Please help raise my boat
Donation protected
On January 21st my crew and I had the most terrifying experience. While working, my boat had a catastrophic failure and the boat sank to the floor of the Gulf of Mexico in 45 seconds. When it capsized, my crew was thrown from the boat into the 59 degree water. We were 15 miles off-shore. I was trapped in the wheel-house as the boat sank. I got out and was able to swim to the surface from about 25 feet down and the boat ended up at about 35 feet. Our livelihood is completely tied up in the boat. Without it my team cannot work. Even worse, the US Coast Guard and EPA are discussing possible fines. I am told these fines can easily exceed $100,000 and non-payment means imprisonment. Beyond putting us all out of work in our peak time and the potential fines, it costs thousands of dollars to raise the boat from the sea floor and then salvage the engine, not to mention electronics etc. The truth is I really have no idea what the total cost will be. A friend shared this site with me and while my family can help to an extent, I am ultimately responsible, not them. Anything you can donate would be so appreciated. We are just humble and hard working guys. Commercial fishing is a profession you do for the love of the water, not the money. I am not sure how we are going to make this all work out, but we are sure gonna try and any donations you can provide will make such a big difference to help us get the boat out of the water and running again. Thanks so much.
Organizer
James Galaris
Organizer
Palm Harbor, FL