Help us recover from a Hurricane Helene Disaster

Hi, this is Megan and Nina and we spend most of our time on the water of Sarasota /Bradenton, when we are not taking care of our Dads. We both grew up in the North, Buffalo and Boston are our hometowns. We share a strong love for all things active and outdoors, especially on the water. We purchased our sailboat almost two years ago and have been working on her ever since.

Unfortunately , we were on our boat trying to secure it before Hurricane Helene made its way through the waters of Bradenton, Florida . We were out of town right before Helene was upon us , leaving very little time to relocate our sailboat or prepare properly. We had four anchors down, but we found ourselves in a dangerous situation very quickly and realized we had no chance against the surge . Getting back to shore safely was no longer possible with fierce wind and the strong current. Within minutes, the surge lifted our anchors, and we were swept away heading towards the Cortez Bridge. Our mast collided with the bridge, fatal scenarios running through our heads… we were trying to figure out the best way to evacuate safely, very quickly our tender filled with water . We hung on to the stern of the boat all the while trying to fight the current and stay together. The deafening sound of the mast hitting the bridge repeatedly was terrifying. We were fearful that the mast or boom was going to come down and hit us, which would be fatal. We held on for dear life to the stern of the boat for over ten minutes, fighting the power of the surge. We thought about staying with the boat ; we may end up out at sea in a much worse situation. There was no help in sight, so we had to make the decision to let go of our boat and fight the treacherous waves and shark-infested waters. Fortunately we saw the current going in the right direction, this was our best option. We kicked and swam holding onto each other and one flotation device .We were exhausted and depleted, but we eventually made it to shore. Grateful to be alive!

This Hunter 30 Sailboat had become Nina's permanent home and also our mobile office. She was a labor of love and a project we put lots of time and energy into. So needless to say, we are extremely saddened by the loss. Since this horrible incident occurred, we have been recovering from the soreness in our bodies and have been in a state of shock and disbelief. Any contributions to our fundraiser would be greatly appreciated and will go towards accommodations and replacing work equipment that is gone. Thank you for reading our story! Be safe out there.

BEFORE PHOTOS OF BOAT INTERIOR: