No matter the size of boat you have, when you cruise long-distance you inevitably find yourself rich by comparison with many people you’ll encounter. So it’s good to be able to help or to make a worthwhile contribution.

This is World Cruising Club’ managing director Andrew Bishop ferrying supplies and provisions to Saint Lucia’s National Emergency Management Organisation. Crews in the ARC were asked to provision with extra supplies to donate what they could to families who have lost homes or livelihoods after Hurricane Tomas in October.

While the island is back up and running after the destruction wrought by winds and widespread mudslides, many poorer people in the country are still in hardship. The extent of the damage to roads, houses and communities is very evident, particularly in the south of the island and in some areas the banana crop has been devastated.
 
The water supply throughout the island is still not potable and many Saint Lucians are relying on bottled water donated by the Red Cross and other international organisations.

ARC crews have donated a wide range of goods, from water and juices to tins of food and toiletries. What you see in the back of the car are boxes of goods from the first boats to arrive.