Canadian family stranded on island off Turks and Caicos after boat crash
A Toronto family is reaching out for help after being left stranded on a small island off Turks and Caicos.
According to Tiffany Scholl, her sister, Krista, brother-in-law, Tony, and niece, Adelaide, were sailing when their boat hit a reef and began to sink.
“Within seconds, they were in the emergency dinghy and then saved by a helicopter some hours later,” Tiffany shared in a GoFundMe created on Monday. “They watched their home sink into the ocean as they were pulled up by the helicopter.”
Tiffany says the family is now at the Coast Guard base on a small island off the coast of Turks and Caicos and needs help to return to Canada, which is why she started the fundraiser.
Krista told Daily Hive in an email on Monday, July 7, that she and her family have lived permanently onboard their sailboat for the last two years, sailing from Lake Ontario to the Bahamas, and this is the first major incident they’ve experienced.
She says they were sailing from the Acklins Islands to Mayaguana when their boat crashed just off the Plana Cays islands.
“We deployed our life raft and were safe in it tied to our sailboat until the United States Coast Guard [USCG] rescued us by helicopter and brought us to Inagua where they have a base,” Krista explained.
“We were immediately in touch with the consulate, and the process is underway to help us replace documents to get back.”
Global Affairs Canada told Daily Hive in an email statement that it is aware of a boating incident in the Bahamas involving Canadians.
“Consular officials are in contact with the affected Canadians and are providing consular assistance,” stated the spokesperson.
GoFundMe
Krista says they found out about the GoFundMe after her sister made it, adding that they are currently focused on replacing documents and recovering “from this traumatic incident.”
“They have nothing but the clothes on their backs,” Tiffany wrote in the GoFundMe. “Please help and donate to the most deserving and amazing people I know.”
Tiffany says the money will also help them restart their life in Canada.
The GoFundMe has raised its goal from $18,000 to $24,000. As of Monday, July 7, it has raised over $21,000.
“All of the Bahamas authorities and the local people have rallied together to take care of us and make us feel like family during this extremely tough time,” said Krista. “We will be forever grateful to this country, its people, and the USCG.”
Daily Hive has reached out to Scholl for more details. We have also requested a comment from Global Affairs regarding the family’s predicament.
While it’s unclear where the family could be, small islands near Turks and Caicos include Abrahams Bay and Little Inagua Island.
There are also the Turks and Caicos islands, including Yankee Town, Cockburn Town, Balfour Town, and Little Ambergris Cay, which are not connected to the mainland.
Google Maps
This isn’t the first series of unfortunate events associated with the archipelago. In February, a shark attack in Turks and Caicos “instantly amputated” a Canadian woman.
Last year, a Canadian kiteboarder managed to survive a shark attack while snorkelling near the islands.
There are several fundraisers for unfortunate incidents involving Canadians abroad. Recently, a GoFundMe exceeded its fundraising goal for a Canadian who died in the Dominican Republic.
In May, a Canadian tourist was found dead after going swimming at a beach in Mexico. A fundraiser has also been set up for Braydon Bretzer. As of Friday, the GoFundMe is just shy of its $40,000 goal at $37,086.