… SAILS TO SAVE LIVES …
The exact number of Pacific Island fishermen who have been lost at sea per annum is unknown as these records are not kept by most countries of the region.
Occasionally some cases are made known and more often than not reports indicate that fishermen were fishing outside the reef using a small outboard powered fishing boat which either ran out of petrol or developed engine problems.
Fishermen have been known to drift for anywhere between days and months before being rescued, finding land or dying at sea.
By providing coastal communities with Sails and showing them basic ways to attach these sails to their small boats, islanders may well be able to use sailing as a means to catch fish and/or as a safety mechanism to sail back to land if their outboard motor fails or runs out of fuel.
Would you be interested in receiving old laser sails or are you only after bigger boat sails ? I just cleaned out our dinghy shed at Maylands YC and found about 5 that I will be throwing out unless they are of any use to you. I sail at SofPYC too and so could take them there if that would help.
Thanks for the offer Alan
I will forward your note to Peter
However, I know that he has decided to discontinue collecting sails as I think that he feels he has done what he can with the donations which he has been given so far.
An upcoming post will notify donors of the disposition of the remaining sails in Peter’s possession (they are to be distributed through a charitable network which has the resources to transport them to suitable locations).
Kind Regards
Wendy
(Admin)