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Ship's Log 4/20/03 Sandy Spit, BVI
Last week we had Ted Arnovitz, Iris Chavin, and Matt & Elaine Arnovitz on board. We all enjoyed sailing, snorkeling, White Bay, dining out, and just relaxing. Ted and Iris have been on the boat before and had no trouble getting their sealegs. Captain Mike says "Matt has the best attitude and was a really great help and became a good seaman." We really enjoyed getting to know Elaine, too. We also enjoyed some excellent meals at Caneel Bay on St. John, Cooper Island Beach Club, and The Point on St. Thomas.
Right now we are sailing and scuba diving with Steve and Ralinda Owens. They were on the boat for some diving when we were in Turks and Caicos two years ago. This morning we went to Jost Van Dyke Methodist Church to celebrate Easter. Foxy played hymns on his guitar before the service. It was a special morning and an enjoyable service. After the service we motored around to Sandy Spit to go diving. We did one dive during the day and another just now tonight. The night dive was incredible! We saw three turtles (one sleeping), numerous lobsters, a three-foot spotted moray eel (which Mike petted), a crab, several shrimp, and a three foot juvenile, orange hogfish! The only negative was that there were thousands of tiny fish and little one to two-inch snake-like things, and they were all swarming frantically and were attracted to the lights. I ended up turning off my light because I could barely handle them bouncing off of my hands, getting into my fins, and swimming through my hair! Yuck!
Tomorrow we hope to dive off of Tobago, a small island to the west of Jost Van Dyke.
Lots of love, the GN crew
Ship's Log 4-5-03 St. Thomas
Glenn and Val Mueller arrived last Wednesday the 26th. We took them to dinner at the Point and anchored in Charlotte Amalie harbor. The next morning we motored over to Frenchman's Cap, about seven miles to the southwest. Mike and Glenn went scuba diving and Val and I relaxed topside. From there we went to Caneel Bay, St. John where the guys did a second dive and we rested...nice. Friday morning we went back south to the Cow and Calf rocks. The guys did two tanks here while Val and I snorkeled. We then headed back to St. Thomas to pick up Ali, Merrin and Rogers, three of their five kids who are joining us this week. We missed Glenn and Stephanie, but they are busy with school things.
After picking up the kids, we sailed by night to Roadtown, Tortola, B.V.I. After checking in, we all went to the Rainbow Children's Home to deliver some items. It was a lot of fun and the children are so sweet. We then sailed up to the Baths on Virgin Gorda and enjoyed lunch at the Top 'O The Baths beside the pool. After lunch we explored the caves and pools and swam in Devil's Bay. Then Ali, Merrin, Rog, Glenn and I swam back around to the boat while Mike and Val M. walked back through the trail to get the dinghy. It was a loooooong swim, but a great workout. Val and Mike came around in the dinghy and picked up those that tired along the way. We sailed down to Norman Island and anchored in the Bight. We went in to dinner at Pirates and the meal was excellent.
On Sunday the 30th, we moved across to the nearby Indians. A dive instructor from Aquaventures met us there and took Rog and Merrin on Resort Dives while the rest of us dove with them. We did two dives, one around the Indians and one near Pelican Island. Rog, Merrin, and Ali all did great! After the dives, we went in to West End, Tortola for a little shipping, and then onward to White Bay for the evening.
In White Bay we snorkeled, swam, walked on the beach, rode on the sport dinghy, and laid in the sun. The snorkeling was great! We saw turtles, a baby spotted eagle ray with a looooooong tail, puffer fish, lobsters, a huge school of silversides, and numerous colorful reef fish. We dinghied around to Great Harbor for lunch at Foxy's and visited with Foxy for a while. Glenn and Rog helped unload a food delivery to a small grocery store, and we did a little grocery shopping. Today is Rogers' 13th birthday, so we plan on making brownies with ice cream. Our friend Wendell knew a dive instructor named Collin, who met us back at the boat in White Bay to take us diving. Glenn, Mike and I, Merrin, and Rogers went for a beautiful dive near Sandy Spit. It was awesome! We saw five lobsters, two of which were right out in the open. We saw two turtles, a slipper lobster, and an arrowhead crab, banded shrimp, and spotted drum fish. There was lots of beautiful soft and hard coral everywhere. While we were diving, Val and Ali had made a delicious brownie and ice cream desert, plus chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches! They were great! They also made us a nice meal which we enjoyed before the desert and presents. Tuesday morning we went in for one last snorkel before departing for St. Thomas. We enjoyed a nice sail back to Charlotte Amalie, checked in, had lunch and did a little last minute shopping.
We had a fantastic time with the Mueller family. They are a great family with awesome kids. We have worked on maintenance, set up some really nice scuba tank racks topside aft, cleaned, laundered, and restocked. Today, Ted Arnovitz and Iris Chavin, along with Ted's son and daughter-in-law. Matt & Elaine.
All our love, First Mate Val and Captain Mike
Ship's Log
3-26-03 St.
Thomas
Last week we had a fantastic time with our family on board! They all came in Saturday and Tana, Ryan, and Amber stayed at the Marriott Frenchman's Reef Hotel (Tana's husband, Mike, was called up a couple of weeks ago to serve in the war in Iraq-we missed him and pray for his safety). Ray, Carey, Shelby and Sydney stayed with Mike and I on Good News in the bay right off of the hotel. We had a great time Sunday in the hotel pool, enjoying swimming, floating mats, pool volleyball, snorkeling, and ping pong. Monday we left for White Bay where we spent the rest of the week.
We anchored east of the Soggy Dollar just down the beach and near to the shore. We all snorkeled the reef (even Shelby and Sydney), which is in about twelve feet of water and saw a reef shark, lobsters, a turtle, huge tarpon, large schools of fish, and an abundance of colorful reef fish. They put a water trampoline at the west end of the bay and Amber and Ryan enjoyed that quite a bit, jumping on and off of it. Ryan can do back flips and front flips on it! Amber, Shelby and Sydney spent a lot of time looking for shells. They would snorkel in the surf and dive down when they saw a shell. We are so proud of each of them. Ryan, Amber, Shelby and Sydney all advanced remarkably in their swimming and snorkeling skills. Ryan, Amber, and Shelby could easily dive down to pick up things from the bottom. Sydney was amazing! At three, she was swimming and snorkeling with her mask and snorkel and with no wetsuit or lifejacket! Of, course, we were all around her and she was swimming from one of us to the other. She was like an super energetic tadpole, non-stop swimming all over the place! Ray and the kids made a beautiful sandcastle, and Grandpa and the kids dug a huge hole (which we later buried Grandpa and all four kids in). Ryan played catch with various people, with a football or a velcroe ball and mitt. We enjoyed sitting in chairs in the surf and relaxing with a painkiller or rum punch. Grandpa gave instructions on driving the sport dinghy and Tana, Ray, Sydney, Amber, and Ryan all drove it! We had a lunch at the Soggy Dollar and Foxy's. We enjoyed some great meals, playtime, movies, drawing, card games, and chess on board. Ryan and Grandpa went to a chess tournament when we arrived back in St. Thomas.
We had an awesome time and we really miss them!
Love always, Captain (Grandpa) Mike and First Mate (Grandma) Val
Ship's Log 3-14-03 St. Thomas
On the last morning in Salt Pond Bay, Mitzi woke up with a very swollen right eye. We went in to Road Town and she was treated by a doctor. We were glad the Lord brought us to Road Town, not only to help Mitzi but also so we could visit with the children at Rainbow Children's Home. When we arrived at the home, the children were all out playing in the dirt parking lot as it was a Saturday. We went in and greeted our new friend Mrs. Palmer, who does the cooking, and introduced George and Mitzi. We also brought a gift for the home and Mrs. Palmer. The children started coming in and we greeted them and introduced ourselves. The last time we came they were in school, so this was quite a treat. We visited with them and took some pictures. Mike and George played ball with the boys and Mitzi and I visited with the girls. The girls took Mitzi on a tour. One nine year-old girl, Taquanna, showed me her bedroom and her bed, and then each of the twenty or so pages she had taped on the wall of homes for sale in the different islands. She named each island as she pointed to the page from that island. They asked me to take out my hair tie and then they rearranged my hair to their liking. They were so sweet. Mitzi, Mike, and George also has some nice moments with the kids. Their new clothing cabinets had arrived and looked great. The men at the prison made them for the home. We found out they have a few more needs and hope to help some more in the future. We spent the night there in Road Harbor.
The next day we headed to White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, where we spent the rest of the trip. It was most relaxing. We snorkeled every day and George and Mitzi saw a small spotted eagle ray! We also saw turtles, squid, a lobster, puffer fish, and lots of reef fish. Right behind the boat we saw a group of three baby squid. They were no more than an inch or two long and so cute! They seemed to hang out by the motor of the dinghy. On Sunday we attended Jost van Dyke Methodist Church and enjoyed singing and visiting with the congregation. The church sang "Happy Birthday" to Mitzi! On Monday we celebrated with a delicious brownie cake with vanilla icing and four varieties of Ben and Jerry's ice cream! We had lunch at Foxy's on Tuesday. We spent the rest of the time laying in hammocks, reading, and enjoying the beauty of the Lord's creation.
George and Mitzi departed yesterday. We had a wonderful time with them. This Saturday our four grandchildren will arrive!!
Love always, Val and Mike
Ship's Log 3-7-03 Salt Pond Bay, St. John 18*18.48'N 64*42.21W
After Michael & Teresa Fernandez disembarked, we a little time to ourselves. We left the dock and spent one night in Honeymoon Bay on nearby Water Island and a night in a bay called Haulover Bay on the north side of St. John. We were the only boat in the bay for the evening and we enjoyed laying on the trampoline with a blanket and pillow and stargazing. The night sky was beautiful and bright and we saw a number of shooting stars. The next day we went across to Roadtown, Tortola, and visited an orphanage there. We were able to tour the building and visit with the staff to see what their needs were. We had a nice visit and plan to organize some things for them. We spent that night in Lee Bay on Salt Island and left early in the morning for St. Croix. We had a beautiful 4 1/2 hour sail. Richard Peterson met us at the fuel dock and we visited for a bit before parting to meet later with Sylvia for dinner. Mike and I decided to lunch at a nearby cafe and a gentleman recognized Mike and we had lunch with him, his wife, and their two friends. It turns out his friend was a pastor and he and his wife have a dream of helping the local children to learn computers! They have connected with a group already doing this who have created materials for the program, so we will hook them up with the Trinidad children's home to see if they can be beneficial to the program there! We had a nice dinner out with Richard and Sylvia and attended their church the next morning. Sylvia prepared us a wonderful lunch after church, and we had another great sail back to St. Thomas the next morning.
George and Mitzi Wages came in on the 4th, which was George's birthday, so we took them to The Pointe for dinner. The following afternoon we motored to Christmas Cove, Great St. James for a snorkel and then moved over to the west side of Little St. James for the night. While snorkeling at Christmas Cove we saw a six-foot nurse shark and a beautiful six-inch snail partly out of it's shell. The next morning while snorkeling at Little St. James, we saw two spotted eagle rays and a group of fourteen squid under the boat! I saw a young porcupine pufferfish and went down to coax it to come out for the others to see. I dove down and was able to take a hold of it, and it inflated itself in my hands, turning into a ball of one-inch long protruding needles, as I brought it to the surface! It was awesome! Mike held it for a little bit and then let it go and it deflated as it descended. Yesterday we came here to Salt Pond Bay on the south side of St. John. We have not been here in a dozen years, but it has been such as excellent snorkeling spot that we will certainly come back. We have seen four turtles, two nurse sharks, several stingrays, a barracuda, and a lot of trunk fish. This is our second night here. Tomorrow we will depart for another anchorage.
That's all for now. Love,
the Good News crew.
Ship's Log 2-21-03 St. Thomas
This morning we said goodbye to Michael and Teresa. We had a wonderful trip with them. Last Tuesday we sailed from Salt Island to The Baths, Virgin Gorda. We swam from the boat to Devil's Bay, hiked through the huge boulders and salt water pools, and had a nice lunch at the Top 'O the Baths Restaurant. We then motored over to just north of Lee Bay on Great Camanoe and enjoyed a private anchorage for the evening. Wednesday morning Michael, Mike and I snorkeled all around the bay. There was another endless school of small fish bordering almost the entire bay - millions and millions of fish! We then had a nice downwind sail on the north side of Tortola, ending up at Sandy Cay. Michael and Teresa swam and spent some time ashore on the beach and snorkeling. Teresa saw a Caribbean reef shark! Later that day we noticed other boats looking at something in the water. It was a small pod of dolphins! Mike lowered the dinghy, we grabbed some masks and fins, and went for a look. We had them swimming near the boat a number of times. At one point, Teresa and I got into the water and were able to see them underwater! I saw a group of three or four in front of me and swimming downward, and Teresa had one right beside her and also watched it as it swam downward! It was an awesome thrill! Thank you, Lord! I have always wanted to swim with dolphins in the wild, even if only for a few seconds. We moved the boat over to Little Jost Van Dyke for the evening as it was more protected and calmer. On Wednesday we went around to White Bay for a snorkel. We all saw a small nurse shark, and Mike and Teresa saw a puffer fish. We swam down and touched the nurse shark, but it was not interested in moving. Next we motored across Pillsbury Sound to Christmas Cove, Great St. James Island. We snorkeled there, too, and saw a large barracuda. Michael saw several stingrays and Teresa saw a squid. Finally, we went in to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, for our last night at anchor. We did a little shopping and enjoyed a very nice captain's dinner at The Pointe restaurant. This morning we came in to the slip and said goodbye to our new friends. We pray the Lord will richly bless them, their family, and their church.
All our love, First Mate Val and Captain Mike
Ship's Log 2-17-03 Salt Island, British Virgin
Islands, 18*22.4'N, 64*31.9W
We have had a great time with Michael and Teresa Fernandez from Washington State. Michael is a pastor at Washington Cathedral Mill Creek. They arrived last Thursday evening in St. Thomas. Friday morning we went to Cinnamon Bay on St. John and snorkeled around Cinnamon Cay. Then we motored across the windward passage to Jost Van Dyke. Jost Van Dyke has a population of 200 and is named after a Dutch pirate. Most of the people there are named either Callwood, Chinnery, or Lettsome. It is a special island where we have lots of friends. As we were anchoring in Great Harbor, three dolphin swam and jumped out of the water right by the boat! We have never seen dolphin in the BVI! I think they were a gift to Michael and Teresa. While Mike went in to customs, we went with him and sat down for a drink at Foxy's. I went up to the main bar in front while Michael and Teresa went in to the little store to shop. Foxy was performing for the lunch crowd. As I sat and waited at the unstaffed bar, Foxy started talking to me through the microphone. Something about me waiting there for a long time, since the only bar open was the other one in front by the beach. I was just slightly embarrassed. Then he saw that I had a tennis ball in my hand, so he made up a song about a lady who came to the Caribbean with a tennis ball! It was funny! (Actually, I brought the tennis ball for his dog, Zook, because he likes to chase them around and fetch.) We celebrated Valentine's Day enjoying the terrific buffet dinner at Foxy's that evening, with our flashing red/green wearable lights, of course.
The next morning we slept in and relaxed before moving around to White Bay, our favorite place in the world, where we enjoyed the beach, laying in the hammocks, reading, etc. Michael and I snorkeled and saw three turtles, two stingrays (one was about four feet long!), and one of those gigantic schools of little fish. This time, the school was on the west side of the bay among the shallow coral. Also, there was a lot of surge, so it was a challenging snorkel. As we swam around the edge of the school, suddenly a four foot tarpon would appear right in our faces! Michael put his fin down at one point and a large turtle was right underneath him! It was an awesome snorkel. That evening we anchored at Sandy Cay, the little island with a beautiful sandy beach lined with palm trees. It was a rock and roll anchorage (wavy).
Sunday morning we went back to Great Harbor to attend Jost Van Dyke Methodist Church. It was a great service and we knew several of the songs they sang, though the melodies were a little different. One little girl had a Good News bible we had given her, and the police sergeant did the reading out of one, too! We got a thrill out of that. It was wonderful to worship by the seaside, with a view out to the bay where Good News was anchored. The owners of the Soggy Dollar go there - Debbie played the piano and Bruce sang in the choir. It was a nice service. Following the service, we walked down the beach to Foxy's for lunch. Foxy sat down with us and shared that he has been invited to Massachusetts to perform and host a Foxy's Wooden Boat Regatta. He also shared his vision for the Jost Van Dyke Preservation Society, which would, among other things, preserve the island from development and provide a high school for local children. Pastor Michael offered up a special prayer for Foxy and his vision after our discussion with him. That was nice.
Following lunch we motored over to Norman Island (AKA Treasure Island) and snorkeled the treasure caves. Norman Island is on the south side of Sir Francis Drake Channel, and is the focus of numerous legends of buried pirate treasure. This is the island that Robert Louis Stevenson wrote about. We fed the yellow snapper and sergeant majors and swam in the caves. We saw a lot of glassy sweepers (cave dwelling fish), a couple of hard-to-find spotted drums, trumpet fish, and large schools of blue tang munching on the coral floor. For the evening, we anchored nearby in the Bight. There is a little boat that goes around to the different anchorages and sells things like ice, fruit, fresh bread, and ice cream - the boat is named "Deliverance!" Mike had gone on-line to heavens-above.com and researched when we might see the International Space Station. We searched the north-northwest horizon at the appointed time, but there were too many clouds.
This morning we moored at the Indians, a group of rocks near Norman Island jutting up from the seabed. We snorkeled and saw a barracuda and lots of colorful reef fish. Then we sailed over to Salt Island, where we will stay tonight. Salt Island has three evaporation ponds, and was once an important source of salt for England. They still harvest salt there today. We anchored by a pretty little beach dotted with a few old houses. Michael, Mike and I went snorkeling and saw a stingray, a turtle, and a barracuda. Also, I found a fish trap with nine blue tangs trapped inside. Mike and Michael figured out how to open it and freed the beautiful (and inedible) tangs. We looked for the space station again in the evening and Teresa spotted it! We were only able to see it for about ten seconds as it passed through a break in the cloud cover. That was neat!
Well, that's all for now.
Love, the Good News Crew: Captain Mike, First Mate Val, and crew Michael and Teresa Fernandez
Ship's Log 2-9-03 St. Thomas
We had a nice time during our last few days with Bruce. The guys did two dives at the RMS Rhone, one Tuesday and one Wednesday. On Wednesday the water was so clear that I snorkeled the area and could clearly see the wreckage of twisted iron, several huge pieces of broken hull, and miscellaneous parts strewn over the seabed. Coral has grown over the ship and it makes an excellent habitat for many varieties of fish. The 310 foot-long steam ship Rhone was launched in 1865 by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. She transported mail, passengers, and cargo between England, the West Indies, and South America. An unexpected hurricane appeared and the Rhone's escape was delayed due to a snagged anchor. Cutting the anchor loose, they tried to head out to sea, but were thrown onto the rocks on Salt Island. The boilers exploded and the ship was torn in two. Today, it is still a favorite dive site, with a dozen mooring balls to meet the demand of the dive boats.
Following Wednesday's dive, we motored over to the Baths on Virgin Gorda. We climbed through the rocks, swam in Devil's Bay (terrible name), and ate lunch at the Top O' the Baths restaurant - the one with the swimming pool for diners and the stunning view. Afterward, we motored around the north side of Tortola to Great Harbor, where we met up with our friend Richard Peterson. We had Richard over for dinner and enjoyed his many fascinating sea stories about his sailing experiences.
For Bruce's last day, he and Mike dove Brewer's Bay and Carval Rock, and we enjoyed a nighttime sail to Christmas Cove. In the morning we snorkeled the cove and saw the five resident squid and also a turtle and two spotted eagle rays! What a treat! We then went in to the dock and checked in with customs and immigration before saying goodbye to Bruce.
On Saturday we had the pleasure of meeting up with Mike's brother David, and his wife Barb, along with their two friends Barb and Joe. They were on a cruise and the ship was in St. Thomas for the day. We took them out for a sail and snorkeled Buck Island, where we saw a turtle and a small nurse shark! It was a great day, and so nice to get to see David and Barb. We tried to get them to stay, but they have too much work waiting for them at home.
Today Mike and I have decided to leave the dock here in St. Thomas, go to Tortola to pick up our sport dinghy, and anchor somewhere pleasant for the next few days. I am thrilled, as usually we just work in between guests! But, since the generator, air conditioner, and heads all work, none of the maintenance is urgent. So we will take the next few days to relax and swim.
That's all for now. Lots of love, Val and Mike
Ship's Log
2-4-03 "The Nibble," outside the Bight,
Norman Island, B.V.I.
Bruce, Mike's cousin, arrived safely last Friday around 2pm and we got underway right away. The first night we anchored just off of Little St. James Island. It was a little too rolly for me, but the guys didn't seem to mind. The sunset was beautiful. We had a nice meal of herbed salmon, steamed broccoli, and shiitake mushroom risotto. The next morning Mike and Bruce went for a dive and then we sailed over to Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke. Mike and Bruce went in to clear customs, and later in the evening we enjoyed a delicious dinner buffet at Foxy's, which included ribs, chicken, and mahi-mahi...very nice. Sunday morning we moved over to White Bay where we spent the day. We snorkeled the bay and enjoyed lunch at the Soggy Dollar Bar. There was one of those huge schools of silversides near the boat, and it was mesmerizing to swim through the millions of fish. They were so thick, the view was almost black. Then suddenly a white sandy spot would appear and move toward me. It was a small stingray clearing a path. This poor little guy had no tail...someone must have bitten it off. A minute later another faster moving space came my way. It was a huge, maybe 3 1/2 foot tarpon, deciding which morsel of the cloud of fish he would sample next. Then, a large stingray and another tarpon. It was so much fun just swimming around in this school. We left White Bay around sunset and anchored nearby at Sandy Cay for the evening. Our view from the south side of Sandy Cay is a white beach the length of the little island, lined with palm trees...like a dream. Dinner...filet mignon with sautéed mushrooms. Monday morning we motored over to the Indians where Mike and Bruce did two dives while I snorkeled the area. They saw a three foot puffer fish and were able to coax a small eel out of his hiding place! We then went across to Norman Island for the night. It is now Tuesday morning, and it looks like the guys have up-anchored and decided to sail east on the south side of the islands (open sea side) as we are pounding through the waves and taking water over the bow! I think I'll stop writing now so I don't get to feeling uncomfortable!
Lots of love, Val
Ship's Log 1/26/03 St. Thomas
The Hammers and Tanners disembarked yesterday. We had a really nice time with them. Mark and Rudi helped out a lot with the boat maintenance. Becky and Sally created some excellent meals for the crew. We played a lot of Wizard, did some scuba diving, and discovered the Spanish Virgins.
Last week we spent two nights on the west side of Culebrita. The snorkeling was incredible...a school of purple-colored blue tang, hundreds of baby snapper, a dozen or more sergeant majors the size of a thumb nail, a large, shy puffer fish, a few stingrays so distracted by their meal that they let us float right above them in seven feet of water. Later in the day Mike, Mark and Rudi found a nice-sized lobster. After several attempts by each of the guys, Mike finally reached in with his hands (sans gloves) and grabbed him. They were able to bag him and brought him to the surface to the applause of their audience (the three of us girls). We enjoyed a delicious surf and turf dinner with filet mignon and fresh lobster.
We sailed to Jost Van Dyke the following afternoon, after Mike and Rudi spent five hours working on the generator in the morning. White Bay was still as inviting as it's always been, and we swam ashore for some relax time. The next day was lunch at Foxy's while Foxy entertained us with his music, songs, and stories. We then sailed over to Caneel Bay on Tortola. The usual north swell was all but absent, and the wind was out of the south, which gave us a pleasant night's sleep. The following morning we took advantage of the calm seas and went for a dive near Brewer's Bay on the north side of Tortola. We saw a puffer fish, several gray angel fish, and a seven-foot shark! Mike hovered about two feet above it until it finally swished around and swam out, passing very close by several of us. It was a great find! We spent the afternoon back at White Bay before heading back to the dock here in St. Thomas. The trip was capped off by dinner at The Point restaurant, during which the power went off twice and the restaurant's generator also quit! We dined by candlelight just a few feet from the water's edge.
Today Mike and I are resting. Tomorrow we will begin with maintenance, cleaning, and re-provisioning. Mike's cousin Bruce will be joining us on Friday.
Love, Val and Mike
Ship's Log 1/14/03 Yacht Haven Marina, St. Thomas
Throughout our last night at sea we had numerous squalls. The winds ran up to 25 knots, and boat speed hit 12.1 knots as a high. We ran 8-10 knots for hours. It was fun.
We arrived safely in St. Thomas around 3pm yesterday. After fueling up, docking, checking in and showering, we went to dinner at the Point (used to be Charthouse). It was extraordinary!
Today we are working on replacing the starboard batteries, trying to get the new computer to run Chartview, laundry, cleaning, provisioning, etc.
It's nice to be here. Thank you very much for your prayers for our safe passage.
Love, the GN Crew
Ship's Log 1/12/03 Position 16*33.8N, 64*58.3W
Some Good News for today....Rudi caught a 6'6" fish! We are undecided on what kind, but it was delicious at dinner in a soy sauce/sherry/garlic marinade! Mike thinks it was a long-billed spear fish. Rudi thinks it was a swordfish.
Other news of the day: The guys re-rigged the main furling line, so we are sailing again! We also did some work on the generator and air conditioning. The generator and a/c work intermittently when the generator is not overheating. Mike, Mark and Rudi enjoyed the football game tonight.
Right now I am on the watch at 11:00pm. The winds are up to 20 knots at times and the boat speed has gone over 10. We had some clouds nearby and that's where the wind came from. There was a squall up ahead and I prayed that it would move off and it did! Thank you, Lord! I don't want to wake the captain as he needs his sleep. We do have a reef in the main already, so we probably would've been okay, but I didn't want the stress.
That's all for now. Love, the GN Crew
Ship's Log 1/11/03 En route to St. Thomas, Position is 14*11.3'N, 64*45.6'W
We have had an interesting day. This morning the generator stopped working, accompanied by the air conditioner, of course. A few hours later, Mike got the generator running, but the a/c would not come on. After working on the saltwater intake, it began running again. A couple of hours later, the generator stopped again. Mike once again got it running, but the a/c has not come on since. Also, Mike says there is a lot of salt water coming out of the generator. Don't know how long we'll have that. At about 8pm, the main sail outhaul snapped at the clue of the sail, leaving the main flapping like a flag off the port side. Lucking, we were able to stow the sail by turning up into the wind and using the furling line. So, now we are motoring.
Other than these things, all is well. No fish yet. Everyone is feeling well and we are doing fine. The guys watched the football game tonight, so that was nice.
We hope to arrive in St. Thomas by Monday morning.
Love, the Good News crew
Ship's Log January 10, 2003, position 11*46.8'N, 64*51.3'W, 2300 hours
We left this morning at 0900. After about an hour underway, Mark spotted dolphins! There were a number of large and small schools that were feeding in the area and groups would come by and swim between the bows over about an hour's period of time. It was delightful, especially watching a group of them race toward the boat, jumping out of the water! We saw both spinner and bottlenose dolphins.
The rest of the day was uneventful. We set sail at 1700 and turned the engines off. The winds have been 16-20 knots since then, coming from due east, about 60 degrees apparent off the starboard bow...beautiful! At first the were going aver 8 knots with full sail, but it was a lot of motion as the waves were over 6 feet off the starboard bow, so Captain Mike took a reef on the main and the job and slowed us down to a comfortable 7 knots. Due to the bumpiness, we didn't want to eat a lot, so I just snacked a little and Mike and Mark had a salad. At this moment it is much more comfortable and we are moving at 6 knots. It is 11pm. Mark and Rudi took the 12 to 6 shifts, and Mike and I have the 6 to 12 shifts. So each of us will do the same three hour shifts twice a day, but with some flexibility between the two people if needed.
All is well aboard Good News.
Love, the Good News Crew
Ship's Log 1/10/03 Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela.
We received our immigration papers back this afternoon, so we will head out tomorrow morning on the three-day voyage to the Virgin Islands. Boat and crew are ready to go! We are looking forward to the trip. The seas will be 6-10 feet, with 15-30 knot winds from the East, which is perfect for us. We will update you as we go. I was just now writing to friends who are praying for us and I turned around and asked Mike if he had any prayer requests. He says just for a safe journey.
Mark has a prayer request that nobody gets cranky. Rudi wants swells out of the southeast, as he is in the forward cabin, which will be quite bouncy under current conditions. SE swells are VERY unlikely.
Love, the Good News crew