Slipstream and Crew Win Yachts de Coeur Humanitarian Prize
Slipstream, a 60-m Burgess motor yacht, and her crew were presented with the annual Yachts de Coeur humanitarian prize in Cannes in June 2018. The award was presented to recognize their efforts to aid the Caribbean islands and people affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Autumn 2017. The award was presented on the 11th June by Commandant Oliver Troy of the French Royal Navy, and depicts Ceres, the Roman goddess of nature and charity.
The award was presented to Captains Phil Stevens and Steve Osborne and the crew of Slipstream, who in November 2017 joined forces with Eco-Mer and YachtAid Global to help collect disaster aid, including building materials, and transport them across the Atlantic to the islands that were most severely damaged by the storms. Donations were collected throughout the Western Mediterranean by Slipstream, before crossing to Dominica, loaded to the gunwales, and then a further voyage on to Saint Martin to off load. The team also donated almost USD 5000 to a lady from Barbuda in order for her and her husband to begin the reconstruction of their home. This donation went not only to this lady but also a charity foundation in Antigua that used the money to purchase building materials.
Captain Phil Stevens says, “Obviously the Caribbean is a destination visited by most large motor and sailing yachts at one time or another, and SLIPSTREAM has been cruising these waters for a number of years and feels a part of the Caribbean family. It was critical therefore that, in the Islands’ time of need, we should try to give something back.”
A number of the Burgess fleet also assisted in the relief efforts, with SLIPSTREAM leading in finding ways to assist and aiding with organizational efforts.