Captain Vito
Donation protected
Hey everyone! My name is Daniel Wallace and I am fundraising for my good buddy and fellow captain Vito DeLorenzo. Vito is a wonderful guy who has spent most of his life sailing and working on boats. In recent decades he has made a career of operating two large sailboats and teaching thousands of kids how to sail and educating youth about the ocean through BSA high adventure sailing camps run out of the Florida Keys. I have personally worked alongside Capt. Vito and I can say that there are few people who work harder than him. He is the first person to help anyone and he cares so much about sharing the beautiful life that sailing offers. Unfortunately Capt. Vito just lost his livelihood when both his sailboats were blown down hard off their stands by Hurricane Ian while hauled out for yearly maintenance in a boat yard in Port Charlotte. Both boats hit the ground hard and have suffered severe hull damage, possibly irreparable damage, as well as mast/rigging damage and the insurance company is not looking to pay or help. So many people have been blessed to spend a week at sea on "Ola Amigos" and "New Horizon", but if these boats are not fixed properly they will never sail again! If the boats are salvageable it will be very extensive and expensive. In addition to fixing large holes, cracks and everything else, all of the rigging on both boats will need to be replaced. This will total tens of thousands of dollars for EACH boat.
Since the hurricane, Vito has been in the boat yard working tirelessly on clean up and helping those in need. This will be a long road to recovery and Vito needs the community at large to help.
Organizer and beneficiary
Daniel B. Wallace
Organizer
Panama City, FL
Vito De Lorenzo
Beneficiary