Stormvogel Rising. Project Stormvogel is a grassroots effort to save the last sailing cargo boat in the southern Caribbean. It encompasses youth development, heritage conservation and community pride.

About this campaign

Stormvogel (Storm Bird) is the only remaining cargo ship left from the grand days of sail when people of the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao) were dependent on these vessels for trade and as a vital link for families and friends. These boats were ingrained into the fabric of island life. They helped residents overcme the ever-resent iolation of lving in he southrn Cariean long before airplanes would connect the islands.

As with many of the old wooden sailing ships, Stormvogel was cast aside and left to rot in a Curaçao backwater. But in 2014, Fundashon Patrimonio Marítimo Boneiru (Bonaire Maritime Heritage Foundation) was formed and rescued the boat. This volunteer non-profit group is now busy restoring Stormvogel back to her former sailing glory.

But Project Stormvogel is much more than just saving an old boat. It is about uniting an island community. The foundation has started the Junior Shipwright program, a 10-hour informal educational course where youth get hands-on experience doing restoration work alongside Bonairean shipwrights while learning about island maritime history.

In the future, Stormvogel will become a museum, eventually a floating one, where visitors will get on-deck tours and hear about what life was like for the seamen. Below deck, there will be historic photographs, maritime artifacts and short films about theABC Islds’ ageof sail.The bo will lso become a training ship for youth where volunteer adult sailors will teach seamanship skills, navigation, marine safety and boat maintenance.

In closing, Stormvogel is about preserving a heritage, offering learning experiences for young and old, and providing a cultural touchstone for the community. As the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once said: “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” Project Stormvogel is an opportunity to do both.

Adopt-A-Rib. Another way to support the project is to adopt a rib for only $50. The restoration crew is busy making new ribs for the old boat by harvesting local mesquite wood, just like Stormvogel's original boat builders did. Once the wood is formed into a new rib for the frame, we will inscribe your name onto the wood. These pieces will be permanently installed in the new framing of Stormvogel. This is a chance to honor your family or give a unique gift to a friend and support the preservation of Bonaire’s maritime heritage. All proceeds from this fundraiser go directly into the restoration of the historic ship. Contact Patrick Holian at: projectstormvogel@gmail.com
Send details on what name you would like on the wood (there is a 23-character maximum-this includes spaces) and bank information will be forwarded to complete the transaction.