Support Thomas and Jade — Sailors in Trouble

Hi, my name is Phil, and I’m a longtime friend of Thomas Goertz and Jade Ormiston, a sailing couple currently facing serious legal proceedings in Australia. I have done everything I can to support them so far, but at this point, the burden becomes overwhelming, and I need to reach out for help.

Thomas is a good-natured and free-spirited individual who has followed his dream of living an independent life at sea. Alongside is his partner Jade who supported and shared his vision and followed along eagerly. Together they live for sailing — and through sailing.

To support their modest lifestyle, Thomas took occasional jobs as a skipper or co-skipper, including helping with boat deliveries and Jade accompanied and helped wherever there was a task at hand.

This, unfortunately, made Thomas and Jade a target for organized crime!

As a result, they were both detained off the coast of Darwin, Australia, and accused of people smuggling. Both are currently out on bail as they await further legal proceedings. Given the nature and scale the case has grown to, both are drawn into an overwhelming legal battle that will potentially take years to finish. They are immersed in accusations about organized crime and are treated respectively both in the public and judicial perception leading to mistreatment and abuse.

Why Are We Raising Funds?

Thomas and Jade are now caught in a complex, costly, and emotionally exhausting situation far from home — without their normal support network.

We are raising $100,000 to help cover:

Legal defense fees for Thomas and Jade

Basic living expenses while they remain in Australia

Medical expenses for Thomas and Jade related to their time in detention before receiving bail

Costs to retrieve or replace Thomas’s sailboat, which is currently being held by Australian authorities

Travel, accommodation, and daily survival costs

Emotional support and counseling services

Why This Matters

This is not about portraying Thomas as a victim — anyone who researches the case will quickly see that the story is complex. However, Jade’s situation is a different case all together. Her involvement is negligent however she faces the whole weight of an investigation and prosecution exerted to organized crime.

It is about recognizing that a well-meaning, free-spirited people made mistakes, fell into the wrong company, and were exploited by criminal actors.

Now, Thomas and Jade urgently need support to face the consequences but in a fair and humane way.

Your help — whether through a donation or by sharing this campaign — will give them the chance to rebuild their lives, properly defend themselves, and recover what was lost.