Departures

The last weekend in January we all packed up and left Appelsbosch to return to the ship. There were some mixed feelings, but mostly I think everyone was ready to get back to living on the ship even if it meant doing without some things like electricity and air conditioning periodically while the final projects were completed. We were very happy to leave the dampness, mildew, bugs, rats, etc. at Appelsbosch, not to mention the long daily drives back and forth to the ship for Jenny. It was a good season there - there were blessings and relationships made - but the time had come to get back to the ship. We had been preparing to return to the ship for some time, but when move day came there was a buzz of activity with loading the moving trucks and convoy of Land Rovers. I must say that the move back seemed far easier than the move to Appelsbosch as much of the work was done in increments ahead of time. Of course our cabin initially looked like a disaster area as we worked on unpacking and settling back in. It didn't take that long though - nothing like a move would be from home to home in the U.S. with the mounds of stuff I remember moving from place to place. Jenny and I are getting pretty good at it too with nearly as many moves as we have years of marriage. Now we are pretty settled in our cabin. The last of the shipyard work was completed and we set sail out of Durban yesterday. The port pilot who guides ships in and out of port was lifted from our ship by helicopter as we approached open ocean. The tugs helped us along and stuck with us though the harbor. Jenny was impressed by how much we are like tugs for one another from time to time, offering a little help through the tricky stretches, even a nudge or a tug or two to get us going in the right direction. There was a huge push to complete all the work and get all the preparation work done for sailing, but it all got done and its hard to believe we're actually at sea now. All the usual drills, briefings, and stuff took place earlier this week and now we're rocking and rolling, literally. Next stop, Cape Town, South Africa. We were going to spend a week or so there and do some P.R., but since the shipyard work took longer than hoped, we will probably have a little over 24 hours to visit and to pick-up/drop-off crew. After our brief stop in Cape Town, we head for Sierra Leone and the huge work of getting surgery underway. We should pass by off the coast of Cape Agulhas between Durban and Cape Town, the official place were the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Later on our way to Sierra Leone, we should cross the equator and become "shellbacks",or at least the civilian equivalent thereof. I'm sure both events will be a little anticlimactic in that there are no lines in the ocean and nothing really to see, but it will be fun anyway. We have departed Appelsbosch and the shipyard and are on our way again. God is faithful!

John