Francois Post Irma Support

The containers in the photo were Francois' home.  The dock in front where he moored his small lobster fishing boat, loaded it up for a day's fishing, unloaded his catch, where he made his traps, where we cooked dinner and enjoyed talking about our day have gone.

His fishing boat is in one piece, but was almost totally submerged in salt water with the storm surge caused by hurricane Irma; the engine for hauling the traps works, but is damaged, his outboard engine needs to be replaced and his sonar fishfinder for locating the traps was destroyed.

He has 370 lobster traps worth $60,000 in the sea around St Martin, so far he's located 10 and these were 0.7 miles from where they should have been.

Anyone who knows us knows that we aren't ones who ask for help, but really, I don't know what else we can do and I know that so many of you have said you'd like to help.  I'm not asking for myself - you can help me by coming on a sailing holiday - but Francois needs your support if you can.... and he'll never ask himself.

To find his traps, to repair his boat, to rebuild our life...

Fishfinder: $1,200
Small diesel engine for hauling traps: $3,250
2nd hand outboard engine: $9,000

This will give him a good start.

All of our clothes and many of our personal belongings, tools and spares for our boats were in the containers which are now under water.