Multiple yacht and megayacht organizations joined forces with the city of Fort Lauderdale last week for Hurricane Dorian aid. Equally noteworthy, over two days, yachting’s Hurricane Dorian relief effort raised $200,000. This is funding the deployment of a 110-footer (33.5-meter) heading to the Abacos this week.
The Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner and a local church started the outreach. The Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF), the International Yacht Brokers Association, and the U.S. Superyacht Association all joined in. Further coalition members include The Triton crew newspaper, Atlantic Yacht & Ship, Denison Yachting, Informa Markets, the trade-show company behind the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, and Hope 4 Hope Town, a Facebook group. Hope 4 Hope Town was one of the first yachting alliances to help the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian, in fact.
A combination of daily conference calls and WhatsApp messaging brought the various parties together. “I’ve always known we have an amazing community in Fort Lauderdale, but this immediate outpouring of not just financial support, but true compassion and care, is an experience I’ll never forget,” says Ben Sorensen, Fort Lauderdale’s city commissioner. Phil Purcell, MIASF’s CEO and president, adds that industry stakeholders responded quickly. “Abaco and the islands surrounding it are like family to all of us,” he explains.
Thanks to yachting’s Hurricane Dorian relief effort, True North, a 110-foot vessel, loaded dozens of boxes of aid supplies on September 8 at Derecktor Shipyard. True North belongs to Mission of Hope, which addresses physical and spiritual needs of communities following natural disasters. It uses True North as a floating campus, too, additionally transporting medical and skilled construction professionals. Besides the above-mentioned groups, staff from the crew newspaper The Triton, plus brokerage houses Atlantic Yacht & Ship and Denison Yachting, helped to load the vessel.
The images emanating from the Abacos propelled the yachting industry into action. “We knew we needed to act quickly to help our neighbors and friends who remain in harm’s way in the aftermath,” says Julie Berry, a Hope 4 Hope Town committee member, and senior vice president of Marina Investments Group.
Yachting’s Hurricane Dorian fundraising effort continues. You can visit the donation page, via the Mission of Hope website.
Marine Industries Association of South Florida miasf.org
International Yacht Brokers Association iyba.yachts
U.S. Superyacht Association ussuperyacht.com
Hope 4 Hope Town – Dorian Assistance for Northern Bahamas facebook.com/groups
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