Harry Edwards Jewelers, with their partners at the Rolex Watch Co., Peter Byrne of Carnival Sailing, and Jeffrey Coyne of JP Services Corp., joined forces 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 St. Lucia at 4:00 a.m. on Carnival Sailing’s largest vessel – a 178-passenger party boat. Eight hours later, they arrived in Dominica and saw firsthand 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,” Ladner said, upon his return to St 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 9 pallets of bottled water equaling 13,000 pounds, 1,000 lbs. of rice, 500 lbs. of lentils, 35 cases of tuna fish, 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 3 hours and the men said a quick goodbye to their friends before making the journey 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 organizational 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.