For many years Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA) members have found creative ways to “give back” to the island communities they love to visit. Now, a new Clean Wake project, partnering with the Hope Fleet organization, will provide structure and safety in these efforts.

Published 2 years ago, updated 7 months ago

Like SSCA, Hope Fleet sees the immediate and long term benefits of connecting boaters to the communities that they visit. When done with care, wonderful relationships can be fostered between the boaters and local people with mutual respect and gratitude–making each experience positive and long-lasting.

Hope Fleet is a 501(c) (3) not for profit organization whose goal is to enhance the lives and well being of communities and particularly children, primarily in the Bahamas and Caribbean islands.  They have been growing direct relationships with local island communities since 2019.

The partnership between SSCA and Hope Fleet will provide structure and support to SSCA members, to bring school supplies, medical clinic supplies and other support items to specific island communities and will obtain and prepare items for transport by SSCA members in their boats.

Relationships with the Locals

A unique feature of Hope Fleet is that it develops relationships with key local people. In many cases delivery sailors have an opportunity to spend a few days helping directly in the school or community where items are delivered. This is more than simply dropping off needed items. It is our hope that meaningful relationships will continue to develop.

Hope Fleet was founded in response to the needs of vulnerable children—living in the Caribbean and Latin America—who lack essential supplies, medicine, and education needed for a healthy and full life.

Hope Fleet’s mission statement “We sail essential supplies, services and hope to the children who need it most” reflects this as do their three main areas of focus:

• Child Wellbeing (basic needs, medical, educational)
• Community Development (community projects, agriculture, sustainability)
• Disaster Response (emergency response, rebuilding efforts)

The Hope Fleet Approach

Each community has its own set of unique challenges and Hope Fleet know that the best way for a community to grow is from within. They find and vet local initiatives where locals are already doing meaningful work and support them so that they can further their caus, working together with local churches, community leaders, ministries, schools, clinics etc., and partners to not only tackle the immediate needs, but to address root issues. Using sailboats, together with a growing network of private boaters, Hope Fleet provide necessary supplies, skills, and relationships so communities can become more self-sufficient.

Procedure, Costs and Customs

Procurement: Hope Fleet’s work is “needs-based”. This means that they don’t procure or load up supplies without first understanding exactly what the recipient partner’s needs are. Once a partner provides a “needs list”, Hope Fleet match that with what they have on hand, or aim to procure from different sources.

Loading: It is Hope Fleet’s responsibility to obtain, provide ground transportation, and assist in loading supplies onto the vessel agreeing to transport on their behalf. Once everything is loaded, they provide paperwork, including a manifest of everything that is being carried. This paperwork will be shown to the customs officer on arrival and the marina.

Customs: Hope Fleet build relationships with government officials and customs officers to have items pre-approved to be accepted by the recipient. By having a counterpart in the receiving country, along with pertinent government relationships, they build trust so that each vessel isn’t required to establish a relationship of its own, but rather show it is part of an organized and compliant network of boaters who support local humanitarian projects. Their recipient partners also meet boaters at the docks to help with any unforeseen issues and offloading.

Engaging With Locals: By meeting trusted local partners at the port of call, it introduces each boater to a person or group who they can trust and often become more connected with than just at the docks. When safe and possible, Hope Fleet try to connect boaters to opportunities to either visit or volunteer at a project to not only connect boaters to their impact, but to lay the foundation of possible repeat visits and positive relationships between boaters and locals.

Background Checks & Costs: Hope Fleet do significant research and vetting to ensure local partners have integrity and are trustworthy. They must also build trust with each captain, vessel, and crew for safety. If the project is mostly supply delivery, Hope Fleet do ask that at least the captain of each vessel undergo a background check. However, if the project is more hands-on with locals, they may ask crew members to complete a background check as well (i.e. volunteering with children). The cost is $19 per person and that is completed through a trusted third-party company. Hope Fleet does not receive any revenue from background checks and this is the only cost requirement boaters should expect from Hope Fleet.

Follow-Up: In order to ensure each project is successful, Hope Fleet ask for boaters and recipients to fill in an online project recap assessment. This allows for them to take on any complaints, issues, or bring to light anything that they can better adjust going forward for future projects. This also allows the opportunity for Hope Fleet to gain better insight into the integrity of both parties without their staff physically being present. After this, they share success stories and make sure that each boater is valued and appreciated for their sacrifices and efforts. Hope Fleet understand that making any passage is a lot of work, so when boaters want to help along the way, they don’t take that for granted.

Two Current Projects that Boaters can become involved with:

Dominican Republic

• Dates: Ongoing
• Location: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
• Main Port of Call: Ocean World Marina 19.8265° N, 70.7334° W
• Project Needs: Humanitarian Supplies Transport – Medical, Educational, Food & Clothing.
• Project Notes: Hope Fleet are partnering with and supporting several organizations and churches on the north coast of the DR who are taking care of the immediate needs in their communities. If you have sail plans that include this location, please reach out to them.
  • Hope Fleet will load up any vessels departing from mainland South Florida—currently Ft. Lauderdale to Tampa
  • Hope Fleet will provide all supplies, documentation, and relevant information to make loading, clearing in, and offloading as smooth as possible.
  • If you have goods that you would like to donate, please let the organisation know so that they can ensure goods are needed and approved.

Bahamas

• Dates: Oct 2022 – January 2023
• Location: Grand Bahama, Abaco, Nassau (more details coming soon)
• Main Port of Call: Grand Bahama Yacht Club 26°31’00.6″N 78°38’14.9″W
• Project Needs: Bucket transportation from Florida.
• Project Notes: Hope Buckets are backyard agricultural kits to help promote sustainability for the Bahamas. They have 1,400 buckets each including seeds, irrigation tubing, soil, trays and everything needed to create a backyard garden. This project is in collaboration with Convoy of Hope, Hope Seeds, and the Ministry of Agriculture in The Bahamas. All items are self-contained and pre-approved for clearance.

Hope Fleet work with all boaters, not just SSCA members. For more information on how you can get involved, please visit hopefleet.org/ocean-reach

Main Contacts:

SSCA
Rick Peterson
sailvesselbelieve@gmail.com
(941) 720-4976

Hope Fleet
Danny Moroney (CEO)
sailvesselbelieve@gmail.com
(941) 720-4976

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Related Links

Hope Fleet General Info Video

Seven Seas Cruising Association

Seven Seas Cruising Association Clean Wake Projects
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The opinions expressed in this report are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.