For the last 8 years, IRG has provided disaster relief programs by sea in the Caribbean, including many Haiti projects and hurricane humanitarian aid voyages to Dominica, British Virgin Islands and others. Our 97-foot gaff-rigged ketch has been called upon to carry medical supplies, food, make desalinated water and even transport relief troops when there were few ways of transporting from one location to another.
After a major refit our ship S/V Zeepaard is ready to sail again from Yucatán, Mexico. Our next mission is medical supplies relief to Ile a Vache, Haiti. We need $10,000 to sail with these supplies, PLEASE DONATE HERE!
IRG’s Asia Plan – Establishing a new base
Costs in the Caribbean are very high and our fundraising ability cannot keep up with infrastructure, maintenance and direct aid purchase expenses, so we are moving to the Philippines where we can hire local support people, help put money into a local community, and respond to aid missions much more frequently!
Our last aid voyage to Haiti departing March 2022
CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAIL: We have had a crew of 9 preparing our ship to sail and almost ready but need just $10,000 to complete preparations and acquire medical supplies to aid a hospital at our Haiti Base on Ile a Vache, an island in the south. After the earthquake a few months ago and the total failure of government since the assassination of President Moïse, the entire country is in crisis with no public services. WE CAN HELP THE COMMUNITY WHO KNOW US WELL. The Ile a Vache hospital is the Foundation for Hope and Health in Haiti and we have received their urgent call for supplies. The hospital has NOTHING and many are suffering without help. On April 4th we have just $3,000 but we need $10,000 to sail with these supplies, please DONATE HERE!
Below is a sample of the hospital’s needs, please help us get this to them. Deliveries through the normal ports and land transport are virtually impossible with 80% of shipments being hijacked. We take them directly to the hospital via boat and zero losses:
We could not have succeeded without help from the Club de Yates de Yucatán! The encouragement and support we received in Progreso to enter port, find a marine yard and somewhere to dock has been truly heartwarming and Commodore Nacho Manzanilla has our deepest thanks! This is a delightful Yacht Club. Captain Ray and IRG recommend all yachts who wish to get work done, weather the hurricane season or simply stay in a beautiful Yucatan destination are welcome. The chart shows a cable across the port entrance but it is fine for vessels up to 75-feet height.
International Rescue Group 