**UPDATE TO OUR FRIENDS AND GUESTS**
To our guests, friends and everyone else who have given us much pleasure in serving these past years;
It is with great sadness that we must report that SeaSpray Resort and Marina did not survive the storm. The western part of the eye of Hurricane Dorian inflicted severe damage on our villas, restaurant, bars and docks, and the western portion of the eye completed the job. There is not a single structure left standing on our property and it is unrecognizable as the beautiful, peaceful safe haven it once was.
Tragically, one of our bartenders known as TP perished in the storm together with his parents. Thankfully, the rest of our staff have all survived and been accounted for. Unfortunately, most of them have sustained severe and probably irreparable damage to their homes and are left with little more than the clothes on their backs in terms of personal possessions. Thankfully though, they survived, but are currently scattered throughout the Bahamas and Florida staying with friends, loved ones, and in many cases shelters and strangers who have been kind enough to take them in.
Needless to say, we are heartbroken for our loyal staff who are now unemployed and have no idea if, let alone when, they may be able to return to their beloved Abaco. We are doing our best to assist them, but it continues to be a logistical nightmare which is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
Right now we are just beginning to assess our options. We have no idea yet what the future holds, and are purely trying to get through each day. We were very proud of our achievement in developing SeaSpray, and sad that our vision of turning it into a world class resort was unable to be realized. Please know that although SeaSpray no longer exists in a physical sense, it shall forever live on in our hearts and in the hearts of thousands of guests who we were honored to serve and who made SeaSpray the incredible destination it had become. The outpouring of love and support from across the globe has been incredible and greatly appreciated.
Although this post is specific to SeaSpray and our staff, it’s vital to remember that tens of thousands of Abaconians have gone through a life altering experience which will affect their lives forever. Abaco is a strong community and it will survive, but a generational storm like this will have lifelong effects. Our hearts go out to all of them, especially those who lost family and friends, and we pray that in the future they and Abaco will return stronger than ever.
Due to overwhelming requests through Facebook, email and phone, we have started a GoFundMe page to assist our staff in their time of need. If you’ve been to SeaSpray you know how kindhearted and dedicated our staff are, and they’re in need of support in order to make it through the next day’s weeks, months and even years. Employment in Abaco will be virtually non-existent for hospitality workers for a very long time, and your help in supporting our staff in picking up the pieces and providing their family with a new life post-Dorian would be so greatly appreciated. If you’d like to donate, please follow the link below and know that every penny raised will be end up in the hands of the very people who made your Abaco experience possible. Thank you, God Bless, and remember, #AbacoStrong.