Sailing Center Smashed by Hurricane

Just a note from the Commodore:

I stayed for the hurricane Irma. So I was able to go to the sail club as soon as the winds died down enough to walk around without getting hit on the head with a coconut.

I found Richard, one of our members, had just arrived as well.

We looked around and saw that the four O’Days had sunk completely and one was half up.

There were two Hobies left up on the floating dock. Others were out in the middle of the bay and one was way over upside down on the City’s dingy dock.

Another was and still is completely tangled up with Spencer’s docks, which were destroyed. Motors from boats were in the heap of dock wood also over at Spencer’s.

The committee boat was hanging sideways from the dock but the engine was still out of the water.

The water was covered with a coating of gas and who knows what else.

I loaned Richard a large generator and he immediately started in. He pumped out the committee boat and got the engine running

We then went out and pulled in two hobies that were upside down -  the masts were tangled in rope and anchors that Spencer had put out to try to hold his docks.

We cut the ropes and freed the two boats and pulled them back to the center but without more help we cannot get them turned right side up. 

My arms and legs burned from putting them into the water as I sat on the hulls and cut rope to free them so i am not getting completely into that water to right the boats.

A large pad from the roof of the Fly Navy building had landed on our docks where our paid boats are. It is very heavy and I don’t know how it will be moved.

Those docks have been destroyed. Dean’s boat was up onto of the end of the dock. The boat on the end was completely under water. The boat next to Dean’s has lost it’s mast.

The boat near the club house is underwater. Tom’s boat has survived and is OK.

The boats up near the tool shed seem to be somewhat OK. Each boat will have to be inspected.

The dock out to the O’Days has survived. The floating docks are OK.

The club house is Ok but the Brand New Fridge is not cooling. We don’t know why. I hope we can get someone who knows about fridges to look at it.

I have just gotten power at my house so I am now able to send something out to members to let them know what the situation of the Center is.

I have taken photos but I was cleaning a neighbors pool and dropped my phone in the water and have not been able to get a phone so I have no current photos of the disaster.

The situation of the Center is DIRE.

I don’t know if we have the funds or can get the funds to recover.

I have talked to FEMA (I went over to the fire station where they have a tent) and they said they can’t help a not-for-profit. They suggested I call the Small Business Administration.

I have sent a plea for help to our Community Foundation in Key West. They are asking for donations to help Not-for-profits.   I have asked for help but there are about 300 not-for-profits that will also be looking for help.

I am not even sure how much money we need to ask for if we could get any money.

The dock would be in the thousands. The five O’days would be thousands. The Hobie’s would be thousands.

The Bic’s are OK. Heidi and Ben before they left for the storm put them into the sail shed and I think they are OK.

And thank goodness Heidi took the little cat with her when she left.

The roof of the tool shed was torn off.

Dean arrived a few days after the storm and is now sleeping in the tool shed. His boat out on the morring field was destroyed so he has no where to live.

He has put a small air conditioner in the shed and tacked the roof back on and is able to get some sleep at least.

Richard has been there everyday and has worked hard to clean up but there is so much work that needs more than one or two people it is impossible to do more.

I had a parent offer to bring the high school kids over to clean up but all the things they could do has been done.

Although more trash floats into our little beach every day. And when I say trash I mean large pieces of dock (not ours) that I would not want the high school kids to try to move.

We need to get the company that crushes boats to come over and take ours out of the water and remove them.

Someone asked if they could be saved. the answer is NO. They have been underwater now for days and most of the pieces of boat are damaged.

We need someone to take apart the docks and then we need to get new docks. High School Kids can not do this work, nor can Richard, Dean, or me.

My next plan is to talk to the city and see what they can do to help. I have talked to them earlier and they said, and rightly so, that they had to work on cleaning the streets and getting power and water to people. Once things calm down a bit I will try again with city people. I also talked to Navy people and same thing. I will just have to wait until the important things have been dealt with.

So I have started this Go Fund Me account with the hopes we can get some start up money ASAP.
This Center was a small gem of Key West. It was used by many many families at a very resonable cost. If you would like to see how one family used the sailing center in years past please watch this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUXw2OY3cLs

We would like to rebuild this center so families can once again enjoy the fun sport of sailing together.
PLEASE HELP
Thanks 
Commodore Jane