliveries for churches, community centers and individuals.
In December 2023, Zeepaard headed south around Hatteras in northeast winds, with a stop in Beaufort, North Carolina, for a weather window delay. Due to the size of Zeepaard, TowBoat U.S. supported entry to anchorage in Beaufort. As Thackeray described it: “If the wind had complied with the forecast east or east-southeast, we’d have made it in quite easily, but when wind shifted northeast against the tide, it was decided to call for a TowBoatUS tow/pilot assist.” During the following week, as they waited for a window, cargo was restowed and twenty solar panels added to the stores in the main saloon.
Chris Parker of Marine Weather Center (www.mwxc.com) donates his weather expertise to help get this vessel to its destination. Using Garmin’s InReach, Thackeray is able to ask for and receive a micro-view of localized weather features. Parker and the MWXC meteorologists/staff know the various weather situations impacting East Coast and Caribbean cruisers and are experienced with the unique needs of small vessels transiting the Gulf Stream or other areas of the tropics. This is not the first time MWXC has supported nonprofit organizations with weather needs. Parker and staff are always willing to assist vessels in need near or offshore.
By summer 2024, Zeepaard was in Fort Pierce, Florida. On arrival in Haiti, the drop-off of donations will be carefully coordinated. The plan is similar to previous voyages, with local pangas, or fishing boats, taking cargo to shore. Haitian locals are coordinating directly with IRG for safe offload.
