Firstly I’m sorry for the dearth of information but there was little to add during the time when Colly and I were caring for my mother after her stroke in 2014. Well Mum went home to be with the Lord at the end of October last year. As a Christian, she knew where she was going and longed for it. We had been able to take her to her native Arnhem in the Netherlands where she had been a member of the Resistance and actively involved in the evacuation of British Paras after the collapse of the efforts to take the last bridge – now famously known as the ‘Bridge Too Far’ and today called by the Arnhem people the John Frost Bridge. At any rate they awarded her the Mobilisatie Oologs Kruis or simply the Dutch equivalent of the French Croix du Guerre. Mum also supported our mission and donated the funds to buy Living Water as she passionately believed in our mission to Papua New Guinea. I like to think of her leaning over the Bannisters of Heaven encouraging us to be faithful to the call the Jesus placed on us as there is so very little time left.
Living Water is still on the slipway in the Isle of Wight. The boat yard is franticly putting on the finishing touches, so we could hopefully able to set sail in mid-October.
While we wait for the courses for the Papuan crew we are all living in tents pending that day and are embracing the cold by hugging the camp fire. Guy has booked them onto the STCW course costing almost £4000, beginning on Monday the 10th of September. Then they will do a competent crew course shortly before we ‘chuck off’ for Falmouth.
Our 8 seater has had to go in for repairs as the head gasket could have cracked! So we are using Guy’s trusty ute (a bakkie in SA parlance) to do the job.
We welcomed Tom Beesley to our number as 2nd mate from Durban and his enthusiasm is infectious enlivening all our Papuans. The 1st is still waiting for the granting of his visa. He is also from South Africa, the Cape to be precise and knows Tom well . Both these young men hold RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificates and much more besides, which is good as I will be relying on them to help me sail Living Water, while the Papuans come to grips with life at sea and becoming more useful as time progresses. Both of them are very enthusiastic and have good experience in battling high seas off the Eastern Cape in the notorious Aghulas Current.
Tom is keenly working out how to make a YouTube video using a drone to show our beautiful Living Water coming off the slip. Feel free to click the YouTube link which will take you to the video. We have recently ordered the drone with will be So, feel free to subscribe!
God bless you all