Our Last Week in the Canaries

I want to share the excitement of our last week in Las Palmas.


First, I went to town on my day off, Tuesday, August 9.  A friend and I just walked around.  Here are some of the sites from town:

And, of course, some photos on the walk home:

Second, we received a delivery!  Yes, several of the containers from Texas arrived.  The IOC in Texas ships a couple of containers every month, mostly containing supplies - including medical supplies/equipment, food, items sold onboard (like toilet paper), etc.  Usually one of the containers will also hold personal packages.  When we were in Texas, we packed several boxes.  And by several, I mean about seven boxes over two months!  Some items are meant to make our cabin a home and some items are simply hard-to-get personal items that are very difficult or impossible to obtain in third world countries.

Anyway, one of those containers arrived in Las Palmas and was finally unloaded on Wednesday, August 10.  Some of the personal items included were clothes, my work shoes, and a dry erase board.  This board is attached to the front of the door with a marker so that people can leave messages when you are not in.  And we received our first message!  Anonymously!

On Thursday, there was a fire in the galley as I was working!  Okay, so not a real fire, but a mock grease fire that escalated.  The fire team duck walked to the rescue!  Yes, duck walked.  Which is the half squatting, shuffling forward walk that looks absolutely ridiculous yet is necessary for their safety!

And for our last night in Las Palmas, Friday, August 12, Joe and I went out on the town.  First to the boardwalk where I waded into the Atlantic Ocean.  The water was so beautiful and warm!  I wish I had thought to wear a bathing suit so that I could fully jump in.  Below you'll see my sand-encrusted feet:

Our last stop was a small pub within the port.  We stopped for some last-minute fast internet service and a Coke.  Aunt Jackie - there are Coke and Coke glasses everywhere in the world!  The glass is exactly like the ones we bought at the Coke Factory in Atlanta, Georgia!

Adios Canary Islands and Hello…MADAGASCAR!!

(August 13-15)

That's right, loved ones.  MADAGASCAR!  (Yes, Shannon, Madagascar is a real country!)

Madagascar is the fourth largest island nation and is home to more than 23 million people.  We will be docked in Tomasina (Tamatave) on the eastern coast.  The capital is Antananarivo which is about 4200 feet above sea level.  There is so much going on inside this island, and I am personally looking forward to visiting the rain forest!


We want to give thanks to God for guiding this entire process.  It took one week from the time our Directing Manager began talks with the Malagasy government until the protocol, or agreement, was signed by both parties.  This is a record.  Previously, it took several months to establish relationships and sign a protocol.  God is working miracles.

Also, God is opening new doors by leading us to this country.  God has opened communications for the ship to serve outside West Africa while still serving the poorest of the poor in Africa.  As many of you know, Mercy Ships is currently working on plans for a second ship, the Atlantic Mercy, which should be ready to sail in 2017.  When the second ship is launched, we will have built relationships in Madagascar.  In addition, we had also started lines of communication with some Central African countries after determining that West Africa was not a viable option due to the Ebola outbreak.

Today, Monday August 15, the Advanced Team in Benin is ceremoniously handing over the keys to the country's health department.  The team had set up locations for the Hope Center which is the rehabilitation center, the Dental Clinic, and the Eye Clinic.  Sometimes we refurbish old buildings and sometimes we build from scratch.  As of today, these buildings are in the hands of the health department helping the poor.



Saturday afternoon, September 13, we left Las Palmas, Spain, bound for Madagascar via South Africa. We will land in Cape Town between September 29 and October 1, depending on the weather.   We plan to land in Madagascar around October 26.

We are stopping in South Africa for several reasons…

First, we cannot hold enough fuel to travel from Las Palmas to Madagascar.  We will refuel in Cape Town, and also fill up on clean water.

Second, we will spend several weeks there, though the exact length of time is yet to be determined, so that the Advanced Team has time to prepare Madagascar for our arrival.  We have to research the port location, determine how to set up screening day(s), where to set up off-site buildings (such as the Hope Center, Eye Clinic, and Dental Clinic), find patients, etc.  It is a big job that our Advanced Team has ahead of them.  Normally, they have four to six months to prepare a country for our arrival.  Now, they have less than two months.

Third, this is a great opportunity to do a little Public Relations with our seldom-visited South African Mercy Ships office.  We are going to need a lot of extra people to volunteer as this new ship has about 1.5 times the capacity of the Africa Mercy.


SIDE NOTE:  We are about to set a record.  This will be the longest sail that this vessel, Africa Mercy, will have ever traveled without stopping - from Las Palmas to Cape Town - just over 4,400 nautical miles (just under 5,000 regular miles).

Luckily, I was not working Saturday when we left port and was able to get some photos of our departure.

The engines were started a few hours before the rest of preparation.  See the exhaust being pumped out:

One last look at the shipyard that has been home for many weeks:

And, of course, one last shot of my favorite subject with our neighbor in the background:

And here is our Chief Security Officer rushing to prepare for departure:

First, we have to remove the net from beneath the gangway and attach the crane's ropes:

Next, we "untie" some of the lines from the dock, though the ropes are not actually tied:

But, George could not do it alone.  Apparently, those lines are heavy!

The last man climbs aboard, and the gangway is lifted by the ship's crane to deck 8 (the top deck) to be stored securely:

Next, the local pilot climbs aboard.  Most ports, including this one, require a local pilot to navigate a ship safely to its mooring spot and safely back out to sea.  Watch the pilot (in the white shirt) climb aboard via ladder:

After the local pilot is onboard, we hook up to the two tug boats.  The tug boats guide us away from our parking space as where we have been parked requires us to move sideways, which we are unable to do at this point without the tug boats.  We do plan to go into dry dock to completely fix the propeller issue which will allow us to move sideways without assistance.  But, for now, we need these two smaller boats to move us:

Once we were connected to our tug boats, we need to cast off the last of the lines holding us to the dock.  For those of you paying attention, you remember that the gangway is already up and stored for the sail.  So, like most ships, we hire an outside company to come along and cast off these last lines.  I wonder how much it costs for such a small, yet extremely important, job.  

Once untied, our Deck Department reels those lines in:

Once the tug boats straighten us out from our perch, we unhook our lines and sail away…slowly…I was not the only one taking pictures, though my favorite subject has always been Joe.

Now, keep your eye on the dock on the left side of the pictures as we get closer and closer to the end…

And, finally, the port at our back….

And the open sea before us!!!