[dropcap]H[/dropcap]arry Edwards Jewelers joined forces with their partners at the Rolex Watch Co., Peter Byrne of Carnival Sailing and Jeffrey Coyne of JP Services Corp., to provide relief to those affected in Dominica following Hurricane Maria.
Managing Director of Harry Edwards Jewelers, Thomas Ladner, together with Peter Byrne and a crew of five men, set sail from Saint Lucia at 4 a.m. on October 11 aboard Carnival Sailing’s largest vessel – a 178-passenger party-boat. Eight hours later they arrived in Dominica and saw first-hand the devastation that Maria left behind.
“You think you could imagine how bad it is when you see the photos circulating online and on television, but it’s actually worse. Much worse.” Thomas said upon his return to Saint Lucia.
Friends on the ground met the group after they cleared customs and helped to off-load the boat. The stocked catamaran sailed to Dominica with nine pallets of bottled water equaling 13,000 lbs., 1,000 lbs. of rice, 500 lbs. of lentils, 35 cases of tuna, 16 cases of corned beef, 25 cases of crackers, 14 cases of toilet papers, 40 extra-large tarpaulins, LED lights, duct tape and shopping bags to divide the goods for distribution. The boat was unpacked in about three hours, after which the crew journeyed back home ahead of the mandatory curfew.
Harry Edwards Jewelers, Carnival Sailing and JP Services wish to thank their staff members who showed incredible drive and organisational skills during the collection and transportation of the goods. Additional gratitude is directed to those at Blue Waters, Massy Distribution, CPJ Distribution, Rayneau Construction and Industrial Products, and Bermudez Biscuits who provided discounts on the items purchased for this initiative.
