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Yachts with Heart event to send a container of hope to the island of Yachts with Heart logoDominica

On Saturday 14th April 2018 12h00, in Port Canto, Cannes and Saturday 21st April 2018 11h00, in Port Vauban, Antibes, Yachts du Cœur will hold events to fill a container with goods for hurricane-struck Dominica.

The 21st Yachts du Cœur event (Yachts with Heart)  held by charity organization Eco-Mer will take place on Saturday, April 14 in Cannes, followed by a sister event the next Saturday at Port Vauban, Antibes.

Yachts with Heart human chain

The goal of both events is to fill a ‘container of hope’ with donations to help the people of the Caribbean island of Dominica, which was devastated by Hurricane Maria. When the container leaves the French Riviera for Dominica, it will be filled with non-perishable goods as well as fishing and boatbuilding materials. It’s estimated more than 90 per cent of the Dominican fishing fleet was destroyed and this drive aims to assist those effected and have them quickly equipped and back on the water sourcing fish.

Eco-Mer has become known for its work coordinating yacht crew to help those in need. It has been collecting donated food, clothes and linen from yachties on the French Riviera since 2010 at Yachts du Coeur events, with around 44,000 meals and 15m3 of clothes and linen, collected and distributed to the French Food Bank and the French Red Cross, as well as 38m3 of of first aid products of all kinds brought to the Caribbean populations devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, so far.

The aim is to provide people in need with supplies, help yachts avoid throwing away good food, clothes and linen no longer needed by owners or guests, and demonstrate the depth of caring within the yachting community.

At the April 14 event, Mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, will also formalize the Marine Quality Charter for the Seas. This initiative has been developed to encourage ocean goers to meet or exceed targets of being benevolent, vigilant boaters; helping others on the water, as well as the caring for the ocean itself wherever possible.

Created by Eco-Mer’s organizing body in partnership with the city of Cannes, the Marine Quality Charter for the Seas sets out guidelines designed to contribute to future-proofing the marine environment.

Before the mayor takes the stage, a blessing of the yachts will be undertaken by the French Navy and French National Gendarmerie’s chaplain, Jean Ligier, with Father Bernard Ojela of the Phillipines, in honour of the many Filipino seafarers who will take to the waters this season.

The two Yachts du Cœur events, run by Eco-Mer in partnership with YachtAid Global, aim to fill the container with non-perishable goods, such as adult and children’s clothing, school materials, water, construction materials and tools and generator Up to 90 per cent of the island’s fishing fleet was totally destroyed,  and Eco-Mer is also calling for fishing equipment and materials for the construction of fishing boats.

Hurricane Maria severely affected the housing stock, schools, small business owners, fishermen, tourism, jobs, infrastructure, community and health centers, and agriculture on the island of Dominica. It also exposed the vulnerability of the island in terms of water systems, access to villages (transport), medical facilities, the need for proper disaster management, shelter creation and an effective emergency plan. The island of Dominica does not enjoy the support of a large country, which means there is a great opportunity for the communities of the sea – international sailors of all kinds – to come to its aid.

Sensitive to humanitarian and solidarity causes, Port Vauban, Antibes will host the container of hope from 13th to 23rd April 2018. It will be located front of the Société des Régates d’Antibes, the SRA sailing club, located at the entrance of port Vauban’s shipyards. Donations by appointment with Eco-Mer at +33 684 76 84 53

Eco-Mer association, in partnership with YachtAid Global in the USA who finances the shipment of this container from Antibes to Roseau on the island of Dominica. The organisations thank the following partners for their invaluable assistance:

  • Port Vauban Antibes,
  • Riviera Ports,
  • Cannes City Hall
  • Cannes Port Canto,
  • Ammac, Snsm,
  • Fishing Prud’homie,
  • Antibes Regatta Society,
  • MYBA the World Yachting Association, as well as numerous others.For each 7m fishing boat that will be built for Dominican fishermen, the association will need the following products:

1 x 55 gallons drum of epoxy resin / 1 fut de 200l de résine epoxy

4 rolls of fiberglass mat x 150lb each / 4 rouleaux de fibres de verre de 70 kg chacun

4 yards of chopped mat / 4 m de fibres de verre hachée

4 gallons of white gelcoat / 15 litres de gelcoat blanc

4 large roller handles / 4 grands manches à rouleaux

4 small roller handles / 4 petits manches à rouleaux

4 large rollers / 4 grands rouleaux à peinture

4 small rollers / 4 petits rouleaux à peinture

15 pks of mixed 25 sanding discs / 15 paquets de 25 disques abrasifs mélangés

10 small cutting discs / 10 petits disques de coupe

2 gallons of international orange paint / 8 litres de peinture Internationale, orange

1 gallon of international sky-blue paint / 4 litres de peinture Internationale, bleu ciel

1 gallon antifouling paint 3.80 / 4 litres de peinture antifouling

4 x 2x6x20 treated pitch pine / 4 x (50.8mm x 152.4mm x 508mm) de pin rigide traité

1x 2x12x20 treated pitch pine / 1 x (50.8mm x 304.8mm x 508mm) de pin rigide traité

2x 1x12x16 treated pitch pine / 2 x (25.4mm x 304.8mm x 406.4mm) de pin rigide traité

1 x 3x4x18 treated pitch pine / 1 x (76.2mm x 101.6mm x 457.2mm) de pin rigide traité

4 x 4′ x 7′ sheets Nida-Core sandwich construction panels with honeycomb core / 4 x (1,2192m x 2,1336m) panneaux Nida-Core

1 x 200 suki screws box / boite de vis Suki

ENDS
Editor’s note:

Yachts with Heart schedule in Cannes on April 14th, 2018:

  • 11h30 Blessing of the Yachts with Heart by Father Bernhard Ojela, Filipino, and Jean Ligier, French Navy’s and French military chaplain of the Maritime Alps county
  • 12:00 Human chain of solidarity of the Yachts with Heart
  • 12h30 Officialization of the quality charter for the seas
  • 12h45 Friendship drink

Yachts with Heart schedule in Antibes on April 21st, 2018:

  • 11:00 am Blessing of the Yachts du Coeur by Father Bernhard Ojela, Filipino, and Jean Ligier, Chaplain of the French military chaplain of the Maritime Alps county
  • 11h30 Human chain of solidarity of the Yachts with Heart
  • 12h00 am Friendship drink

Yachts with Heart origins

The source of the Yachts with Heart events that Eco-Mer has been organizing since 2010, takes its inspiration from the magnificent text of the Seafarers’ Chaplain of the Basque Country Solidarity at Sea against Winds and Tides – by Mikel Epalza. This founding text of Yachts with Heart, speaks of the natural cohesion of the world of the sea because all sailors know that it is only together that one can save oneself. “The sailors remind to all the inhabitants of the planet that we are all on board the same ship: ‘The Earth’.”

Press Contacts

– Jean-Luc Annone / Président association Eco-Mer

5 avenue du Commerce / 06270 Villeneuve Loubet / France

Siren N° 517 811 758 / Association N° W061000681

Tel + 33 6 84 76 84 53 (UTC + 1) / Mail : info@eco-mer.org

www.yachts-du-coeur.com / https://www.eco-mer.com

 

– Captain Tim Forderer / YachtAid Global / General Manager / USA

Tel : +1-619-389-7032 (UTC -8) / Mail : tim@yachtaidglobal.org

http://www.yachtaidglobal.org/