!!EMERGENCY UPDATE!!
On the night of July 3rd and early in the morning of July 4th, Ocracoke Island took a direct hit by Hurricane Arthur, a Category II storm. The winds, upwards of 100 mph, caused damage all over the island, including damage to the Wilma Lee. The boat is OK, but we suffered a broken boom, damage to both the port and starboard rails and one or more dislodged cleats. We are awaiting a USCG inspection to know more.
Our insurance would cover a catastrophic event, but fortunately (and unfortunately) this damage is not catastrophic - just costly. We will now need additional funds to repair this damage, in addition to the badly needed sail replacement that this campaign focused on at the start.
Please keep a watch out for additional information and in the meanwhile, we are grateful for your support for our boat and this program, as we try to work our way over another hurdle.
We will stand by all of the gifts listed in this campaign, but may have to substitute or postpone some of them until this new challenge is cleared.
Thank you for your support!
Who We Are:
Ocracoke Alive is an Ocracoke-based, non-profit organization which is dedicated to the
enrichment of life on Ocracoke island by producing and promoting artistic and
educational programs for residents and visitors.
Among our several projects is the operation and maintenance of the historic
sailing boat, the Skipjack Wilma Lee. The Wilma Lee is a
50 foot wooden oystering sloop originating from the Chesapeake Bay, now sailing out of
Ocracoke's Silver Lake harbor.
Long-term, this project will combine the Wilma Lee,
her crew and island resources in a broad educational
program, as an enhancement to the public and private school classroom experience. We are currently working with the University of North Carolina's
LEARN NC to produce model curriculum linked to Ocracoke Island and the Wilma
Lee.
We are currently offering, three days a week, free dockside talks aboard the Wilma Lee, focusing on Ocracoke history and culture, the story of the Wilma Lee and Pirate Lore, true and otherwise. Arrrrr...
Ocracoke Alive is also known for producing the annual Ocrafolk Festival, now in its fifteenth year, which
brings great music and people together every spring for a three day music,
arts and storytelling extravaganza.
And this year, we are producing the musical play, "A Tale of Blackbeard" which will show live on stage, every Monday throughout the summer season, at the Ocracoke Community Center.
The
problem: The Wilma Lee needs new sails.
When we accepted the gift of the Wilma Lee, we knew we were accepting a very
valuable asset, but also taking on a huge liability. We have applied for and received grant funding from the Outer Banks Community Foundation, from Saltwater Connections and from LEARN NC.
That support has moved us in the right direction, though we didn't anticipate that the sails
would need to be replaced this soon. We've had them repaired and we'll be able to get through another sailing season, but the reality is they're going, going....gone.
So we are asking for your help... and we've got great gifts to recognize your generosity.
Please.
Read.
On...
What We Need
The
Wilma Lee carries about 1,700 square feet of sail, including the main and the jib. That's a lot of sail. We've priced out replacement and found a really, really good deal at just over $9,000. We also need a sail cover, which will bring us up to the $10,000 we are aiming for. It is, in fact, the lack of a sail cover for the many years she was rigged prior to our acquisition, that accelerated the deterioration of the sails.
What You Get
Please take a look at our thank-you gifts listed below. Different gifts accompany the various levels of donations. Because this is, after all, a Sailing Boat...we are able to offer some pretty exciting thank-yous to our partners in this venture.
Please note that most of the perks involve a cruise aboard the Wilma Lee. In all cases, cruises are subject to certain conditions, including available seating on the boat, regular and special scheduling and, of course, weather conditions. We will do everything possible to accommodate your schedule and to assure that you have a great experience. Regularly scheduled cruise perks are redeemable for up to one year after the end of our campaign. Please contact us for more information, as it may relate to your particular level of support.
