Help Lisa get home

I lost my home and then this happened…

On December 23, 2024, a huge storm hit the Santa Cruz coast, destroying a section of the wharf and bringing enormous waves into the harbor, destroying docks and boats alike. The boat that had been my home for seven years was destroyed, leaving me homeless. Because I’m hardworking and tenacious, I bounced back and found a new home, only to have that dream dashed on day one.

Here’s my story…

I’m a 62-year-old mom who raised four independent and self-reliant children.

Now, as a single woman trying to make it on my own, I have a wonderful job that doesn’t pay a lot, but that I love, as a driver and caregiver to special needs children. I’m passionate about providing nurturing, safe care for these most vulnerable children. I also stay fit and active by coaching 3 and 4-year-olds in soccer – that’ll keep anybody young! I work hard and pride myself on being dependable, conscientious, and resilient.

After a long and financially draining divorce, I couldn’t afford a home where I lived, but was able to take what money I had and buy a boat to live on for a fraction of the cost of a house. My boat was aptly named Great Escape. This became my home and my refuge – a symbol of my new life as a single woman, and my chance to get back on my feet emotionally and financially. For seven years, she served me well.

When I lost her to the big December storm of 2024, I was devastated and felt defeated. The home I had purchased with my own money – that had allowed me to gain independence – was now destroyed and uninhabitable.

After mournfully saying goodbye to this chapter in my life, I set about finding a new home. A boat was again my only viable financial option in an area where I can’t afford to buy a house or even rent. With the insurance money and what little I had saved up, I was lucky enough to find an older boat that I could afford, named Last Resort, located in Redondo Beach, CA.

I followed all the rules: paid for an extensive survey (the boat equivalent of a home inspection), took her for a sea trial, had the engines inspected, and even checked the quality of the oil to make sure the engines were running clean.

Everything checked out! She was clean and pristine. I was even told you rarely see engines so clean and well-maintained, especially in an older boat. I had budgeted for the small repairs identified by the inspection, as well as the expensive journey up to Santa Cruz, so everything was falling perfectly into place. Thrilled to find my forever home, I signed on the dotted line.

With little experience captaining a boat on the open ocean, I hired a professional captain to help me bring Last Resort home to Santa Cruz. I could hardly curb my enthusiasm and excitement! I would at last have a new home after losing the one that had meant so much to me – a modest but clean boat to remind me how far I had come in my journey toward independence and personal fulfillment.

Little did I realize that only hours into our journey at sea, tragedy would hit.

First, on a routine inspection of the engines, the captain discovered that water was spraying into the bilge. Fortunately, we were able to pump out enough water to keep us safe and move onward.

But then, during one of our frequent bilge checks, we discovered that one of the engines’ fuel tanks had started leaking fuel into the already waterlogged bilge. Panic set in!

As 150 gallons of fuel was spraying into my boat, I saw my hopes and dreams – my home, my refuge – slip through my fingers. With no time to mourn my loss, we swept into action and did what we could to minimize the damage. We shut off the engine and waited till the tank ran dry.

Thankfully, the fuel was diesel and not gasoline, or we would have had to abandon ship. One small spark would have blown us all up.

Our lack of power also left us susceptible to being toppled by the large waves that grew as the day wore on and nighttime fell.

Thanks to the captain’s grit, courage, and quick thinking, we were able to limp into a marina in Oxnard, where we practically kissed the ground as we docked, thankful that we – and the boat – were still in one piece.

And that is where she still sits, stranded there with the necessary repairs far exceeding anything I can afford.

To repair Last Resort and get her the rest of the way home to Santa Cruz, I need to raise at least $15,000

That amount seems almost insurmountable to me, and beyond anything I can possibly earn in my work with children. I do, however, have faith and hope in the kindness of others who might be able to help.

Don’t get me wrong – asking for help is the last thing I want to do. Over the last seven years, I’ve learned to be independent, self-reliant, and proud of everything I’ve accomplished. But I also know that everyone needs help sometimes, and the smart ones know when to ask for it. I know that you have to let go of your pride and let people help you, because it’s the only way to make something good come from something bad. So that’s what I’m doing now.

As much as I hate to have to do it, I’m asking for your help. If you’ll consider even a small gift to help me repair Last Resort – my new home, my safe haven, the symbol of this newest chapter in my life – I would be forever grateful.

During this tumultuous time, I’m living with a friend who has kindly let me stay with her, but I’m eager to have a home – eager to return to my life of independence and self-reliance. With your help, I can get Last Resort repaired, bring her home, and finally have a home of my own after all these months.

Thank you for whatever gift you can make today to help me. And please consider sharing my story with friends and family.

Thank you also for your kind thoughts or encouraging words, as it is only through people’s kindness that I’m able to get through this difficult time.

May the kindness you show others come back to you tenfold.

With love and thanks,

Lisa