Cities of Sails are reaching for Haiti

11:25 PM Fri 2 Apr 2010 GMT

'Lynn Fitzpatrick delivering sails for tents in Petit Goave in Haiti' .

The call for sails for tent making to the world's sailors has resulted in the many tons of sails arriving in Miami ready for shipment to Haiti devastated by earthquake on 12th January. Since the first shipment went to the needy people of Haiti, sails from around the world, including Australia, have been donated out of the sails lockers of generous leisure sailors - and more are needed. Here Lynn Fitzpatrick tells of some of the activity:

A 53' container loaded with used sails gathered in Maine arrived in Miami during the last week of March. The 14,000 pounds of used sails can provide shelter to a small city once the sails reach Haiti.

The first shipment of used sails from the Miami and Fort Lauderdale area landed in Haiti on the Sea Flower in the middle of February, and sails have continued to flow into Shake a Leg Miami.

Sometimes the used sails are tired jibs and main sails that were taking up room in trailer boxes or got blown out during racing on Biscayne Bay. Other times they are from sail makers whose customers never picked them up. The largest used sail that has been sent to Haiti was from Doyle's Fort Lauderdale loft. It was a main sail from a 150-foot boat. It was so heavy (750 lbs.), that the orphanage that it was destined for in Carrefour, Haiti had a difficult time finding a truck to transport it to it.

While shipments of sails were arriving from popular East Coast sailing communities including the Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound and Narragansett Bay areas, Maine was organizing a gargantuan relief effort. Not only did a group from Maine deliver a relief supply vessel loaded with 200 tons of aid from Portland to Les Cayes, on Haiti's southwest coast another group rustled up enough sails to fill a separate 53-foot container. John Eide, who has spent the past 50 years sailing the Maine coast, leveraged his sailing connections and organized Maine's sail shipment. Used-sails were even collected at boat shows.

Haiti kite flying for easter in Petit Goave - even a plastic bag will do - .. .

Nearly three months have elapsed since the January 12th earthquake. There are fewer privately sponsored cargo vessels heading to Haiti and many of the shipping companies who were providing free, or discounted rates for relief supplies have returned to charging customary rates. Others are making available surplus cargo space for relief supplies, on a case-by-case basis.

The need for shelter in Haiti will continue indefinitely. Keep the sails coming.

If you are considering collecting sails for Haiti, try to work with sail lofts, regatta organizers and boat shows as collection points. Old line, rope and cord are also in high demand in Haiti.

In Australia the people of Haiti Christian Mission Australia will distribute the sails to desperate families.

So check your garage for old spinnakers, headsails or mains, and sheets and lines of any sort!

If you can help please email them on sailorshelp_haiti@y7mail.com and follow the blog sailorshelphaiti.blogspot.com

by Lynn Fitzpatrick/Sail-World Cruising