Southern Boating Hurricane Dorian Relief Fund

Hurricane Dorian GoFundMe Relief Effort

The Bahamas has been an integral part of the Southern Boating family for more than 50 years. Skip Allen Sr., who launched the magazine in 1972, spent most of his time in The Bahamas. He led flotillas to the islands in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism and spearheaded group boating trips long before rendezvous were commonplace. He helped form the Bahamas Air-Sea Rescue Association (BASRA), which assists yachts in emergency situations. This is why The Bahamas is so near and dear to our hearts.

Hurricane Dorian devastated Grand Bahama and Great Abaco islands and a new emergency situation requires everyone’s help. Southern Boating created this GoFundMe page as a place to reach out and support the islands and its people. As much as we’d like to load the boat and take supplies over there, the U.S. Coast Guard and other disaster relief agencies advise against it. There’s no place to stay, fuel up, or dock. The sea floor has changed and uncharted hazards exist that put boaters in danger. There are no warehousing facilities, communications are minimal, and no matter how self-sufficient we may be, the best way to help is to send money to the agencies that are already on the ground and staging massive relief efforts.

All donations will go through our GoFundMe account and be withdrawn by Skip Allen Jr. those funds will then be dispersed equally to the following vetted agencies.

Bahamas Red Cross Society: bahamasredcross.org  

Bahamas Official Hurricane Relief: bahamas.com

World Central Kitchen: wck.org

This is a long-term effort. It took Abaco Island many years to rebuild after Hurricane Floyd, so this site will remain active as long as it takes to get the islands and its residents back on their feet. Help us turn the tide and use your tourism dollars to rebuild so we can once again enjoy the treasures Grand Bahama and Great Abaco islands offer.