Rescue the Boats in the Carriacou Mangroves

When Beryl headed for Carriacou local fishermen and liveaboard cruisers took their boats into the Mangroves to try and secure their boats for the storm.

The Mangroves all over the world have been a place of refuge for people during storms. They also are a critical part of the ecosystem. The dense root systems of mangrove trees are extremely effective at absorbing the energy of waves and storm surges.

Unfortunately, 36 hours before making landfall, tropical storm Beryl turned into a cat 4 hurricane, which gave little time to run - or to do anything other than double down in the Mangroves. This time the force of the storm was more than the Mangroves could hold, boats were violently moved from one end of the Mangroves to the other as Beryl passed over resulting in over a 100 boats being damaged and tangled together.

Masts ripped off, boats tangled up, hulls punctured by the Mangroves or other boats.

The people that own these boats rely on them to live in and for their livelihood but trying to figure out how to untangle the puzzle is more than 1 person can manage.

We are organizing a team of volunteers to help get as many of the boats out of the Mangroves as we can. Our goal is to get them out of the Mangroves so the owners can do what they need to.

This team of volunteers wants to make a difference, for the local fishermen, for the cruisers whose homes have been destroyed, and for the long-term environmental impact to this island.

To do this we need supplies like crash pumps, gasoline, lift bags, and so much more.

Fund Utilization:

At least 96% of the funds raised will be used for tools, supplies, and manpower needed to get these boats out of the Mangroves with the other 4% for fees.

About the Organizer:

Nikki Layton is a full-time cruiser that has spent the last 18 months travelling through the Bahamas, East Coast of the US and the Caribbean. Coming from the West coast of British Columbia this was her first time in a storm like this.

She is located in Grenada where she rode out the storm on her boat and feels incredible grateful that the storm didn't wobble south.

She is helping coordinate the volunteers and supplies from Grenada and raising awareness on social media.

Watch the full video here