Our Mates are 219+ veterans and active-duty service members who have taken their lives. They are represented by their name tags, and SailAhead makes it our mission to sail with Our Mates wherever we go. To honor their memory by sharing their stories. They will never be forgotten.
Around the time of SailAhead's inception, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs declared that at least 22 veterans were dying suicide each day. That translates to nearly one death every hour, and 220 deaths every ten days. "219" became our way of symbolizing the one veteran whose life SailAhead, along with our communities, tries to save through sailing and advocacy.
As a way of physically representing this number, we assembled Our Mates: the name tags of over 219 veterans who have taken their lives. Besides physically demonstrating how urgent the veteran suicide crisis is, Our Mates also ensure that the memories of those who lost this battle live on.
With SailAhead, Our Mates are always sailing, traveling, and spreading the word about PTSD and veteran suicide awareness to new communities. Our events serve as spaces for the families and friends of Our Mates to speak about their lives, gain some closure, and offer resources and hope to veterans currently struggling.
OUR MATES AROUND THE WORLD
NY TO PANAMA AND INTO THE PACIFIC
From New York to the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, and as far as the Galapagos Islands, Our Mates have truly become avid sailors!
OUR MATES IN FRANCE:
Visiting D-Day Battle Sites
In 2018, Our Mates traveled to France and visited the D-Day beaches in Normandy and Pointe du Hoc. SailAhead co-founders Kilian and Sean collected sand from Omaha beach, where 2,499 Americans died on the first day of fighting to liberate Europe. They also visited Point Du Hoc, the 100-foot cliff that the Army Rangers 2nd Battalion scaled to fight and capture German artillery batteries, in order to protect their countrymen on the beaches. They suffered a 70% casualty rate. Every summer, SailAhead, in partnership with the Tacoma Yacht Club, hosts an event in the state of Washington to remember these events and honor Our Mate, SPC Ryan James Day of the second Ranger Battalion, and all his brothers and sisters who lost their lives - both at home and abroad.
