Tale of a Work Boat
At year’s end, I’d like to offer a big heartfelt “Thank You!” to our donors. We recently received a donated work boat from Rob De La Cruz and Sean Alexander Marine Services. Like most work boats, it wasn’t exactly beautiful at first glance, but it’s exactly what we needed. It would be hard to overstate how important this is to our mission.
Over the course of the year, we’ve spent countless hours on the grant-writing process attempting to find a grant to fund our work boat project. Unfortunately, California Recovery Divers fills an unusual niche in the non-profit space. We didn’t want a lot of money, we didn’t want to pay salaries or rent an office, or set up a food kitchen. We just needed an industrial-strength work vessel to supplement and replace our personal boats. We just don’t fit into the categories on grant makers’ lists.
Our tireless sonar ace, Scott Harrison, kept looking high and low for a work boat that might meet our needs and fit within our meager budget. To be fair, he may have had extra motivation because of ongoing significant wear-and-tear we’ve done to his personal vessel, but his search for a suitable work boat was as relentless as his sonar scans. In the process, he had the good fortune of meeting Rob, who has, himself, been involved in the sort of work we do. He gets it. Rob had exactly the sort of boat we were looking for, and he generously donated it.
Around the same time, one of our own divers provided a donation that added enough to our coffers to pay some bills and do a little cosmetic rehab on the donated boat. After applying some paint and elbow-grease to secure some of our equipment, we have the work vessel we hoped to purchase with grants. I think the result looks pretty good, myself.
Because grants have proven elusive, we’re totally dependent on donors like Rob (and you) to fund our operations. The equipment we use is expensive, and primarily purchased by government agencies. Towfish-based sonar systems can cost nearly $100,000 new, and an ROV might be $35,000. With your donations, we’ve been able to buy and maintain older units that meet our purposes. We also have ongoing expenses for maintenance, storage, insurance, fuel, and so on - again, paid for by generous donations.
We’re proud of the work we do. And we’re extremely grateful to our donors for helping us do this work. If you’re able, please consider helping us out. Even small donations help, especially if they’re a recurring monthly amount.
