Ship's Log 11/14/01We enjoyed dinner on board tonight with our friends from Mustard Seed, Derek and Jean Berry from South Africa, and John from a boat named Bear. Derek and Jean charter Mustard Seed and are wonderful people.
The boat is now closed up and ready for our departure home tomorrow. We'll return to the boat after Christmas. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!
Ship's Log 11/11/01 Charlotte Amalie, St. ThomasWell it was a looooong trip but we made it! We are safely docked at Safe Haven marina in St. Thomas, and happy to be in the land of turquoise waters and white sand beaches again.
Just a little east of Puerto Rico Mike was hailed by a Canadian warplane and by a Canadian Warship! They were conducting maneuvers and wanted to get some information from Mike. They asked what length the boat was, if we had radar and what type, what was our speed, course, last and next port, height of mast, etc. So glad that the Canadians are with us! While I was on watch early this morning as we were nearing St. Thomas, the cruise ships started closing in on us. It was still dark and they were headed for the same location that we were. It's kind of eerie having all of these huge, well lit ships, all closing for the same port in the dark!
It's great to be here. Nothing beats the Virgin Islands.
Good News Crew, Captain Mike and 1st Mate Val
Ship's Log 11/10/01 17 miles North of Puerto Rico, 18*47'48N,66*59'WAfter resting up on the 7th, we had lunch ashore and looked around. On the 8th, we rode horse and mule to some beautiful waterfalls in Samana, DR. Yesterday we departed for the Virgin Islands. We have passed through the Mona Passage without too much difficulty, except that the generator acted up. It needed a new v-belt. It is running again! We are heading directly into seas of about 5-7 feet, and against the wind of about 15 knots. Not too bad, but not too great either. It has been a tiring trip and I am ready for some time hanging out at anchor in the BVI. This moving the boat thing can take it out of you. We expect to arrive at daylight tomorrow.
That's it for now.
Love Val and Mike
Ship's Log 11/07/01 Santa Barbara de Samana, Dominican Republic, 19*12'N,69*20'W
We departed Luperon yesterday at 8am and arrived at Samana today at 8 am. This leg sailing east on the north side of the DR is known to be very difficult, due to prevailing easterly winds and swell against us. The cruising guide suggests taking three days to make the trip or indicates that "slicker-clad yachties" arrive beaten and tired after making a one-day run of it offshore. Since hurricanes travel in a counter-clockwise pattern, the influence of Michelle forced the swells to come from the south and the wind from the W. The southern swells did not reach us as we were on the north side, and the westerly winds were conveniently behind us. Needless to say, we had one of the easiest trips that anyone has had going from Luperon to Samana. I'm certain that your prayers and the prayers of a certain pastor and his wife in Luperon were answered! Thank you! We intend to stay here until Michelle passes safely to the NE, after which we will head to St. Thomas, three days, more or less.
Samana is a beautiful bay thick with palm trees and lined with beaches. It is 20 miles long and 10 miles wide. Besides the Silver Banks, which are about 60 miles to the north, this bay will host a large number of whales in the Spring, and many tourists come here to whale watch. We are undecided about coming here in the spring due to the potentially difficult sea conditions and cost/convenience of getting here. There are some waterfalls we can visit and swim in their lagoons nearby. We'll check out the other activities and restaurants during our stay.
God bless, GN Crew
Ship's Log 11/5/01 Luperon, Dominican RepublicWow, what great opportunities we have had to share the Jesus Film! We have given out about 80 films here, of which 40 were the children's version, all in Spanish, of course. Folks continue walking out to the end of the dock where we are and we are able to share with them and give them a film. Today a pastor and his wife and another couple came out to the boat. They are from Santiago on the other side of the island. They are here to do vacation Bible school and other ministries in the area. They sang a praise song and together we sang "Quien es el Rey?" or "Who is the King." It reminded me of going on the Mexico mission trips. It was a precious time, meeting and sharing with our brothers and sisters in Christ! When they left, I said "Hasta al cielo" and they all agreed with smiles. "Hasta al cielo" means "see you in heaven" or "until heaven."
So far the Dominican Republic reminds of us Mexico except that it is green and beautiful here. The people are very friendly and helpful. The climate and living conditions take some getting used to. It is hot, humid, and the living is hard. We have seen the Marina Blanco, the town of Luperon, and the city of Puerto Plata nearby.
Tonight we are leaving the dock to anchor out so that we can get an early start tomorrow. We will be bound for Samana, another port about 140 miles around to the eastern side of the island. It should take about 24-28 hours to get there. From there we can jump off to the northern side of Puerto Rico and onward to the Virgin Islands.
That's all for now. Love Val and Mike
PS: What a difference a week makes. At this time last week we would have been right in Michelle's path. As it is, she is passing well to the north of the DR and heading NE. Thank God!
Ship's Log 11/03/01 Luperon, Dominican Republic 19*54"N, 70*57"WWe arrived here in Luperon at 2:00pm after a 27 1/2 hour trip from Provo., Turks & Caicos. The seas started at 8-10 feet with 15 knot winds. We were heading directly into the waves and wind...not too comfortable. We turned South around 2:45 AM and put the waves on our beam with wind building to 22 knots. The last leg from Sand Cay to Luperon was a little calmer with 14 knot winds and 6 foot seas. Short overnighters are harder than longer trips because you can't get in to a routine...everyone's tired all the time. But we are glad to be here!
Luperon is said to be one of the best hurricane holes in the Caribbean. Though we don't need that much protection right now, it sure is calm and comfortable in here. We came up to the government dock and have had visits from all of the authorities...the Navy, immigration, and customs, in addition to the port authority. We have given away about 30 Jesus films in our first three hours here! Tonight we will head into town for dinner an to try to find a television so we can watch the World Series.
Ship's Log November 2, 2001 1:00 PMWe left Turtle Cove Marina at 10:30 and picked our way through the reef. The wind is down to 18-20 knots and the seas are 8-10 feet of swell. Taking some waves over the bow, but captain and crew are well (crew is asleep at the settee!). We will motor East around East Caicos before setting sail and heading South-East to Luperon, Dominican Republic. The trip is approximately 180 miles and should take 24 hours. Fishing lines are in the water and we are expecting fresh tuna for dinner!
The Good News Crew
Ship's Log 10/31/01 Captain's SupplementWe are safely docked at Turtle Cove Marina, with cable TV (I watched the third game of the World Series) and we are eating ashore. I also have six helpers aboard cleaning the salt and dirt off of Good News. The 1,232 nautical mile trip from Baltimore's Inner Harbor took exactly nine days with two overnight stops in the Chesapeake Bay. We were safe and comfortable the entire trip; however, it was too rough to fish most of the way. I know that there are a lot of fish in the ocean and I left them all there!
The Gulf Stream crossing was the roughest I have done. A good friend has a saying " I have crossed the Gulf Stream many times and the last time was worse than the time before!" The weather got stronger each day. We started out calm and flat and ended with 40 knot winds and seas 15 to 17 feet. I always tell Val a few feet lower so she doesn't worry, but when you see a wave coming at you that is way above your head, you have to thank God you have a good and strong boat." "Oh God, your ocean is so big and my ship is so small"
I am thankful for our communication capacity. We had a problem with getting email during the trip. Our weather data program cut us off after downloading the weather file. I had to call my Dad to contact Earthlink because I can not dial an 800 number from the boat. He was able to get them to remove the weather file so that we could receive other emails. This is significant because I received an email from a close sailing friend, Richard Peterson, that suggested I try "Bare poles" i.e.: taking all the sails down and sailing with a bare mast and boom. In 40 knot winds, slowing down is very important. I had thought about sailing bare poles for over a day, but not until I read Richard's email did I make the change. It was a great idea!
We slowed to 5-7 knots as verses 8-10 knots. It was safer, more comfortable, and we arrived outside Provo at sun-up.
I thank God for His provision, His guidance and His protection. I also thank God for all of you, always and forever, your friend,
Captain Mike
Ship's Log 10/30/01 Turtle Cove Marina, Provo., Turks & Caicos, 21*47'N,72*14'WWhew! We made it! Safe and sound! The last 36 hours we had 30-40 knot winds and 12-14 foot seas! Good News did beautifully and we were pretty comfortable, since the wind and waves came from behind us. However, it is a little disconcerting when you stand outside in the cockpit looking back and the waves coming in are a few feet higher than the bimini top! It was an exciting trip! We are so thankful for God's provision of Good News. She is so steady and stable that we were even able to take showers during all of this!.
We are settled in Turks and Caicos for a few days. Lots of Jesus films and Bibles have come off of Good News in the last few hours while docking! Also, we gave two in French to John. He is the one who shows it to 20 people at a time. We'll also visit with Mr. Bishop and Miracle Revival Mission.
Ship's Log October 21, 2001 Chesapeake Bay, MDThis morning we said goodbye to Baltimore, to the wonderful Yaw family, to new and old friends, and to great memories of our summer spent here. We are happy and excited to be underway, yet sad to leave our family here. Mike's mom and dad stood at the end of the dock as we motored away. I shed a tear as they got smaller and smaller, and finally went out of sight. Yet we look forward to having them and other family and friends aboard in the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean very soon. We are loaded down with goodies from Mike's mom: dozens of chocolate chip cookies, an apple pie, two loaves of rye bread, plus we have lots of other excellent provisions so once again we will be eating like royalty. Right now we are dodging the traffic in the Bay: the freighters, sailboats, speed boats, and fishing boats. Tonight we will anchor about 1/3 of the way down the Chesapeake. We are ultimately bound for St. Thomas, but weather and wind permitting we would like to make stops in Turks and Caicos to check on a church there, and in the Dominican Republic to check out the area as we plan to visit there in February for whale watching. All is well and safe aboard Good News.
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