Story and Photos by JoAnne and Bill Harris
On August 3, 2024, the “ULTRA Beryl Buckets of Love” initiative was born as part of our ULTRA Community Projects and our Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA) Clean Wake program, to help the victims devastated by Hurricane Beryl in the Eastern Caribbean. We shared our Clean Wake Projects mission on Instagram and Facebook, rallying support from our extended community of cruisers, friends, family members, and locals.
During our free ULTRA yoga classes, many generous participants donated on the spot, and soon after, word spread and donations began arriving at ULTRA. Within a short time with posts on social media, we raised $500, and in a spontaneous moment of hope and encouragement, we asked if anyone would be willing to match this amount.
We were thrilled when our friends from Hope Fleet (hopefleet.org) stepped up, matching the $500 donation. With $1,000 in hand, our excitement grew as we planned the purchase and delivery of supplies desperately needed by the islanders. We contacted our friends Jesse James, SSCA Cruising Host and OCC Port Officer for Trinidad, and Danny Donelan of Savvy Sailing Grenada in Grenada, to see if they could help with the logistics of sourcing and buying the necessary items. Our list included 5-gallon buckets, gloves, hammers, galvanized nails, laundry and body soap, bleach or all-purpose cleaner, plastic tarps, feminine products, mosquito coils and repellent, toothbrushes, toothpaste, building tools, and much more.
Both Jesse and Danny were already deeply involved in relief efforts, but despite their commitments, Jesse managed to collect an additional $1,700. Additionally, we received a generous contribution from S/V Pulpo through PayPal, enabling us to purchase even more essential supplies like trowels, saws, levels, and other critical items.
With supplies secured, our next challenge was to find a vessel heading toward the affected area from Trinidad. Initially, Captain Joe of S/V Pyrat Soul volunteered to transport the supplies, but unfortunately, his boat experienced technical difficulties. We turned to our network and social media, and soon after, we connected with S/V Dawdle, crewed by Joe and Sara, who volunteered to carry the much-needed supplies to Union Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
In a show of true community spirit, S/V Pulpo, with Lobo and Dano aboard, also volunteered to help transport any additional items. For over a month, we worked tirelessly via WhatsApp. Jesse James, along with Shawna aboard S/V Minerva and the rest of the team in Trinidad, coordinated with Ms. Winnie Harvey and her team on Union Island to ensure that the supplies would be successfully transferred.
Finally, the moment arrived when we received updates from Jesse, S/V Dawdle, and Ms. Winnie confirming that the supplies had safely reached Union Island. The joy of seeing (via video call) the buckets and other supplies being offloaded out in the harbor into small local boats and then brought to the dock and loaded into a truckbed to be transported to a safe haven for assembly was indescribable. We sincerely wish to thank the local officials for allowing such an easy transport and seamless delivery.
The next day Ms. Winnie contacted us via video call and we watched her distribute the buckets in real time along with her fellow distribution team leader, Mr. Cletus Forde. It brought tears of joy to both of us to see first hand the recipients of the buckets and tools and to hear their stories and how grateful they were to all who donated to help them during their time of great need. In addition to the buckets, coolers full of ice-cold bottled water and first aid kits were donated by Convoy of Hope. Each bucket, in keeping with our tradition, even had a handwritten tag from ULTRA Community Projects made by Ms. Winnie and her amazing team. These buckets and other supplies were more than just material aid; they represented hope and a step toward rebuilding lives.
Being from the Texas Gulf Coast, we know too well how devastating hurricanes can be with the tremendous loss of property, electricity, fresh water, provisioning and other basic essentials. On Union Island, almost all of the roofs were gone as well. In the islands it is especially difficult to get supplies, so we were extremely excited to play a role with these
buckets. We have traveled up and down the Eastern Caribbean and are extremely familiar with and fond of these islands and the wonderful people. To see the islands and the islanders in this state is truly heartbreaking.
This entire endeavor would not have been possible without the outstanding support and guidance of SSCA’s Board Commodore and our longtime friend, Joan Conover. We also extend our deepest gratitude to the entire SSCA team and members for their assistance and to every individual who contributed to this effort, from donations to hands-on involvement.
As SSCA Cruising Hosts and Ocean Cruising Club Port Officers for Honduras, including the Bay Islands, we are always committed to helping as much as we can, wherever we are.
Currently, we are excited to be working on installing a beautiful playground at a local school accessible only by water. We look forward to sharing updates on this project upon its completion.
If you are inspired by our work and wish to volunteer or support any of our ongoing projects, please reach out. You can follow our journey and see more of our work at Facebook: ULTRA Community Projects or on Instagram: #ultracommunityprojects. For those who wish to donate, please visit our PayPal at www.paypal.me/svultraharris or contact us for our Venmo details. Also, if you see us anchored out or in a marina, please come by and visit.
