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Good News Ship's Log November 29,2003 @ 14:00
I arrived into Colon, Panama at 11:30 this morning and am anchored in the "flats". It was a 25 hour sail filled with wind , waves and heavy rain. All in all, it was a nice trip. When approaching the breakwater here, I had 11 ships on a three mile radar screen and four of them were moving! I had to change course and speed twice to get to the entrance! The bad news is I can not start either dinghy. Both were worked on in Cartagena, Columbia. I am hoping that it is bad fuel. If you ever make it this far South with your boat, DO NOT DO ANY MAINTENANCE IN CARTAGENA!
I am very tired and will sleep this afternoon. Thank you all for your love and prayers as I have felt comforted many times recently. I apologize for not responding to your emails as I have tried to get away from the computer.
Your Friend, Forever, Captain Mike
Good News' Ship's Log for Nov. 27th, 2003 @ 0600 - Thanksgiving Day 009*34.94 N. and 078*52.81 W. at anchor off Chichime Island, San Blas, Panama.
I am spending my last day in San Blas before a 20 hour sail to Colon, Panama and then on to Dallas Wednesday December 3rd. I went diving alone three times yesterday. The visibility was only 20-30 feet and the corals were not as pretty as earlier in the week farther East in the San Blas. I have been invited to a Thanksgiving Day dinner at the "swimming pool" in the Holandes Cays, but expect that Raul on Mendrugo will join me this afternoon from the Island of Porvenir. It will be a non traditional "tropical" Thanksgiving meal of Salomon and fresh bread with raw coconut for desert. There are about 20 locals living here. They all want to sell you something and paddle out to the boat in dug-out canoes. They sell "Moles" which are small hand stitched pieces of cloth that look like hand quilting, octopus, fish, crab, lobster, and coconuts. Some ask if you want anything else ie: marijuana or cocaine. I have found the perfect solution to their approach, I have no cash remaining! "No Demerol!" They then ask for bread, sweets or milk. I am almost completely out of everything including Bibles and the Jesus film so other than a cigarette or two, they get very little from me. The locals are not quite as "pretty" as the people from Venezuela and Columbia. It may be the piercing in their noses and lips. Funny how people do things to make themselves unique or beautiful.
I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving Day and a wonderful time with family and friends. I have had the last two weeks to think about the future and always end up counting my blessings and thanking God for my trust in Him and His plan for my life.
My family of four grandchildren and two children are more of a blessing than can be explained in words. I also thank God for all of you, my friends, daily.
Your Captain, Mike
Good News' Ship's Log Thursday November 13, 2003 @ 13:00 hours
009* 33' N. and 078* 56.9' W Good News put her anchor down at 11:30 at the island of Porvenir in the San Blas, Panama. Went ashore and had a coke with a shawman (sic) from the island of Sobodo. I am invited in twelve days for a special drink that takes 10 days to make. I will partake with the men on Sobodo a week from Tuesday on November 25th. Very tired and will take a three or four hour nap. Love and prayers (and sweet dreams), Captain Mike S/V Good News
P.S. I just bought three lobsters for $7.00 USD.
Good News Ship's Log November 12,
2003 @ 0700 hours
10* 07' N and 076* 43' W course of 270. There is a light rain and the sky is overcast, 1-2 foot seas and winds of 10 knots SSW; Speed over water 4.2 knots and speed over ground is 5.3 knots. That is a 1.1 knot current in my favor! I am taking it easy so as to arrive early tomorrow morning. I left Cartagena, Columbia at 15:00 hours after receiving my departure paperwork, four hours after I intended to leave. Over a dozen people came to say "good-by" and most vowed to continue to pray for me. Julie, Tom and Julie on the sailing vessel Kiwi, gave me two flowers! I am overwhelmed by the need in Colombia, but feel comfortable that I left Colombia a place better off than when I arrived. I will write more about Columbia later. It was a very tough night. Being alone on the open ocean is not easily described and impossible for others to appreciate with out doing it yourself. Rain and storms take away radar and many ships seem to be dead ahead coming towards me or behind and overtaking! I awoke once to find Good News traveling in circles and a "Whale Tail" cruise ship just 4 miles away. I must not let myself get that tired! I am still having engine problems and will need to have them looked at in Panama City or Colon. When I arrived in Cartagena, I had one fuel injector leaking or "spitting" as the mechanic would say. When I left Cartagena, I had three leaking! So much for good help on Yanmar engines from the company called Todomar. They also took the wooden slats from under the bimini to replace them with aluminum, but neither the old or the new arrived at the boat before I had to depart. I am headed for San Blas, Panama and then on to Colon, Panama where Good News will wait while I spend Christmas in the States. Two other boats, Naylamp and Mendrugo will join me in San Blas in a few days. I have been told to "stop and come home" and I need an emotional rest and look forward to clear water, swimming and diving, and crabs and lobster sold by the locals for between two and four dollars per pound! I am anticipating having "conversation-spleef" i.e.: a type of "sharing" with the locals in San Blas that happens when neither speaks the others language, but you still learn about him and his life.
Captain Mike
Good News Ship's Log - Cartagena, Colombia; Friday, October 24, 2003
I am docked at Club de Peska Marina in the heart of Cartagena. The facilities are minimal, but adequate. The walled city spreads out before me and is quite beautiful. I have found a small village just 10 miles North of here that has approximately 15,000 people in it. It is called Broquilla. They are very poor and most do not have floors in their homes. There are community bathrooms each block or so and many people use the ocean much like in India. With no sewers and only partial electricity, it can take on a very bad odor. The government cuts the electricity periodically (on what we would call rolling black-outs) to spread the power around. Even here in the marina, they cut off the water each day at noon.
The people in Columbia are friendly and try to be accommodating. With my very limited Spanish, I find it hard to communicate without using my hands and visual aids. It took me two days to get my cell phone reprogrammed. I stood in line for hours. Now I can call the USA for about 80 cents per minute and can be reached at 011-57-310-684-6866. Be careful to ask your long distance provider how much it costs before calling and asking me to bring you home some South American treasure like Columbian emeralds. The food is fantastic and I enjoy stopping in small restaurants and street side vendors and taste their delicacies. I have found a dish I particularly like called "pantaloons". It is small flattened and fried green bananas topped with ham, cheese, honey and other stuff I can not figure out as yet. A "pantaloon con total" with everything cost around 3400 pesos or $1.20 and can easily do for a small meal.
I have shown the Jesus film two consecutive nights in an open but covered restaurant on the beach in Broquilla. It was a blackout night so we had to come up with a generator for electricity. The first night I took 300 packages of Oreo cookies and ran out before everyone got theirs. I am assuming that several of the pushier boys got two while the weakest got none. There were approximately 300 people the first night. I pledged not to run out the second night and took 700 packages of cookies. I was told that there was nearly 300 children and 150 adults in attendance the second night, and we ran out of cookies again! I am disheartened to see how needy and how selfish these people are. I assume that it comes from their poverty and lack of education. I said 150 adults, but what I really meant was men and women with children. There are 13 and 14 year old girls carrying their babies. I am told that almost all the girls have children by 15 or 16. It is terribly sad witnessing this situation and I am not certain that I can deal with it emotionally.
Good News is well. Both main engines are out of commission while the fuel injectors are being cleaned. I am having a new pad made to replace the one the ocean claimed on my trip here. I also have the Furuno radar people scheduled for Saturday to fix the headlining indicator and install two or three RF filters in the SSB and VHF radios and in port auto pilot. Work here is very slow but reasonably price. The boys that work on the boats receive $15.00 per day (I am paying $25.00) and will work very hard in a smoldering sun and high humidity. It is the rainy season now.
This evening, I am invited to a cruisers party here in the marina and tomorrow I will visit a casino to try my luck. The last two nights in Aruba, I went to a casino and paid for my entire stay with the winnings. I am expecting to do the same here! I have met some very nice (and some not so nice) cruisers here in Columbia. A couple and their son arrive on a 65 foot Hatteras that is docked next to me. The wife is a strong Christian lady and was thrilled when her son Phillip received a Jesus film from me. They invited me to their home in Bogotá. I may fly there for a day or two. They also became interested in the Pro-Boquilla Foundation that I am working with in Broquilla. Good News Ministries is now the "angel" of Broquilla and we are feeding 114 children and 26 pregnant women each day. It is costing about $60 per day. For you who do not know, Good News Records financed a former Domino's Pizza Franchisee named Chris Galloway and produce a new Christian CD called "Out In The Distance". Please go to http://www.ChrisGalloway.com and order several CDs. I guarantee that you will enjoy his music and profits from the CD will flow into Good News Missions! You will be doing a lot of good by buying one of our CDs.
My plans are very sketchy at this point. Most of you know by now that Valerie has decided to leave me and move to Seattle, Washington. I remain heartbroken but am dealing with it as well as can be expected. I will return to Arlington to take care of business soon, but probably will not stay for Christmas, I don't feel much like celebrating these days. As it stands now, I am going through the Panama canal the last week in January 2004 and off to the South Pacific. I met the owner of a fishing village/resort who is from Costa Rico and he wants me to stop there for a month or two and enjoy his country. I have also been invited to Santiago, Chile so I may delay my trip to the Marquise Islands for a few months and see more of Central and South America.
I miss seeing and being with you all and would love to receive an email or phone call. Please be in prayer for Valerie and me. God knows we need them now more than ever, Love and prayers, captain Mike
Good News' Ships Log Sunday October 18. 2003
Cartagena, Columbia
I just said "Adios" to 15 friends here aboard Good News. The port Captain had asked if they could come to see God's Good News. I was thrilled when they accepted my invitation to make them lunch aboard. The children ate hot dogs, rice and salad while the grown-up all had filets grilled perfectly by me, the captain and baked potatoes. Everyone enjoyed their hillado (ice cream) with chocolate syrup for desert.
Tomorrow, I will meet with the Catholic Priest in Boquilla, Columbia (the only church there) to receive their blessing and get their co-operation to show the Jesus film in Boquilla. Please pray that the Lord blesses all those that see the film.
Captain Mike
Good News' Ship's Log at Anchor in Cartegena, Columbia October 12, 2003, 11:45 AM ....10* 24' N & 075* 24' W
I thankfully got some favorable winds and sailed into Cartegena, Columbia at 0750 hours this morning. After looking around for the best marina, I decided to fuel up and set the anchor for today. Tomorrow, I will research the six marinas that I have seen. Non of them look very secure and all are stern to berthing. A ship's agent (someone that does customs and immigration for you at a price) came aboard and took my papers and passport. I hope to get them back tomorrow morning. The people here seem super friendly! David filled my fuel tanks and was tipped $3.00. He was very grateful. I guess the wages here are $10 to $15 a day! The city is very attractive from a distance. I will fill you in on this part of Columbia in a few days when I have had a chance to move around. The security overall looks good. There is the US Coast Guard Vessel #902 anchored not more that 300 yards from me and what looks like the entire Columbian Navy is just across the channel.
I had a terrific sail, but I am very tired. The last 24 hours were all waking due to other boat traffic and isolated thunder storms which mess up the radar. Had to eventually watch the whole time! No fish and not enough fuel aboard Good News. Hope to rectify these problems soon.
As always, your Captain Mike
Ship's Log 10/11/03 @ 1800 hours, 11* 29' N 075* 15' W, Leg four 55.3 miles on course 233, SOG 6.7 knots, wind 6 knots @ NNE, 2-3 ft. waves
Fuel is low, 123 liters. Wind is light and directly behind me which is not good for sailing. Final turn towards Cartejena around 2:30 AM. Then five hours into port. All is well. Chris Galloway's music CD called Out In The Distance is the most highly played music in the entire Caribbean. I love it and am proud to have been "aboard" helping him create it.
Love and prayers to you all,
Captain Mike S/V Good News
Ship's Log 10/10/03 @ 1900 Hours
12* 37' N Latitude & 072* 43' W Longitude Course 255* @ 6.9 knots - Radar is clear except one cruse ship heading North-East behind me.
Under the circumstances, I am writing two ship's log each day. On a personal note, I talked with Valerie today. I wanted to talk to her so much and tell her that I loved her, but we quickly began arguing over waste baskets. When we hung up, my heart actually hurt as it does now. I am sure it is from its brokenness and nothing medically more.
Good News is well, still making about 7.0 knots over water with the equatorial current's help. I tried to switch to the starboard engine, but it belched black smoke and would not develop over 2800 RPM under load. I presume that it will need rings or even pistons when I reach Cartejena. I am full of water and have sufficient fuel. Beef tips and broccoli for dinner cooked in a cooking bag. The sunset was beautiful. A red sky from horizon to horizon. The saying "red sky at night, sailors delight" is true in this hemisphere, but I fear that there are storm clouds on the horizon. I hope to get more rest tonight than last night. No fish in the ocean as far as my hooks are concerned.
Keep me in your prayers as I feel very sad and alone. Captain Mike, the Good News crew.
Ship's log 10/10/03 @ 0630
13* 00' N & 71* 17' W I have been awake for over 24 hours and am very tired. No sleep except 10 minute naps due to thunderstorms interfering with radar and radar protection rings. At 0450 this morning I passed with a 1/4 mile of a tanker during a downpour. Way to close to be comfortable. I will sleep for 40 minute intervals as soon as the radar clears enough to set a radar ring, until then max 20 minutes in these crowded waters.
Ship's Log 10/09/03 @ 22:00 hours. Location 12* 33' N and 070* 11' W
I left Aruba sailing alone after a seven day stay. Prior to our arrival in Aruba, Charlotte Yaw along with Robert and Elsa McLoughlin traveled from Bonaire on September 24th to Spanish Waters, Curacao and on to Aruba on October 2nd. Charlotte, Robert and Elsa left by airline to Arizona on September 8th. We had a wonderful time together playing games and reminiscing. The McLoughlins have been a blessing to my mother and I can not thank them enough. They were all great crew. Their was a little discomfort due to slight cases of sea sickness in the weaker sex. All had a great time and I am hopeful that they will join me again. I report that Robert is a fantastic grill chef (with the exception of tuna). Robert is the only person that I know that grills steaks as well as or even better than I can. I enjoyed watching him work his magic on the grill and enjoyed eating even more! The women created outstanding dinners and breakfasts. I probably gained two pounds! After they left, I spent two days on cleaning and maintenance. I was also given the privilege to visit a children's home and orphanage that had 32 children from the ages of 4 months to 10 or 12 years old. I finally got to hold Nicholas over my head. They were not familiar with a big white man so it took some time. After Nicolas laughed and smiled, all the children raced over to be next! I lifted children until I saw the same ones back in line for a second or third sky-ride. I also calmed a small baby that had a cold. What a joy it was to have her fall asleep on my shoulder.
I am heart-broken to tell you that Valerie is not going to join me at this time. She has moved to Seattle, Washington. Please be in prayer for Valerie and me as I seek God's will for my life and she seeks her way. Pray for our relationship and our love for each other to overcome the enemy.
I love you all, forever,
Captain Mike
Captain of the S/V Good News
Ship's Log 8/28/03
Bonaire
We left Cayo Frances in Los Roques and sailed several hours to Los Mosquitos, also part of Los Roques. Joe and I went snorkeling and saw hundreds of conch and a pretty cool little eel. We all decided that we wanted to get going so we left Los Mosquitos around 4:30pm to sail through the night to Bonaire. We arrived here in Bonaire at 0900 on the 26th. Bonaire is a scuba diver's paradise...lots of great diving just off the shore. It is otherwise very desert-like, with lots of cactus, scrub, donkeys and lizards. There are a number of good restaurants and we have enjoyed several already. Joe will return home tomorrow. I am going to Seattle to throw a 50th birthday party for my friend Janell while Mike's partner Phil visits the boat. We will then have Mike's mom and his aunt and uncle visit. They board here in Bonaire and we will sail to Curacao and Aruba, where they will depart.
Ship's Log 8/23/03 Cayo Frances, Los Roques, Venezuela
We are peacefully anchored off of Cayo Frances, part of a tight grouping of three islands. The island has beautiful white sand beaches surrounded by turquoise waters, shallow enough in some spots to walk out about 100 feet and still be in only 1 foot of water. There is a good breeze, and the waters are flat.
We motored in yesterday evening around 5pm (later than our intended arrival due to the delay in receiving our exit paperwork in Puerto La Cruz), checked in at Gran Roque, and spent the night there. We gave Bibles and videos to the three guardacosta men who checked us in. This morning, after we had up-anchored and were leaving the anchorage, a guardacosta boat came up alongside motioning to us. It turns out that they wanted more Bibles! So we put two Bibles and a film in a Ziploc and passed it over to them. What a great feeling that was! We continued on to Cayo Frances, where we spent the day swimming, resting, and going around in the dinghy. Joe really enjoys taking the dinghy out on his own and checking out the nearby islands (and the girls). He doesn't have his driver's license yet, so I think he is really enjoying the freedom of driving the dinghy whenever and wherever he wants. He is a good boy.
Guess that's all for now.
PS When we filled up with diesel in Puerto La Cruz, we took on 100 gallons for $10. He gave us the fishing boat rate. The usual rate is 20 cents a gallon. Incredible!
Ship's Log 8/21/03 Between Puerto La Cruz and Tortuga
We finally got out of Puerto La Cruz at about 17:15. It takes eight hours for them to clear a vessel out with customs, immigration, and probably the police, the coast guard, and whatever other officials want to be in on it. An agent takes your paperwork, boat papers, and passports and runs it around to the different authorities. I understand that this is an improvement over how it used to be.
It is now 21:12 and I just took the watch from Joseph. This was his first watch and he did a fine job. We are taking two-hour shifts so he will be back up at 0100. Seas are about two feet, wind is from the SSE at 13 knots, our speed motoring is about seven knots, and we expect to arrive in Gran Roque at 0730 tomorrow morning. All is well an quiet.
GN Crew
Ship's Log 8-21-03 Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
Mike has spent the last two days working on the dryer. It is now complete and by this evening when the adhesive is dry we should be able to use it. It has been ridiculously difficult but Captain Mike got it done! Joseph came in on the 19th at 6:30pm. At sixteen, this was his first unaccompanied flight and his first international flight, and he had to purchase his last ticket in Caracas by himself! His mother was praying a lot (and so were we). Uncle Mike checked Joe out on the dinghy, and he is able to use it by himself. He enjoyed driving around through the canals. . We went by dinghy to a nearby grocery store and mall, which also has a McDonalds and a Wendy's. Joe enjoyed playing some video games while I went to the store. Last night Joe wanted a pizza, so we ordered him a medium pepperoni from Domino's. We had it delivered to the pool and the guy brought a large and a medium pepperoni and the price was a little less than $10. Since he brought two there was plenty for us all to enjoy and it was incredibly good.
Today Mike is working on the little dinghy, which needs a new propeller. We will swim a little, provision a little, and depart by around 4pm for Los Roques. We will sail through the night and arrive around 9am. Los Roques is said to have stiff breezes, flat seas, and ever-changing watercolors. We'll let you know.
Love, the GN crew, Val, Mike, and Joe
Ship's Log 8/16/03 250 miles north of Venezuela
Currently, we are about even with the northern tip of St. Lucia, though about 250 miles to the west. The seas are 6-9 feet and we are taking water over the bow, the main saloon roof, and even sometimes in the cockpit! It's pretty bouncy out here, but all is well.
We left St. Croix yesterday morning at 0630. The seas were 2-3 feet, wind was 15 knots ESE, and we started out with a beautiful, flat sail. Then this afternoon the wind picked up to the mid-20's and the waves up to between 6 and 9 feet. We took a reef in the main and jib. With our speed of about 8 knots, our current ETA to Venezuela is 8/17 at 1200, in plenty of time to receive my nephew, Joseph, who is flying in from Seattle through Caracas for a stay on board.
Our time in St. Croix was excellent. As we approached Christiansted, we saw Richard, Sylvia, and Richard's grandson Morgan heading toward us un their trimaran Shaka. That was a nice surprise! We enjoyed dinner that evening with the Peterson's and Pastor John and Linda Rains, who are founding a mission called Hope House. The next morning Mike went to help serve breakfast to those down on their luck at The Lighthouse ministry before attending a men's bible study with Richard. That evening we dined with the Petersons and then attended a Wednesday night service at the Rains' home. Mike did The Lighthouse again the next day. Richard and Sylvia serve there four days a week. Though we expected to leave on Wednesday, we were forced to stay until Thursday evening as we were waiting for a new water maker circuit board to arrive FedEx. This was a part we ordered two weeks ago from France and it was just now getting here "over night." We needed to leave St. Croix as we had to get to Venezuela to receive my nephew by the 19th! When it did not arrive by early evening on the 14th, we hopped in the dinghy, grabbed a taxi, and went out to the FedEx office. They were closed, but not gone yet for the evening. Mike got in past the security guard and the woman who works there retrieved his much needed package. The odds of receiving shipped items to or from foreign countries in a timely manner are slim to none, especially trying to get parts from certain countries. We had quite a struggle with the boat in St. Croix. The new washer/dryer vent hose became full of water, preventing drying. The vent was mounted too low and so began accumulating condensation, which quickly filled up the vent. Mike and I struggled in an attempt to redo the venting system. Lots of squeezing into small spaces, drilling, buying parts, emptying closets, and just plain suffering. We did not get it done before we had to depart, so we will continue in Venezuela. Also, the starboard generator went down. Apparently, the guys who recently repaired it didn't tighten some things. However, Mike is a great captain, and he was able to figure out what was wrong and correct it. The Good News is that Mike went below, turned one switch and started up our new port generator! Everything worked as planned. Mike let the starboard generator cool down overnight and awoke the next morning to see what was wrong. I enjoyed air conditioning and the television the whole time! Well, I'm going to go now, I am not a born sailor and need to get horizontal for a while!
Love, Val and Captain Mike
Ship's Log 8/18/03 Puerto La Cruz,
Venezuela 10*11'N
64*40'W
We arrived safely at 0930 into Puerto La Cruz. We motored slowly through the canals lined with beautiful homes and condos to check out the different marinas. We ended up docking stern-to at a new marina with a gorgeous condominium building called Isla Paraiso. They have all of the facilities that we need plus a large pool with fountains and greenery.
Starting about 3pm yesterday the seas went down to 2 feet! But the wind also fell and we had to motor the rest of the way. We had a group of twenty or so dolphin swimming at the bows for about 10 minutes - that was great! Also, Mike hooked a mahi-mahi and had it almost to the stern steps before it jumped straight out of the water, hit the side of the boat, and took off. No fresh fish for lunch today.
My nephew Joseph will arrive tomorrow. We plan to visit Angel Falls here on the mainland, then sail to an island group called Los Roques, then on to Bonaire where Joe will fly home from. It should be a great trip.
All is well. We just moved the boat from a side-to berth to a stern-to European system. It is not an easy thing to do. Hopefully this afternoon, after we get powered up properly and check-in, we can enjoy the swimming pool. It is 90 degrees here today.
Love, Val and Mike
8/12/03 Passage between St. Thomas and St. Croix
Mike anchored up and got us underway at 2am! I came up and relieved him at 7:30am. St, Croix is in sight, about six miles away. It has been an easy, slow sail down here. Tonight we will dine with Richard and Sylvia Peterson, and John and Linda Raines who have an organization that ministers to children called Hope House V.I. We also expect to have our SSB radio repaired today sometime, and I may take a look at the real estate here. We will also take on diesel at the cheapest prices in the Caribbean, $1/gallon, as they have an oil refinery here. Last night we anchored alone in a beautiful anchorage in Soldier Bay, Norman Island, and enjoyed a late-afternoon snorkel before retiring.
8/10/03 Watermelon Cay, St. John
We left St. Thomas today to enjoy some snorkeling on St. John before going in to West End, Tortolla to wrap up a couple of things before we head south. The snorkeling was fantastic. When we first jumped in the water, we were surprised to see a ten-inch jelly fish at the stern of the boat. Upon closer inspection, we discovered that it had tentacles about four feet long. Stay away from that one! Then we noticed another nearby, and then another, and another. Suddenly, this did not feel like my ocean anymore, and I grabbed Mike's hand for the first part of the snorkel. The fear was a weird feeling for me, as I have grown so accustomed to these waters that nothing scares me anymore. I guess it's because I haven't been in the water since leaving for home last April. After we passed the jellys everything returned to normal and I remembered how comfortable I had become in this ocean. We watched and swam through an enormous bait ball of little tiny fish. There were a dozen or more large tarpon milling around, taking advantage of the easy meal. Later we saw a two-foot spotted eagle ray. Then a three-foot southern stingray, which allowed up to get within a couple of feet while it dug a six-inch hole to retrieve some kind of morsel. Of course, we also saw lots of colorful reef fish. Afterward, we showered at the steps and enjoyed a nice twilight.
8/9/03 East Gregory Channel, St.
Thomas
We stayed in West End until the 3rd, while Shane and crew furiously finished the last details of our repairs. They have Carnival next week and no one will work all week. We got off the dock Saturday afternoon and picked up a mooring ball. Sunday we departed for St. Thomas where we can pick up mail, parts, groceries, and use our cell phones on the Cingular system. In the BVI Boat Phone intercepts all calls and robs you at a rate of $4/minute. Even our satelite phone is only $2/minute! While at anchor, we finished up repairs on the heads, port generator, and washer/dryer. Everything looks close to great!
Ship's Log 8/2/03 West End, Tortola,
BVI
We are finally both back on board and the best news to me is that we are the new proud owners of a beautiful, full-sized, stainless steel, side-by-side refrigerator/freezer, with in-the-door ice dispenser, of course! The fridge made ice last night! We are so proud of it! :-) Really, it is awesome and one of the only comforts from home that we did not have. I am also thrilled that Mike had installed (as a surprise) hot and cold showers at the stern steps of each hull, to replace the previous showers which did not have temperature controls. Now after a swim we can shower off outside in luxurious warmth! We also have a new washer/dryer unit that comes with instructions in English! The operation is simpler, the capacity is larger, and the efficiency will be greatly improved as it is vented, rather than using a condensing drying system. Those of you who have stayed on board in the port aft cabin will be pleased to know that we have installed a separate LecraSans waste processing system for that head. Now each head has its own processing system, and should work beautifully. Mike is most excited about the installation of a second (back-up) 12.5 kw generator in the port engine room. It is almost exactly the same as our generator in the starboard engine room. Now, if (or more realistically, when) one generator goes out, Mike can simply flip a couple of switches and use the other one. The downed generator can then be repaired at the next opportune time, instead of in 10-foot seas against, at night, in the heat, while underway on a passage. In addition, the fortune in spare parts we have on board as well as Mike's know how can be shared between the two machines. We also had some work done on the power system, which I can't (and don't want to) grasp, so I'll just say it had something to do with the inverter and the batteries.
Now the negative side of all of this is that we still need to replace a solenoid in the port forward head, a circuit board in the starboard head, move the loud fan which helps cool the fridge compressor from underneath our bed, remove the water from the starboard engine room (the generator leaked and was subsequently welded), continue to work on the inverter, organize, label and store a myriad of parts, filters, and stuff, and clean EVERYTHING more than once. If you haven't visited us yet, don't let this scare you away. The boat is beautiful, comfortable, roomy, stable, and has all the comforts of home and anything else we could add to make your stay an incredible one.
We plan to depart Tortola by this Saturday, August 9th. We will stop in St. Thomas to pick up mail and supplies, then St. Croix to have dinner with friends. After that, we will head for Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. Our friend from Jost Van Dyke, K.C., will join us. He enjoys making passages like these and he will be a big help on night watches. With three of us, we can each sleep 6 hours in-between our watches. Last time he was with us, I made all of my best recipes and fresh bread every day, and he thought I was the best cook, so I will have to do the same this time in order to keep up the good image! In Venezuela we hope to have a couple of extra diesel tanks made and installed just forward of the mast on the deck. The project will take a couple of weeks. The added fuel capacity will provide enough fuel to keep our A/C running for most of the first Pacific leg, from the Panama Canal to the Marquises Islands, which will take approximately four weeks. (We will not make that trip until perhaps the first quarter of 2004.)
Well, I think this first ship's log is long enough. Know that we love you and think of you often.
Love, Val and Captain Mike