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The great sailboat giveaway!

9K views 49 replies 22 participants last post by  Donna_F 
#1 ·
#3 ·
I suspect you are displaying a sense of humor?! I think all your questions will be answered on this website International Rescue Group - Coastal post-disaster rescue

Like all charities, IRG is a nonprofit dependent on volunteers. We are accepting donated boats and allocating them to volunteer crew. There are plenty of people who would love a boat but can't afford one, we are providing people a chance to cruise an agreed station and, when emergencies occur like tsunami, earthquake, hurricane etc., within reach, take medical supplies and other life-saving items to the post-disaster zone under IRG's direction.

I'd hardly call it "indentured servitude"!

Captain Ray
Founder, International Rescue Group
 
#22 ·
Cool idea. Sounds like a great opportunity for the right person.
 
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#5 ·
I can see it as an interesting choice, I would certainly be interested for example, had I not just purchased a boat. I don't see any mention of who's paying the other costs, eg safety gear, haul-out and all the other costs associated with maintaining a boat. As I'm learning quickly, buying a boat is only the down payment on the whole thing.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Uh...lets see some real credentials! IE, letters from known Disaster relief agencies for example.

Did you clear your out of the blue proposal with the Moderators here on SN?

free and boat should never be used in the same sentence..

Oh.. your connected with sailing doctors! another outfit that poofed in and out.

GDACS.org doesn't produce anything but timed out searches

your video is a voice over the person talking

Your website has only had about 231 hits as of when I checked it. Kinda new website it seems to be
 
#12 ·
We are only connected with the Floating Doctors by providing a link to their site because we admire what they are doing. To my knowledge, they are still operating and doing a great job helping underprivileged coastal communities. Perhaps you are thinking of another organization?

Is there a requirement for a nonprofit to clear with the moderators? I looked through the policies, and it wasn't too clear. Perhaps the moderators will contact me if this is outside of policies, though I'd find it difficult to understand why it would be wrong for a charity to search for a crew for one of our disaster relief boats...

I don't know what happened to your search, but I can assure you that GDACS (Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System) is a most respectable network, a cooperation framework between the United Nations, the European Commission and disaster managers worldwide to improve alerts, information exchange and coordination in the first phase after major sudden-onset disasters.

I can assure you that the video you mention is actually me. We are very cheap, I recorded it with my smartphone and clipped it together on my PC. My apologies if somehow the soundtrack is not properly synched, but when I view it online it appears to be OK.

Yes, we are a new organization. Is that wrong?

But the confluence with easy WiFi/smartphone/internet access by cruisers around the world is, for the first time, making it possible for this kind of organization to exist; read more here.

Uh...lets see some real credentials! IE, letters from known Disaster relief agencies for example.

Did you clear your out of the blue proposal with the Moderators here on SN?

free and boat should never be used in the same sentence..

Oh.. your connected with sailing doctors! another outfit that poofed in and out.

GDACS.org doesn't produce anything but timed out searches

your video is a voice over the person talking

Your website has only had about 231 hits as of when I checked it. Kinda new website it seems to be
 
#18 ·
I remember that....called 'em out...turned out to be a group of kids masquerading as a non-profit, wanting a free boat so they could live aboard, sail all over the world and dive, looking for treasure. Any they found would be "sold" to local museums and any profits would be donated. LOL...good one.

I deplore dishonesty disguised as charity, designed to dupe dummies into doing deals denied due diligence.
Absolutely awesome. Try saying that fast, even once. I'm writing that one down.
 
#11 ·
Dear me, there is an awful lot of skepticism out there. However, I can assure you we are real. We have two boats to be despatched on 7th October, and you can check us out on GuideStar, which is a nonprofits register, with the IRS, and with the California attorney's office and online registry.

Yes, International Rescue Group is a startup nonprofit organization, but we have real equipment and real people who are headed out to two cruising stations, the South China Sea and North America Pacific.

Are new organizations not allowed to exist?

We are also reaching out to cruisers worldwide to join the IRG Reserve, and rather than me try to explain that all here, you can check it out online.

For the first time, with the internet, WiFi and ubiquitous smartphones and access, it's possible to reach out in a timely manner to the approximately 10,000 cruising yachts worldwide. I can assure you that our site is scalable, is growing and even if you're not convinced now, come back in a year or two and read our mission reports.
 
#13 ·
Well I think it sounds like a great idea, that is the concept is good. The execution I am not so sure about. I'm not sure how many people there are who could afford the costs to maintain a boat to a safe standard, but couldn't afford the purchase price. Especially since 2 years of cruising means no time at home generating income...
You say the crew is expected to maintain it, but who defines what maintaining is??
Who pays when it needs new sails, major engine work etc? I would be unhappy re-powering my own boat, nevermind another person's boat!
 
#15 ·
Thank you for your approval of our concept. We make no illusions, IRG is a startup organization - every org has to start somewhere, this is where we are now.

Getting boats is no problem - we are successfully doing that, with more in the pipeline.

Getting crews is not difficult, we already have a number who want this boat. They all fully accept it's up to them to maintain the boat. I do accept your point about major failures, and we have in fact thought that through. We are getting a constant flow of donated equipment, and are confident that we can keep our boats active, even in the expensive cases such as repowering.

As an example, we had one wonderful benefactor donate major generators and motors, brand new, worth $160,000 on the market, for one of our boats. So yes, some of our vessels will be awaiting work at any particular time, but hopefully not when they are really needed.

Despite the skepticism, we are charging ahead and not letting anything get in our way. IRG will be operational this November, and we plan to have a boat in many regions by end 2013.
 
#14 · (Edited)
There may be less skepticism if you were more honest, Ray.

You are not "giving away" a boat- you are loaning a boat to someone for two years, during which time they are apparently responsible for all costs incurred, including maintenance deferred from before they took possession.
At the end of two years you get a boat back in as good , or better condition then when it left your hands.

I applaud idealism- I deplore dishonesty disguised as charity, designed to dupe dummies into doing deals denied due diligence.

You defensively state in one post that you are new, then in another discuss how you have people comfortable with this boat loan arrangement, as if this has been a longstanding practice, then reveal that...
YOU HAVEN'T LAUNCHED A SINGLE BOAT YET!
and won't until Oct. 7.


I suggest you hire a PR person, Ray- your defensive posture and fuzzy way with information disemination ain't winning you converts.
 
#16 ·
The moderators have decided that our members should choose for themselves whether to support this organization but it should be understood that allowing the thread does not imply endorsement by SailNet. In addition, we moderators want to make it clear that questioning them is allowed, since they invited it by posting, but consistent with forum rule, bashing and belligerence won't be tolerated. We are allowing the thread to remain open after doing our due diligence which could not find anything concrete through publicly available channels to indicate that they aren't who they say they are and doing what they say they intend to do.
 
#23 ·
I absolutely detest online chat. I have enough interrupts in my life as it is, with phone, mobile phone, text messages, pagers, email.....and I am forced to use MOC (Microsoft Communicator) during work hours....it's a serious pain in the ass when you're focusing on something or busy and someone pops up a conversation on your desktop....you're obliged to answer it in a timely manner (so as not to be rude)....

I used IRC alot way back when it first came out....it just got to be such an intrusion when you get online and multiple windows start popping up.

I just like to have more control over my communications....when I respond...the medium used....and I know you can control your online visibility and all...I just prefer not to use them.
 
#20 ·
I can afford a boat, I just can't afford to bum around the coast for two years.

Then comes the question, if these crews are bumming around the coast "free to cruise" and disaster strikes, how are you going to get those boats back, loaded with supplies, and then deployed to the disaster site in any sort of timely manner?

How are you even going to load these boats with rescue supplies on top of cruising supplies?

I'm doubtful you're going to find anyone ready to pay their own way and the cost of a boat for two years to do this, but I'm even more doubtful that any logistics planning has been put into how this would actually work.

Raffle the donated boats and donate it to Red Cross disaster relief.
 
#21 ·
Well GDACS is magically online this morning. It appears to be a new site also.

I'll stick with the Red Cross should I feel an overwhelming need to donate or help disaster relief.

"Help us fix up boats to sell and donate the proceeds to disaster relief"
Would be a more appropriate ave. to drive imho.
 
#24 · (Edited)
It seems unlikely that a handful of sailboats could offer material succor to disasters happening in random locations around the world. would this be a conceit depending on having no concept of global distance and sailing times?

One thing does seem for sure - the organizer is building a custom boat, and plans to cruise the south seas for a few years, all apparently with other people's money.
 
#27 ·
I think I can see some potential. The idea seems to be, (I assume the boat will be preloaded with medical supplies), cruise near potential disaster spots, when disaster seems iminent cruise closer, and call other volunteers on radio, and coordinate efforts.

As a Red cross plane will beat you to the disaster everytime, you will be mostly operating as a mobile floating command post.

You will in return get a free, (lower than owning), cost floating room, that you will work to pay for by fundraising for this organisation.

Assuming you are already financially taken care of, and wan't to help people, I don't see a big problem.
 
#28 ·
Ever since the dot com bust in 2000, more and more entrepreneurs have abandoned the private start-up world as a means of building wealth, and in stead have discovered the joys of non-profits. What good the non-profit may do, does not really matter, as long as it appeals to some bone in the American public body.

I think the most recent local example, was the guy jamming people into a centerboard boat, then collecting donations. Tossed a boatload into San Diego bay.

The possibilities are endless, and the business plans don't need to stand the test of a unforgiving market, just that of a gullible public.
 
#29 ·
Well I'm starting to think it sounds much more reasonable, that any major repairs/refit would be provided for by the organization(eg re-powering, pumps, tanks hoses etc).

While upkeep(cleaning the bottom, pumping out, general boat care) would be provided by the volunteers.

In regards to location, I think the idea is less that boats would be passage-making and crossing oceans, but more that these boats would be stationed cruising in areas that might need assistance, with a large amount of their available storage used to store goods which would be needed in that emergency, which is actually a fairly interesting concept, initially not helpful, but if it scales up well it could actually be quite interesting with enough of them around.

Sort of like HAM radio people and their integration into disaster relief groups.

Would there be some provision for returning to work for some time to continue funding the cruising, 2 years is a long haul without the ability to make some money to pay for it.

I've noticed this with other groups, the issue is rarely getting donations of equipment and vehicles, there's so much excess floating around unused that that's the easy part, the hard part is actually being able to put it to good use.
There is a small organization here that has had good success with donated tools and equipment that would otherwise go for scrap, mostly funded out of the founders' pockets and a huge amount of hard work, the kind of work you'd only do for a goal you believed in. It's now a community shop with affordable workshops on any topic for which they have the tools, and access to the sorts of tools that I couldn't afford to have on my own, for less than I pay for internet each month.
One of the founders lives aboard a boat near me that he is slowly restoring after saving it from the scrap heap since there were so few made.
He started a repair shop, and worked hard to create a solid business repairing cars, he's one of the nicest and most helpful people I've ever met, with the integrity and honesty that is rarely see. They certainly aren't making a huge profit(considering that they work for free to make it run, and put tons of money into it). If they ever do make it to the point they can draw a salary for their hours I would certainly think it reasonable considering the risks, effort and labor they've put in.
He's an entrepreneur alright, and he's built a sold business doing good work, skills he now leverages to help others, so not everyone doing so is as you suggest.

Vancouver Community Laboratory
 
#32 ·
I don't really understand how this is an effective way of disaster relief. The amount of time and money it takes to keep a boat cruising is..well... we all know it is. The people who need help would get way more by just taking that time and money spent cruising and donating to the red cross or buying cases of water etc and having it shipped to the affected area.

Seems like a fun and innovative idea. Just not terribly useful.
 
#33 ·
I notice the OP has stopped responding, seems to me there are motives at work other than disaster relief. I've come up with a few venture ideas over the years (one even sailing related) that work well as non-profits, and do in fact provide a good service to the larger community, but they provide a greater service to the founder. That seems like what is happening here. My gut is telling me the OP is trying to fund his own 2-year cruise.

Unlike some here, I don't fault him for it. If it works and does provide a service, I say best of luck. Given a crappy economic outlook, and people who want to just get away and cruise for a few years, here's one way to do it without the cost of buying a boat.
 
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