Help Steve Van Ronk get back on his feet

Hello everyone,

I have created this Gofund me account for Steve, who recently lost everything in his sailing trip to Hawai’i. 8 years ago he sold everything he had to purchase a boat so that he could sail the world. On May 4th, 2021 the Mystique set sail from Mazatlan, Mexico to the Marshall Islands in what should have been about a 2-month trip. But after rough seas and boat problems, he realized he wouldn’t make it to the Marshall Islands, and mapped a new course to Hilo, HI. What should have been a 28 day trip to Hilo, took nearly 3 months due to rough weather and more boat problems. On July 24th, 2021 just 3.5 miles out from Hilo Bay he lost all control of his boat after the steering wheel came loose from the rudder. The rescue boat that was sent for him was too small to tow, ultimately leaving Mystique crashing into the break wall. He was only able to grab his passport as he jumped into the waves to swim to the rescue boat. After 3 days living on the streets of Hilo, he was able to borrow someone’s computer to contact a few friends to let them know that he was alive and well. This put him in touch with my dad Michael, who as many of you know, lived in Quincy with his hanai family for many years.

Steve was born in Greenville, CA, and graduated from Quincy High School in 1967. He is an amazing artist and such a wonderful soul. He gives a lot of his time to helping the community and those in need. Anything you can give will help him rebuild his life. He has been in touch with friends and family that will be making sure that he has a safe place to stay while on the Big Island.

Please visit his gallery at slvanronk.com- you can also donate there if you’d like.

Mahalo nui,