PeetBlog.net

Congrats again, Ma Ellen

2012-01-16T15:13:00.003Z

Today is inauguration day for Her Excellency President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia into her second term, after a violently (and ill-founded) contended election. And can I find mention of it anywhere in the world's press? No. Not even on the BBC. Huh. Olly

Photo below of our Anna presenting Her Excellency with flowers during her visit to the Africa Mercy in 2008.

Monrovia's new old bridge across

2012-01-16T08:35:00.005Z

It's a cold and frosty morning here in England. I have nowhere to go and nothing to do so my thoughts have turned to a warmer place and busier times, that left a great impression on our hearts: Liberia. When we left at the end of 2008 the old bridge from Monrovia's Waterside to Vai Town looked like this:

BUT it's just been rebuilt by the Chinese (God bless 'em!) and here it is today:

Stunning eh? I really hope it helps to ease the congestion on the Gabriel Tucker bridge. Olly

Catching up

2012-01-14T18:53:00.002Z

So, we had a lovely Christmas with my brother, his wife Claire, Thomas & Sophie and my parents. Spent Boxing Day and New Year with Sally's parents. Then Jerry, Karen, Jermaine & Shakira from SBC came to stay for one night, and then Claire from Appelsbosch came to stay for 3 nights, and right now the Rothwells from the ship are staying for two nights en route from Australia to Togo. Things not looking good on the job front for me: I thought I had a great job lined up working for a missions agency that sends short-term teams overseas, but they wanted me to be away too much (up to 6 weeks at a time) which Sally and I weren't prepared to endure. So back to the drawing board. I have no jobs up my sleeve, and don't even have any gardening or self employed stuff lined up. Have applied for 4 mundane and unsatisfying jobs in local offices, such is our need to earn money. Come on God. Needing some direction here. Olly

Cheese no more

2011-12-20T19:59:00.003Z

My contract at the cheese factory finished yesterday. I can now stay at home and enjoy the holidays with Sally and the kids. I cannot say I'm too sad to be jobless for the next few weeks - its a great time to be together, and I really won't miss the freezing warehouses and the endless shelves of cheeses waiting to be counted...Olly

Come 'ere, there's more!

2011-11-24T15:57:00.001Z

...British Wensleydale with brandied christmas pudding; British Wensleydale with cranberry and apple; British Wensleydale with pineapple; British Cheddar with apple, sage & onion; British Cheddar with plum chutney...

Cheese addendum

2011-11-24T15:19:00.001Z

…and Wensleydale red wax truckle, and Cheddar & Caramelised Onion black wax truckle, and White Stilton & Apricot, and mini Fleur de Lait, and mini Babybell, and mini Jarlsburg, and mini Boursin, and mini Edam, and mini smoked cheese, and mini Applewood sticks, and mini Edam sticks, and mini cheddar with Marmite, and mini Red Leicester, and mini Jarlsburg, and mini Mexicana, and mini Cheddar with Baked Beans (!), and mini mature cheddar. That's all. I think. For now. Olly

World of cheese

2011-11-23T18:34:00.002Z

See those grainy photos below? They're of the warehouse where I'm spending a LOT of time - and everything you see is cheese stored at 4 degrees C (39 F).

What cheeses are there?

Well, we've got plain Cheddar, Farm-house Cheddar, Vintage Cheddar, Extra Special Cheddar, Locherbie Cheddar, Golden Applewood Smoke Flavoured Cheddar, Cheddar in black waxed truckle, Mature White Cheddar, Welsh Cheddar in black waxed truckle, Cheddar with crushed black peppar, Cheddar with onion and chive, and Marmite Cheddar.

We've got Wensleydale, Wensleydale with Cranberry, Wensleydale with Cranberry and Orange, and Wensleydale with Mango and Ginger.

We've got Red Leicester, Extra Special Red Leicester, and Vintage Red Leicester.

We've got Bleu D'Auvergne and Extra Special Bleu D'Auvergne.

And Black Crowdie, Strathon Blue, White Stilton and Blue Stilton, Lancashire black waxed truckle, Double Gloucester, Caerphilly, Isigny Camembert, Hard Goats Cheese, Roquefort, Cornish Brie and Cornish Camembert, and Mexicana and Extra Hot Mexicana. And Five Counties Cheese and Sage Derby Cheese. And Beer Cheese. And Shropshire Blue and Jarlsburg and Branston Cheese. And probably some others that I can't remember. And I really don't like cheese very much. Huh. Olly

A job for Sally

2011-11-22T21:37:00.003Z

Today Sally had a job interview at Noah's school - for the position of Teaching Assistant in the English Department. And she got the job! Starts Monday! Yeah! Now I can retire. Olly

And here she at the Lyme Regis Cobb earlier this year.

Here's a cool photo...

2011-11-20T20:04:00.002Z

...of Liberians hauling a fibre-optic cable ashore in Liberia, which will effectively bring broadband to the country for the first time EVER!

Yeah! Olly

Sherborne

2011-11-19T21:25:00.002Z

We love Sherborne. A small city with a population of only 10,000, it still feels like a small town from days gone by. It has an abbey over 900 years old, and the one shopping street is made up almost solely of ancient stone buildings. At this time of year, the whole town smells of fallen leaves and woodsmoke from hundreds of wood-burners and open fires. Lovely!

Photo of the abbey, taken by Dr Keith Chapman.

You wanna come stay? We're having our garage converted JUST FOR YOU! Olly

Please pray...

2011-11-19T21:11:00.003Z

...for Liberia. Elections have been and gone, but the opposition boycotted them and thus won't recognise the fair election results and encouraged demonstrations leading to riots and a couple of deaths. Please pray that peace is restored soon, and that the current president can start her second term well and get on with re-building her country again.

...for the Africa Mercy. Thursday was the last day for surgeries in Sierra Leone; now the pace changes as the hospital is packed away, the Hope Centre is closed down, and the ship is loaded and prepared to sail.

...for Sierra Leone, as the population is left to manage their own health care without help from one of the most effective aid organisations on the planet.

Olly

Jobhunt

2011-11-19T20:56:00.003Z

So, I continue to look for a permanent job, but God continues to bless us and I've been working in a cheese company for the last week, booking out cheese stocks in the office and counting blocks of cheese in the refrigerated warehouse. Not the most thrilling job in the world, but praise God that I'm earning regular money at last!

Meanwhile, Sally has an interview next Tuesday morning for the role of teaching assistant at Noah's school. Would be perfect; term time only, and school hours. Would you be so kind as to pray for her? Thanks. Olly

What now?

2011-11-19T20:21:00.005Z

"What now?" I ask God every day. It's been 4 months, 19 days and 8 hours since we left the ship, but now we're reasonably well settled I think it's time to start spending more time working for Him again. I feel that He wants me to become a Street Pastor, which is pretty intense: 50 hours of training, and then patrolling the streets of Yeovil from 10pm until 3am once a month at weekends, bringing God's love to the late-night revellers and party-goers of the city.

As usual, God has a sense of humour: I hate cold weather and I love my bed, so staying awake most of the night in freezing weather will be a challenge and a sacrifice for both me and Sally and the kids. Huh. Go to www.streetpastors.org.uk to see their website. Olly

S'up?

2011-11-13T19:14:00.003Z

Oh dear, such a lot has happened since I last blogged. We moved into our own house on 10th October - here it is:

We have been very blessed by an awesome God: 5 bedrooms, three bathrooms and a MASSIVE kitchen/dining room, for way less than our three-bedroom ex-council house in Harpenden.

The kids are doing really well in school - in fact they are thriving - and Sally is getting to know the mums at drop-off and pick-up time.

My work at the stone-splitting factory ceased about 6 weeks ago, so I took up gardening and DIY until the weather got wetter and cooler. Last week I got a temp job in the warm and dry office of a local cheese company. It'd be great if the job became permanent and I could stay on after Christmas.

I'm still listening to KLOVE - my daily dose and inspiration!

Now that we are settled and praying about being here, God is leading me to volunteer with Yeovil Street Pastors one or two nights a month - see www.streetpastors.org.uk - they patrol the city centre streets every Friday and Saturday nights, bringing Christ's love to the revellers...

What else? Oh yeah, we've had a steady procession of ship-mates visiting us: Keith, Alison, Jesse, Barry & Cheryl. It has been simply great to catch up with ship news.

Bye for now, gotta go iron some shirts. Olly

Catching up

2011-09-21T17:59:00.002Z

It's been a while. So I'm catching up. TWO WEEKS AGO the kids started at British schools - and here they are in their new uniforms. It was great to know that people all over the world were praying for them (and we certainly surrounded their first day in prayer): all three had a great time and continue to do so, praise God.

I am still adjusting to life in the UK and am amazed at how long it's taking me to get over being home-sick for the ship and West Africa (anyone else still suffering right now?). My therapy is listening to KLOVE from the States in the evenings (isn't Amanda brilliant?). We are attending a good church in Yeovil that has a few West Africans in it, who all adore Libby, and one of whom has already cooked us rice and chicken and beans (and another has promised Jollof rice!). I am still building stone-splitters, and still asking myself what my new life's all about. Sally is trying to renew her registration as a British speech therapist. Hopefully this week we'll finalise selling our house in Hertfordshire and buying one in the South West, although we won't be able to move in until early October (by which time we will have been living with my parents for 3 whole months, God bless 'em).

Ooh - did I already say that it's the coldest British summer in 20 years? How I long to be hot and sweaty again!

Bye for now, write soon. Olly

JOBS OLLY JOBS OLLY JOBS OLLY JOBS OLLY JOBS OLLY

2011-08-22T19:33:00.002Z

For the last 4 weeks I've been doing some temp work in a factory. I've enjoyed the variety of work, but am increasing aware that there probably won't be work there for me much longer, so I've gotta look for another job - which is a challenge in itself - and I'm asking God to guide me in the right direction so I get a job in a church or other ministry or charity, so I am working towards making the world a better place and not just earning money for the boss or shareholders, if you get me. I'd appreciate your prayers. Oh Lord, please guide me. Olly

Monday 22nd August

2011-08-22T19:22:00.004Z

Here's a cool photo of Libby (on the right) holding a little patient with Noma, taken in the Mercy Ships' Hope Centre in Freetown, earlier this year (thanks Jodie!). I forget that Libby isn't the smallest kid around any more...

In other news, Sally bought winter dressing gowns for our kids today, and they wore them all afternoon - Libby even wore hers in the shopping centre - despite it being the hottest day since we came home. Periodically they would have to remove them to cool down their dripping bodies. Huh. Olly

Two weeks later...

2011-08-21T15:56:00.003Z

Making great progress. Managed a whole shop at big supermarket without crying or getting flustered! And have made contact with the local West African community too - we enjoyed chatting about plantains and cassava for a few moments (and of course they LOVE Libby!)...Today a big article on Mercy Ships appeared in the Sunday Times - you can read it online of you are willing to part with £1, go to www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/mercyships. We are mentioned by name, and there is even a photo of Noah (and Anna's right foot) jumping into the ship's pool with other ship kids! Made us proud once again to have been part of such an amazing org for so long, and sad of course that we are no longer on the front line. Still praying about what God has in store for us next - we are willing to GO! but need some UK-time, so need to hear from him about what we can get involved with in our local community...Olly

Still in England...

2011-08-07T03:09:00.004Z

It's already been 5 weeks since we left the ship. Right now, we're in Hertfordshire trying to empty our loft of all those terribly important things we couldn't possible throw away, but have managed without quite nicely for the last 8 years (makes sense?). A lady has made an offer on our house in Harpenden (half an hour to the north of London), and we hope to get the contract for sale exchanged in the next 3 weeks. We have made an offer on a house in Sherborne, Dorset (2 hours to the west of London), near my parents and Sally's parents. Noah has a place in a good school in Dorset, but we're still waiting to hear which school the girls will be going to. Social Services have made contact about Libby's adoption, and we will be meeting our social worker soon. I've been working for a guy making inflatable operating room tables (yeah, you heard) for horses, and stone splitting machinery, like this:

I'm doing electrical work making up the air handlers for the inflatable tables, and cutting steel, tapping, grinding etc to make the big yellow steel frames for the stone splitters. And the boss has just bought an old Land Rover, so I get to tinker with that too. But my heart's desire is to continue working for a ministry of one kind or another - such as Mercy Ships in the UK, perhaps in some kind of fundraising or marketing role in the South West of England. We've also spent a lot of time driving around, catching up with family, friends and supporters. In the meantime, I've not been updating this blog - you'd probably noticed - and don't have many plans to update it much in future. I'll put some photos of our new house on it eventually, and the kids occasionally. Bye for now. Olly out.

How the UK has changed

2011-07-12T16:26:00.002Z

Here's what I've noticed about changes in the UK over the last 5 years:

G4S: the new name for Group 4 Security.

No more Woolworths.

No more Abbey National.

Milk in bags.

Food products "proudly British"

Chocolate products "fair trade"

Beer £3.50 a pint!

Bread £1.30 a loaf!

Trees have grown

Houses have shrunk

More coffee shops

Less slim people

Roads are longer

Traffic jams more common

etc

This is an ill-founded work in progress. Olly

Living the "normal" life

2011-07-09T20:59:00.002Z

After just over a week back in the UK, we only today ventured into a BIG supermarket for the first time, and were immediately overwhelmed. Quick retreat back to our lodgings. Back to square one. The kids are unable to adjust to the long British summer days - it's lights from 4am to 10pm - and are missing their friends on the ship terribly. And the weather stinks - cold, wet and rainy - typical British summer weather! Slow progress. This is harder than I thought it would be. Olly

Farewell Mercy Ships

2011-07-02T12:55:00.002Z

From the day one joins Mercy Ships, one thing hangs heavy over you: the day you will have to leave. And that day came on Thursday 30th June, when after nearly 8 years with Mercy Ships we became civilians once again and walked down the gangway for the last time. Thanks Murray for the great photo of us all with Tim (left) and Murray (right) in uniform as we are about the get on the ferry to get to the airport.

We had an incredibly good journey home, making all the connections and arriving at Heathrow on time. Praise God that nothing went wrong. And now back to life; back to reality...Olly

Handover - 2.5 days to go!

2011-06-27T22:08:00.004Z

Today was a huge day for me: I handed over my keys, my pager and my phone to Transport's new manager, Jeremy (from Deck. You know him?). We only found out on Friday that his transfer had been approved, so it's been a crazy time for him as he tries to learn the whole job in 2 days, but he's done very well. I reckon I must weigh about 90 tons lighter now, with the weight of the workshop and all 28 vehicles and 110 drivers removed from my shoulders. Good luck Jeremy.

Meanwhile, packing and sorting is going well. Sally is delighted that it looks like we probably won't need all of our ten-bag-allowance on the flights home. Most of our clothes are packed, and all the kids toys, but even so our cabin looks like the scene from a war movie, with every surface covered in fallen piles of stuff needing sorting before passing to neighbours and friends.

Meanwhile meanwhile, we welcome back to the ship our very good friends the Zupke family, who have lead Summer Program for the ship kids in 2004 in Europe, 2005 in South Africa, 2007 in Liberia, 2009 in Benin and now 2011 in Sierra Leone. It's great to see them again, and it's only too bad that we won't get to spend much time together before we leave on Thursday. God's timing as usual is perfect: the Zupkes and their team of helpers are keeping our kids amused whilst Sally and I pack and throw out all the precious things they've collected over the last 7 years...

Huh. Bye for now, Olly

My last, and 100th, dive

2011-06-24T17:48:00.002Z

This afternoon I completed my 100th, and last (I hope) dive under the Africa Mercy. Visibility was amazingly good - the best I have seen yet in Freetown - but floating garbage was the worst I have ever seen - we had to enter and exit the water through a 2 foot thick floating island of trash that contained a dead rat and a dead cat amongst other things:

I leave the Dive Team in Dan's capable and energetic hands. Olly

The saddest time of year again

2011-06-16T20:55:00.003Z

Yes, it's that time again. School finished last week for the summer, and since then we've waved goodbye to many good friends, as they leave the ship forever, or travel on vacation. Today all our kids teachers left after their 2 year commitment: goodbye Miss Danae, goodbye Miss Orman, and goodbye Miss Estelle.

And this time in two weeks, we will have left too. 2 hours after takeoff from Freetown we'll probably be coming into Banjul en route for Brussels...Olly

Rebuilding Land Rovers...again...for the last time!

2011-06-14T19:11:00.003Z

With a little over 2 weeks to go before we leave the Africa Mercy, I have begun my last big renovation project - that of replacing the bulkhead and door supports on #482 (a year 2000 model). Here is the original bulkhead which was rusted through in many places and had such big holes in the front footwells that you could see the front wheels going round:

Lamin, my new mechanic, found a good bulkhead on a scrapped police Land Rover, which is already installed in the photos below. To do so the wings had to be removed, the doors, windscreen, steering wheel, dashboard, seats, wiring, roof lining, rear windows...a huge amount of work, done by a gang of young ex-combatants in a local workshop which is little more than a patch of mud surrounded by wrecked cars...all for about $600.

I am confident that before I leave, #482 will be back on the road again as an ambulance ready to face the next 5 years of hard labour in West Africa. Olly

Badly burnt boy...

2011-06-04T17:01:00.000Z

...died 2 weeks ago in hospital. Olly

Insane photo

2011-05-30T22:22:00.002Z

This is one of the most insane photos I have ever seen. How many bullets did it take to pulverize this van?

Click on photo to enlarge. Taken in Vai Town, Mon, Lib: 2003. Olly

Life goes on...

2011-05-27T15:04:00.003Z

The water company's engineers worked tirelessly to fix the broken main, and water is flowing once again into Freetown. Hallelujah. Water is running in the streets again - literally - and the local population can cook and wash again at no cost. on the Africa Mercy the laundry is open again and hot water is back on.

The President and Vice President of Sierra Leone are here right now, visiting the ship. Sally was on stand-by to make them a coffee in our Starbucks Cafe, but they went on a tour instead.

The International Board of Mercy Ships is also here, having jetted-in from all over the world for a Board Meeting this weekend.

And an assessment panel from the Association of Christian Schools International is here, finalising the accreditation of the ship's Academy after 3 or 4 years of work.

Meanwhile, life goes on. Just up the road, not even half a mile away, I saw a man carrying his dead baby out of a maternity hospital, wrapped up in a prayer mat. Olly

Another water shortage

2011-05-25T11:14:00.005Z

Imagine a city of 1.2 million people without water. Well, that's Freetown right now. The city water supply has been irregular since the war, but at least there was some water; the population got used to waking early and queuing for hours to fill their buckets and "gallons" from public taps and leaking fresh-water pipes.

Above, children carrying "gallons".

Yesterday the main water supply into Freetown was damaged leaving the whole city dry. 1.2 million people have no water for washing, cooking or drinking. The wealthier ones are able to buy water from trucks for 2000 Leones a gallon, but as the poorer people live on only 4000 Leones a day, they can either afford water or food. Please pray for them. Meanwhile on the Africa Mercy we have limited reserves so are back on rationing: cold showers, laundry closed, disposable crockery and silverware etc. Please pray that the water company gets the pipe repaired and water can flow again! Olly

Temporary buildings

2011-05-21T12:58:00.003Z

This, below, is a pre-fab building, made in Iowa and shipped to the Africa Mercy in Sierra Leone and assembled on the dock. It is very well insulated so lovely and cool when the a/c is on, and is used by the Eye Team. Also shipped and assembled are two bathroom buildings used at the Hospitality Centre, with state-of-the-art plumbing and a/c. Temporary buildings? I think not. They all took two or three weeks to assemble, and are all scheduled to be disassembled at the end of the Sierra Leone field service, shipped to the next location and reassembled there...

Sadly, my ten year old tent was finished by a monster rainstorm last week. It's original canvas was recently stolen from the dock here in Freetown, and we used local tailors to sew a new one, but it didn't fit well and collapsed under the weight of rainwater. A tent is a non-negotiable item for our dockside workshop - it gives us shade from the brutal sun and keeps the torrential rains off us, so my ever resourceful local staff made this new beauty out of locally bought timbers and spare canvas.

Temporary tent? I think so! It took a day to build, and will only take a few hours to demolish when a new purpose-made tent is shipped over from the US or Holland. Olly

Saturday morning on the Africa Mercy

2011-05-21T09:33:00.004Z

This morning Sally and I awoke at the crack of dawn to watch the latest Disney movie, Lemonade Mouth. Surely we should have been sleeping-in whilst the kids got up early... something's definitely weird here in our upside down world. Sally and I sat and watched the whole movie on our own whilst the kids went out to play. Great movie though. Olly

New dive gear

2011-05-17T21:27:00.003Z

We have just been supplied with a crateload of new dive gear: new masks, flippers, and flashlights. These will all make diving in these awful waters so much safer.

Above, Dan and Timo wearing the new full-face masks with built in radios. Olly

She got it!

2011-05-17T19:35:00.005Z

This afternoon the British High Commission in Freetown issued Libby with a UK settlement visa!

PTL indeed. We are thinking of leaving the Africa Mercy at the end of June so we can head to the UK to work on her UK re-adoption and application for citizenship. Thank you for your prayers. Olly

Farewell Omega Tower

2011-05-13T18:24:00.003Z

Since we first arrived in Liberia in 2005, I have been fascinated by it's Omega Tower. Built by the USA in 1976 as part of the Omega Navigation System (made up of 7 towers around the world), it was a 417 meters tall radio tower (the same height as the World Trade Centre) and the tallest structure ever built in Africa. The station was turned over to the government of Liberia in 1997 after the introduction of GPS and the closure of the Omega Navigation System, and sat disused for the next 14 years. I climbed the first three levels in 2007; some crazy (and suicidal) ex-pats I know climbed the whole thing without any safety equipment. Anyway, on Tuesday the Tower was demolished by explosives. It will be missed: it was a landmark that could be seen for many miles, and countless thousands of people lived in it's shadow. Below, a man with some of the massive cables used to support the tower:

...and the tower from a distance:

Funny story: I once drove past the tower after a rain storm. The cloud level was lower than the top of the tower, so all I could see was the top and the cables coming from it...it looked all the world to me like an angel. Huh. Olly

Garbage diving

2011-05-10T09:58:00.005Z

Click on photo to enlarge. Olly

Are you a designer?

2011-05-08T11:52:00.002Z

Feeling creative? Can you design a new logo for the Africa Mercy's Dive Team? The logo could include images of ships, scuba divers, commercial divers, the blue-and-white "alpha" dive flag (not the red-and-white recreational scuba flag), full-face divers masks, Africa, etc. You are welcome to email a jpeg image to me - peeto@mercyships.org - or let me know where to look for it. There are now ten divers on the team, and between us we are having to dive DAILY! Thanks in advance for your help. Olly

The luckiest girl in the world

2011-05-06T15:00:00.002Z

Two year old Josephine must surely be the luckiest girl in the world. Two weeks ago she choked a small pebble into her lung whilst playing. Her parents took her to one of Freetown's government run hospitals, where she sat for five days waiting for treatment, whilst the pebble began to cause infection and her lung collapsed. In frustration, her father went to the Ministry of Health to beg for help, where by chance he met Mercy Ships' Ann Gloag, who intervened. Ann arranged for Josephine to be taken to the Africa Mercy, where surgeons supported by top paediatric anaesthesiologists tried to remove the stone through her windpipe by key-hole surgery but were unsuccessful. Josephine's condition continued to deteriorate, and she twice needed resuscitation. Finally, Ann persuaded one of Kenya's top thoracic surgeons to fly to Freetown, and he removed the stone earlier this week. Josephine made a quick recovery, and today went home. Praise God. It lightens all our hearts to hear of such miracles right here on our ship. Olly

Me and Jay

2011-05-06T11:08:00.002Z

Here's a photo that Alex took of Jay and me in the engine room yesterday during a fire drill. We were trying to look cool and heroic...guess it didn't work eh? Olly

Us and the High Commissioner

2011-05-05T14:17:00.007Z

Yesterday evening we had a visit from Ian Hughes, the British High Commissioner here in Freetown (who is also the British Ambassador to neighbouring Liberia). He was accompanied by Sam Bethel, the British Vice Consul. Sally and I gave them a tour of the ship, and then we had dinner together. Lovely people. Here is Ian meeting Anna and Libby...

...and Sally showing Ian the door to the operating rooms:

And Sally, Samantha, Ian and me (looking vacant) on the ward with Memuna, one of Sally's patients.

Great. Olly

PS The British High Commissioner is the same as an Ambassador, but is the term used for the role in a British Commonwealth country. In a non-Commonwealth country (like Liberia) the role is referred to as Ambassador.

Islands in the stream

2011-05-03T17:27:00.003Z

Sierra Leone's rainy season has begun. We've had a couple of short showers which washed away the dust and cooled the air, and also partially cleared Freetown's clogged sewers and drains straight into the river, resulting in this:

...a MASSIVE island of garbage. If this thing hits the ship, our cooling-water intakes will clog and our generators will shut down, despite every effort by me and my colleagues in the dive team. Huh. Olly

The Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T20:04:00.002Z

I understand that Royal Wedding fever has been consuming the UK for the past few weeks or even months. Here on the Africa Mercy we were only vaguely aware of the event as it slowly approached, but we managed to get sorted today and everyone stopped to watch the wedding ceremony this morning. It was very kind of Will & Kate to plan it for during our morning break time. Even the kids were able to join us for a bit.

Long live the Queen. Long live Will & Kate. Etc etc. Olly

Noah's work experience

2011-04-28T21:09:00.000Z

Another photo of Noah in the Navigation class:

Olly

Badly burnt boy

2011-04-28T10:55:00.002Z

I've seen some bad burns in my time with Mercy Ships, but today I saw the worst yet. Eight year old Ibrahim Kamara was burnt in a farm fire on Sunday, and was brought to the ship today seeking help. I saw the boy at the gate, on a cardboard stretcher, wrapped up in dry sheets with his mother fanning him. He was unconscious and covered in dry blackened cooked flesh from his face to his knees, much like the guy in the photo below...

One of our nurses took a look at him, but he is beyond even our help. I got one of our drivers to take him to the childrens hospital around the corner, where he will most likely die. It will be a miracle if he survives; if he does he will be badly scarred and need numerous skin grafts and operations to free contractures. Who knows, maybe we'll see him back here in a few months for those surgeries if he pulls through. Please pray for him. Olly

Happy 50th, Sierra Leone

2011-04-27T09:01:00.002Z

50 years ago today, the red white & blue of the Union Jack came down and the blue, green and white of the Republic of Sierra Leone went up. Happy Birthday, land of the free. Olly
PS I got bored with the depressing black and greys on this blog's background so changed it to this lovely summer blue.

Oprah

2011-04-26T15:57:00.002Z

A film crew from the Oprah Winfrey Network were here last week, filming a pilot. Here they are being driven round town by our own bearded photographer, Tom Bradley. Olly

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T16:10:00.000Z

He is risen.

Olly

RIP Chris Hondros

2011-04-24T15:57:00.003Z

In 2007 I was emailing this guy about his work in Liberia. He replied a couple of times, and even recommended a Nigerian electrician to me. He took some incredible photos of the last Liberian war in 2003 - see http://www.chrishondros.com/images.htm - in fact here he is photoed in Waterside, Monrovia...

...and here is one of his world famous photos:

Since the late 1990s he has covered conflicts in Kosovo, Angola, Sierra Leone, the Lebanon, Afghanistan, Kashmir, the West Bank, Iraq, Liberia, Libya and more. He was one of four photographers killed in Libya four days ago. Olly

Chimp Reserve

2011-04-22T15:48:00.005Z

We're having a bit of an Anastasis reunion on the the Africa Mercy at the moment. The Blackburns have joined us for 3 months from Texas, and the Chapmans have joined us for 3 weeks from Liberia. Today Brian organised us to go to Tagugama Chimpanzee Reserve for the morning - about an hour's drive from the ship. The place exists for chimps rescued from homes in Sierra Leone - chimps that have been living with humans after being orphaned and captured by hunters as babies etc. Many starving West Africans would be very happy to eat chimp meat if they could, so the reserve is am important place for rehabilitation of chimps back to the bush, and education of locals about the impact they are having on wildlife as they hunt and eat "bush meat".

A lovely day out. Olly

Tesco in Freetown?

2011-04-22T15:29:00.003Z

Tesco is a global grocery and general merchandising retailer headquartered in the UK. It is the 3rd largest retailer in the world measured by revenues after Walmart and Carrefour, and the 2nd largest measured by profits after Walmart. It has stores in 14 countries across Asia, Europe and North America...and apparently also Sierra Leone. Today we drove past a Tesco petrol station on the edge of Freetown.

If you look closely at the photo (click on it to enlarge) you can plainly see the whole place is hand-painted to look like a Tescos. But of course it isn't one. Hah. Another example of West African ingenuity? Olly

Sally at work

2011-04-18T16:27:00.002Z

Here is a lovely photo of Sally with Mariama, one of her patients... Olly

Diarrhoea of a Wimpy Kid

2011-04-18T07:43:00.001Z

There is always someone on the Africa Mercy with diarrhoea. It's part of life, and something we all learn to live with. So imagine our mirth when Libby picked up Anna's book "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and read out-loud "Diarrhoea of a Wimpy Kid". How we all laughed! Olly

Grande Congo

2011-04-17T20:20:00.007Z

This evening I visited the neighbouring ship, Grimaldi line's Grande Congo, which is only 6 months old and still in immaculate condition. Built by Hyundai in Korea, it is nearly 4 times the size of the Africa Mercy, can carry up to 1000 cars and trucks and 300 containers, and has only 26 crew of Italian officers and Filipino...err...non-officers.

Some of the cars on Deck 12 destined for Lagos, Nigeria:

Some of the containers on the forward deck, taken from the bridge:

The ultra-modern bridge:

The Africa Mercy, taken from deck 12:

Engine control room, Deck 1:

The main engine. Only one engine; one propeller shaft and one propeller. Two bow thrusters and one stern thrusters. Three generators.

She sails between the UK, Holland, Germany and Belgium, picking up cars and trucks and containers, and then calling at Senegal, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Ghana before heading back to Europe. Another fascinating blog entry (with a cool photo of the Africa Mercy) by Olly.

Noah's work experience

2011-04-16T17:04:00.002Z

This week the Academy's Junior High and High School kids did 3 days of work experience around the ship. Noah chose to work with our Deck Officers, and shadowed them as they were on duty, and he assisted them in boat operations, the paint locker inventory, and then learnt all about navigation. Here he is in his issued gloves, safety boots, glasses and hat.

He assisted me yesterday when I dived: he was our safety watcher, and stayed on the dock ready to assist me if necessary. Good job Noah! Olly

Paradise

2011-04-16T16:55:00.002Z

Today we drove across the Freetown peninsula to the beautiful beach at Bureh Town, a tiny village of no more than a handful of mud huts with this view:

Paradise, eh? Sadly, this is the very same beach that our friends Ruth and Keith drowned at in 2004. Olly

Rainy season begins

2011-04-15T19:04:00.002Z

In Liberia, 15th April is the first day of rainy season. Just a few hundred miles away in neighbouring Sierra Leone, my friends tell me that rainy season starts "soon". Either way, today is the first dry day of rainy season, just as yesterday was the last dry day of dry season (as, I suppose, if it had been raining it would have been the last wet day of dry season, and so on). Since we arrived here on 27th February, there has not been one drop of rain - in fact, this is the driest dry season I have ever come across. We can't wait for the rains to come to wash the dust away and clear some of the drains of clogged garbage (into the...err...sea, I suppose). Olly

Fab new book

2011-04-14T12:49:00.002Z

I bought this book during our last days in South Africa in January and gave it to Sally on her birthday on Tuesday. It is lovely, and a great reminder of our time living on the East Coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal. Mouth watering recipes, lovely photos, and many reviews of places we spent many happy hours: Ballito, Salt Rock, Dunkirk, Gateway, uShaka...

Buy it if you can. Olly

Diving photos

2011-04-14T03:31:00.004Z

I borrowed an underwater camera on Monday and took these photos. Blow, chicken-wire baskets have been made to cover the cooling water intakes, in the hope that they will keep garbage out of the intakes. What you can see if the basket covered in plastic bags, so it is working to a degree - we now need to dive to clean the basket (not the intakes themselves)...

Below, an intake without a basket, covered in garbage which restricts the flow of water and will cause the machinery that needs that water to cool to overheat.

Below, Dan Bergman picks garbage off the intake.

Olly

(Slightly less of a) water shortage

2011-04-13T16:10:00.008Z

Every other day we load maybe 200 tonnes of water. Each day we use up to 90 tonnes, so it's important we don't miss a day for loading, or we'll suddenly find ourselves short, and that's what happened at the weekend. Captain Tim...

(Captain Tim)

...managed the crises very well, and we were able to muddle through for a couple of days without cancelling any surgeries, by closing the laundry... (the laundry)

...going onto disposable dinner-ware, cease washing decks and vehicles, and restrict showers to one short cold shower a day. Water trucks brought us water all weekend, and we were able to load with city water on Monday and Wednesday too, so last night the laundry reopened (one load per person per week), and today we went back onto proper dinner-ware. I have found an alternate source of water for washing the vehicles thus saving 500 liters a day, and the showers are still cold (to take away the temptation for a long shower - it's amazing how quickly people can shower if the water is cold!). (preparing ourselves for a cold shower)

Meanwhile, the water level in our wave pool may get lower and lower... (the wave pool when the level is high)

Slowly our reserves are building, and hopefully we'll be back to normal soon. Thank you for praying for us. Olly

Water shortage

2011-04-09T19:41:00.004Z

During the last few days our water consumption has increased, despite more and more restrictions. Maybe there is a leak somewhere, but the end result is that we are consuming more water than can be pumped aboard. Today the Captain made the decision to turn off the ship's water - which meant no running water or even flushing toilets for a while...

...but later in the day the water was turned on again, although we still can't shower. Everyone returned hot and sweaty from their day in the city, and must remain so until we have enough water. So PLEASE PRAY! That we get plenty of water from ashore; that our consumption goes down, and that the restrictions will be lifted very soon. Thanks. Olly

Libby visa - update

2011-04-05T14:10:00.003Z

Today we had our interview at the British High Commission in Freetown. It went very well. It only took 45 minutes to get there, and all the staff were chatty and nice; we were whisked through the waiting area and into the application centre with not a queue in sight, and the actual application and payment process went without a hitch. We have to return on 17th May to collect the decision - 6 weeks sooner than we expected. Please pray specifically that our paperwork will travel safely to Ghana where it will be processed, and that the Entry Clearance Officers will not hesitate to contact us should they have any questions that need clearing up. And for a successful outcome! Amen to that. Olly

Hope Centre

2011-04-02T18:39:00.002Z

Our Hospitality Centre is literally 5 minutes walk from the ship. In fact, you can sit in the Centre's yard and hear the ship's generators rumbling. This year the Centre has been renamed the Hope Centre, but it's function remains the same - it provides accommodation for patients and their carers before and after surgery. Sally, Anna, Libby and I spent a delightful afternoon there today - the girls went off to play with patients, whilst I helped the cooks by peeling and chopping onions and carrots. It was delightful because of the sea breeze constantly blowing over us and keeping us cool. The best location yet! Olly

Another Mercy Ship being scrapped

2011-03-30T13:22:00.001Z

Hard to believe eh? My commiserations if you were one of her crew. Olly

Libby's visa

2011-03-29T08:56:00.002Z

We have successfully applied on-line for a UK visa for Libby, and have an appointment at the British High Commission in Freetown for next Tuesday (5th April) at 8.30am, to provide paperwork, pay the fee etc etc. Please pray that they will accept the application (ie won't give us grief for not being Sierra Leone residents) and that they ask us the right questions if they don't understand our complicated circumstances. It may take up to 3 months for a decision to be made, and the paperwork will be sent to Ghana and maybe London during the process. Olly

More Freetown old houses

2011-03-27T18:38:00.005Z

We've got three Abdul Conteh's working for us at the moment, two of whom are drivers! Gets very confusing. Anyway, Abdul (Sr) was driving me through town yesterday (here he is)...

...so I had plenty of opportunity to take more photos of the fantastic old colonial buildings that are found all over the city. Nearly every one is in poor condition, and many are in total ruins with nothing left but the ground floor wall and doorway, but I can imagine how they were once.

Below: stone and timber loft rooms with sliding sash windows still intact:

Below: timber. A miracle it has survived the war:

Below: more stone, with a shop conversion now occupying the ground floor, adjacent to a more modern concrete building (yuk):

Below: brick with cement render. Under each window you can still see carved stonework. The sash windows on the second floor have been replaced by more modern steel framed windows. now occupied by squatters:

Another fascinating blog entry by Olly.

Diving from the rescue boat

2011-03-27T18:20:00.005Z

I reckon I'm currently spending nearly as much time diving as looking after the vehicles. Thankfully my new mechanic, Lamin, and my new day volunteers are all excellent and I am happy to leave Transport in their capable hands. Diving in Freetown is so different from diving in Benin and Togo that we have had to re-invent the whole procedure. The days of jumping off the dock are long gone: we are now lowered to the water in one of the ship's rescue boats which remains on hand in case the current takes us away...

...me and Jana (my first ever dive buddy in Benin 2 years ago) on Deck 7 next to the rescue boat:

Getting our dive gear on in the boat:

Up and away, as the crane takes us out from the ship's side...

...and down to water level:

And then into position ready to dive! Makes the dive much longer and more complicated, but it's much easier being lifted up to Deck 7 in the boat instead of climbing all those stairs with heavy gear.

On this occasion, the water current was so fast that we were swept 40 meters away from the dive boat as soon as we entered the water, and the dive had to be abandoned. We have now learnt to dive only at slack tides. Olly

This one's for you, Margo!

2011-03-27T15:17:00.002Z

Moses Conteh is delighted to receive his Africa Mercy admission card.

Mr Spaghetti Head has left the building! Olly

Successful screening

2011-03-26T19:23:00.004Z

Today we had our second medical screening in Sierra Leone, and it was a success. Our leadership has spent the last couple of weeks studying the lessons learnt at the disastrous screening at the national stadium nearly 3 weeks ago, and today ran like clockwork. We had people at the screening site from mid afternoon yesterday, and the majority of crew joined them before dawn this morning.

Above, an orderly line, patrolled by nurses and security crew.

It was a long hot day, but 500 patients were examined and given appointment cards. Sally worked with the maxillo-facial surgeons, and found several patients that she will be able to help with, and I was the logistics coordinator and oversaw food, site facilities, electrical supply, drivers and vehicles, tents, table & chairs etc etc - in fact, everything needed for 200 crew to operate a successful screening off-ship. Our doctors saw one guy with an infection in his mouth that had spread to his jaw over the last 4 days, and he literally had only 24 hours to go before he would have died. One of our drivers collected strong intravenous antibiotics from the ship's pharmacy, so hopefully he will recover after his emergency surgery tomorrow at a local hospital. Anyway, thank you for praying for us and this day. Olly

The spaghetti game

2011-03-15T22:03:00.002Z

What crew do to pass the time: Tom Bradley from the UK demonstrates how much spaghetti he can carry in his beard and hair. Huh. Olly

Libby's visa blog entry #1

2011-03-15T19:56:00.002Z

We have started the process of applying for a UK visa for Libby. Today I phoned two phone numbers I had for contacts in the British High Commission in Freetown: the first one was disconnected, and the second was answered but I was referred to the Accra visa section in Ghana. So, please join us in praying that in the next few days we will be able to speak with someone who will be friendly and helpful and will be able to help us in our application (which is complicated). Olly

Settling in to Freetown

2011-03-11T20:01:00.009Z

The Africa Mercy from the neighbourhood:

Potato greens for sale outside the port - hmmm!

The ruins of the Queen's house (she used to stay here apparently) also just outside the port:

Freetown architecture - including many old beautiful colonial buildings - and Freetown traffic:

More mental traffic. It takes hours to get anywhere in the city with regular gridlocks and people yelling at each other:

An old British post box:

(I've also seen an old British phone box, a London Taxi, and loads of ex-UK right hand drive cars, mini-buses and trucks).

Below: the local beach. We will not be playing here. Many of the out-houses discharge straight onto the beach.

So, in summary: imagine Cape Town. Then double the temperature and humidity. Increase the population ten fold. Shut off all running water, electricity and sewerage. Stop garbage removal. Remove all pavements to leave open gutters. Arrange for a couple of wars. Encourage thousands of market traders to block up the streets, and bombard the already overcrowded streets with more cars than they can cope with. Build everywhere. And you've got Freetown! This is the first city I have been to in West Africa where I have absolutely no intention of driving anywhere. Fortunately I have a handy reserve of local drivers at my finger-tips. Olly

Sierra Leone screening

2011-03-08T19:34:00.007Z

This is not an easy blog to write, so I'm letting the following websites write it for me.

Old man killed in Sierra Leone stampede: An elderly man was trampled to death and a dozen people hurt in a stampede in Sierra Leone for free medical screening from the Mercy Ship floating hospital, doctors said on Tuesday. Click here for more.

Patients injured in Mercy Ships medical screening: Mercy Ships is deeply saddened by the tragic events that occurred today during medical screening at the Freetown National Stadium when a crowd stormed the gate resulting in several injuries and one life lost. Click here for more.

Stampede at Stadium: 1 killed, 12 injured: Doctors at Connaught hospital have confirmed the death of an aged man after a stampede at the National Stadium in Freetown following a mad rush for free screening from the medical charity, Mercy Ships. Twelve people have also been hospitalized. Click here for more.

Many of our crew are still shocked and shaken by the event. Please pray for recovery, and that we can quickly make contact with those who need the specialist surgery that we can provide. Olly

Awareness

2011-03-08T19:26:00.003Z

I copied this of Tim & Hannah Alexander's blog. They have been in Sierra Leone since last September or October, so had plenty of chances to take these great photos.

Ship scuba diving in Freetown

2011-03-06T13:22:00.003Z

Freetown's Queen Elizabeth II Deep Water Quay (8°29'38.81"N, 13°12'57.58"W) is in a tidal river estuary that flows at up to 6 knots except at slack water. Since our arrival here a week ago, our cooling water intakes have been constantly choked by garbage. The current makes it almost impossible to dive under the Africa Mercy for 22 out of 24 hours a day, so every time we dive now, we need to be accompanied by a rescue boat to stop us being swept away. Micah and I managed one semi-successful dive on Thursday when the tide was coming in but visibility was limited and we found only 2 out of 4 intakes. But today we had a disastrous dive as the tide was going out - the engineers called us to say every single intake was blocked, but two attempts and an hour later we still hadn't managed to dive - we were repeatedly swept away every time we left the rescue boat, plus we had to contend with delays caused by two big ship movements from neighbouring berths. We returned to our cabins utterly exhausted from hauling ourselves in and out of the rescue boat and trying to swim against the current. Slack water will be around 3pm this afternoon, so we'll have another go then when hopefully I'll have regained some of my strength...Olly

Alive

2011-03-01T19:03:00.002Z

That's what I feel. Ever so. To be honest, the last 2 years in Benin and Togo have been a challenge for me: different languages, different foods, different markets, different police, different cultures, different sea, even a different sky. Now we're back, and I feel immediately at home again. Sally, Anna and I went for a walk through the local market outside the port - how I had missed the sounds and smells: stinking fish, crabs, shrimp, and chicken all crawling in flies; kids selling rice, maize, flour and sugar from enamelled trays balanced on their heads; yams and potatoes and cassava roots and onions; over-ripe bananas and tomatoes; piles of greens; chilled bags of water and orange drink; trays of groundnuts; bowls of garlic; piles of herbs and spices; and the constant clatter of generators. The people chatted in a language we understood; the police were charming and proudly showed us their tear gas guns and canisters. Shouts of "Mercy Ship" again and again. Everywhere sand, rubble, broken concrete, boarded up windows, walls worn black and shiny by dirty hands, open sewers filled to the brim with stinking garbage, and people trying to make enough money to survive. We are back amongst the poorest of the poor. Just our presence here brings them hope. And demons flee. Olly

Spare a prayer for Liberia

2011-02-28T18:22:00.006Z

"An estimated 39,784 Ivoirian Refugee are said to have arrived in Liberia with 5,000 more arriving at Liberian border villages DAILY as a result of renewed fighting in western Cote d'Ivoire this week. Until mid-week, about 100 Ivoirians were crossing the border daily. But over the past 24 hours alone, hundreds of people have been crossing over into Liberia through the Buutuo, Gborplay and Luguatuo crossing points in Nimba County". Click here for full article.

Nimba County was the scene of repeated fighting during the long Liberian war, with many of the population seeking refuge in neighbouring Cote d'Ivoire, and the remainder subjected to unbelievable atrocities again and again. I think no other county suffered as badly. In the midst of the fighting, only one NGO continued to operate using it's own community health ambassadors: Equip Liberia, who Sally and I worked for in 2006/2007. Now Nimba County is repaying the favour by hosting thousands of Cote d'Ivoire refugees, and Equip continues to be one of the many NGos providing facilities, in particularly water and sanitation facilities (latrines and wells). God bless 'em. Check out equipliberia.org or thehooversinternational.blogspot.com for more info. Please also pray for a quick and peaceful solution to the crises in Cote d'Ivoire, which is threatening the stability of the whole region. Please specifically pray that the UN will give permission for the Nigerian lead ECOMOG armies to forcefully bring peace to the country, like they did in Liberia in 2003 and Sierra Leone in 2001. Olly

Day 1 in Freetown

2011-02-28T18:01:00.006Z

In no particular order at all: part of the "lion mountains" from Deck 7:

The Police Marching Band at the Africa Mercy's arrival ceremony (I forgot to mention that a very smart Boy Scout helped carry the national flag during the ceremony):

Unloading at dawn: the first of 25 vehicles we unloaded this morning between 6.30 and 10.30, in time for a Customs inspection:

The best African food I've had since we left Liberia over 2 years ago: peppery cassava leaf with a hint of fish, and rice, bought from a lady in the street who sold me one bowl full in a plastic bag for about 40 cents...

...which I had to share with both Anna and Libby:

The pepper is now taking it's toll and my stomach feels like it's full of lead...

Meanwhile, most port workers are on strike today, so little has happened on the dock. We are waiting for the port's big container lifter to tidy the containers that are strewn everywhere, then we can start setting up the dockside once again. Patience, Olly, patience.

Over 30 new crew embarked last night, another 30 will embark tonight and nearly 40 will embark on Friday night, all in time for the big screening on Monday. The place is full of new faces and loud voices.

Bye for now (and happy birthday to my mum), Olly

Sunday 27th February: Freetown!

2011-02-27T09:46:00.005Z

We have just docked in Freetown. But first, two photos taken on the last days couple of days of the sail: the engineers in full uniform gathering for a group photo on Deck 8 (click on photo to enlarge):

...and a scale model of the Africa Mercy made by Tim, Sam & Ben out of old soda cans (took six and a half hours to stick them all together apparently, and even features the new pool on Deck 8) - this was the prize for the team who scored the most in yesterday's "olympic" games.

So, to Freetown: dawn over the city:

The poor visibility is down to early morning haze, burning garbage and cooking fires. From well off-shore we could smell the charcoal that fuels the majority of the city's kitchens, which immediately brought back many memories of our time here in 2004. And below, our glorious dock, with new crew and a Gateway team welcoming us in, plus local dignitaries and government ministers:

As you can see, we need to do an enormous amount of make the dock useable, including covering over the holes, sweeping away cement clinker, removing 3 cement clinker hoppers, relocating dozens of shipping containers, and establishing some kind of security fence. Roll on Monday when the port workers will be back after the weekend. More later. Olly

Saturday 26th February

2011-02-26T10:27:00.003Z

It's Saturday morning and Sally is locking Libby's hair. We are now off the Liberian coast; in 24 hours we will be docked in Freetown, Sierra Leone. True to form, it is warm and humid and cloudy, and we've even had a couple of specular West African rain storms.

I was looking at the latest UN Human Development Index this morning. Fascinating reading. Out of 169 countries with Norway at the top and Zimbabwe at the bottom, Liberia has risen to 162, and Sierra Leone has risen to 158. And Mercy Ships has invested significantly in each of these countries. (Incidentally, the UK is 26th, after every other country in Europe except Poland and Portugal. Not sure if I completely trust this index).

We should wake tomorrow off the Sierra Leone coast, and be docked by mid morning. Can't wait. I have a busy week ahead of me: unloading all 25 vehicles, 2 trailers and my containerised workshop, then setting it all up on the dock, with power and water and our 20ft x 20ft tent. There are many jobs that need doing on the vehicles that I've been waiting to get a mechanic to do: Lamin Turay (Moses' brother) becomes a crew member on Monday. We will also be hiring a local mechanic, 2 cleaners and 4 drivers. Let the fun begin. That's why we're here. That's why God called us to Mercy Ships in West Africa. To support the amazing work that our medical teams are doing for some of the poorest and most desperate people in the world. Next Monday is our big screening day at the big stadium in Freetown: we are expecting something in the region of 5,000 people to come for medical assistance. Huh. Olly

Nyctophobia

2011-02-24T13:05:00.002Z

Have I mentioned before that I suffer from nyctophobia? I'm scared of the dark. If I wake up in darkness, I really panic. And nothing brings this home to me than when we sail, when I look out of the window at night and see nothing but solid, unbroken darkness. I will be very happy to see the bright lights of Freetown come Sunday! Olly

New family photos

2011-02-24T12:58:00.002Z

Taken just north of the equator today.

Photos by Jesse Mitchell. Like 'em? Olly

From south to north

2011-02-24T10:12:00.001Z

We crossed the equator at around 8.30 this morning. Great. ETA Freetown sometime on Sunday. Olly

From east to west

2011-02-22T10:23:00.001Z

On Sunday evening we crossed the Greenwich Meridian, thus moving from the eastern hemisphere to the western hemisphere. Last night we moved our clocks back an hour, so we are now on GMT, which is also Sierra Leone's time zone. The sail continues to be smooth and uneventful. Olly

PS I am constantly amused when I hear people describing the developed world as "the west", when in fact Sierra Leone and Liberia are further west than most of Europe including the UK.

Teachers needed!

2011-02-19T10:48:00.002Z

The Mercy Ships Academy on the Africa Mercy has the following teaching positions open for the 2011-2012 academic year:

Kindergarten
1^st Grade
3^rd Grade
4^th and 5^th Grade
Science
Social Studies
Physical Education

Click on flyer for more details. Olly

Sailing

2011-02-17T19:46:00.001Z

Day 3 of the big sail. Nothing much to report. Sky blue, sea blue, sun hot, no dolphins or whales or waterspouts. Relatively calm and not rocking to much. Good. Already run out of fresh fruit and veg though. Bad. Olly

We survived the 'bosch

2011-02-15T09:38:00.002Z

We couldn't let the passing of our time at Appelsbosch go without having a memorial t-shirt made...thank you Sam, Tim and Murray for organising these apple coloured t-shirts, brilliantly modelled by the survivors of the 'bosch below:

Yes, our 5 months at Appelsbosch was every bit as bad as I expected it to be. I can't think of one good thing about it. It started bad and just got worse, and I am very grateful that we are no longer there and are back doing what God has called us to, where he wants us to be. Olly

Farewell South Africa

2011-02-15T06:06:00.002Z

We left Cape Town at dusk last night. Goodbye South Africa. Goodbye dear friends. We hope we'll see you all again one day soon.

Our sail out of Cape Town was interesting: we did all kinds of manoeuvres as part of ongoing engine tests, which unfortunately meant the ship was rocking and rolling more than usual. So the tests were accompanied with the sounds of banging and crashing of falling things, crying children and people saying "I'm gonna throw up!" Then the fog rolled in, so the noises were joined by the ship's fog horn sounding until the wee small hours...all in all, we had a very disturbed nights sleep. We're scheduled to be at sea for another 12 days. I can't wait to get to Freetown. Olly

Us and Lisa

2011-02-14T13:08:00.008Z

We met another old friend today in Cape Town: Lisa. She was with us in 2004 in Benin, and 2005 in South Africa, and 2006 in Liberia. It was great to see her again, but we only had two and a half hours together before shore leave expired, which isn't enough time at all to catch up! Sorry Lisa.

Olly

Cape Town

2011-02-14T06:08:00.011Z

There is no city quite as magic as Cape Town, where the Africa Mercy has docked for 24 hours en route to Freetown. Just the arrival alone is breathtaking, as you can see from the photo below with Table Mountain in the background...

Waiting for us on the dock were dozens of Cape Town-based ex-crew: Carl & ilne & their kids, Henry & Mampu & their bubba, the Myers, Miss Katherine, Lauren Bluck, Beth from HR...remember them?

Once again we are berthed in the fabulous Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, where we are a stone's throw away from hundreds of fancy shops and restaurants: the sights, sounds and smells are fantastic! As we walk through the Waterfront there are concerts, jazz bands and Xhosa buskers at every corner - its all very festive! Photo below of the Africa Mercy at the V&A:

We had a great time talking to Carl & ilne about their close shave in Liberia and their work in South Africa...

And then Miss Katherine, Anna's old Grade 1 teacher, took us up Table Mountain:

A great time is being had by all. It is also a sad time: it may be our last time in South Africa (ever?); and it also symbolises our departure this afternoon from the riches and sophistication of the developed world and our pending arrival in poverty stricken Freetown. Olly

More cool photos

2011-02-11T19:39:00.003Z

...taken by someone in the pilot's helicopter as we left Durban yesterday. Thanks Murray for making them available.

Olly

Thank you KwaZulu Natal, and good night!

2011-02-10T15:33:00.003Z

Before we get too far away, I thought I'd list all those who've been a great help to me whilst we were in KZN. I can completely recommend any of these people or companies:

Andries (mechanic) in Pietermaritzburg: 0823 414089

Calypso Dive Centre - uShaka, Durban: 031 332 0905

Caspers Auto Electrics - Wartburg: 033 503 1445

Doug - Holiday Times (safaris etc): 0723 452239

Eagle taxis - Durban - 031 337 8333

Errol's taxis - Ballito - 0822 207538

Giorgio - breakdown service, Ramsgate: 0393 173534

Hennie - Harburg Garage - 0825 571290

Ian Kruger - North Coast Motor Group - 0828 914604

Nissan Rossborough, Durban - 031 451 5333

Johann - mechanic in Ramsgate - 0824 936873

Kishor - Landy Auto, Ballito - 0733 660202

Land Rover Umhlanga - 031 571 2610

Nala - minibuses in Appelsbosch/Wartburg/Pietermaritsburg/Dalton/Greytown - 0827 257278

Nissan Pinetown, Durban - 031 710 9000

Ricky - SCUBA equipment repairs, Durban - 0824 624889

Teddy - towing services in Dalton - 0823 574396

And all our dear friends at Destiny Life Church, Ballito - www.destinylifechurch.co.za.

Olly

Farewell Durban

2011-02-10T11:18:00.006Z

11am, Thursday 10th February: we sailed from Durban after 5 months, 5 days, 22 hours and 15 minutes. Not that I was counting. Time for Charles to shave his beard off:

Durban is a beautiful city, and we have all found ourselves very much at home there. We love the South Africans and their hospitality, especially that of our dear friends in Ballito, just outside Durban. We love KZN. We love ECR. And we love the Zulus. Photo below of the skyline of downtown Durban on the sail through the harbour...

...which is apparently the biggest commercial harbour in the Southern hemisphere with an average of over 20 ship movements a day...

(Richard, can you see which is the one you're to survey? I couldn't tell, there are so many)...

Anyway, what has been achieved in the 5 months, 5 days, 22 hours and 15 minutes, I hear you ask. Here goes:

Replacement of 6 old, noisy, unreliable and dirty generators with 4 super efficient, more economical and environmentally friendly brand new MAN generators;

Replacement of 2 old and unreliable air conditioning SABRO units with 2 shiny new and reliable Carrier units;

New engine room piping for cooling salt water, fire mains, heavy fuel, diesel fuel, fresh water, etc;

Replacement of engine controls in engine room and bridge;

7km of new cables between engines and bridge;

Modification of electrical switchboard;

New shelving in Deck 6 and Deck 2 food stores;

All lifeboats, life-rafts, and lifeboat davits serviced and all cables renewed;

All fire-fighting and SCUBA equipment repaired/serviced;

New Mercy Ships logo on funnel and along side;

Pool modified with installation of wave catchers;

More sprinklers installed in cargo hold;

Damaged windows replaced with new ones;

Main engines overhauled;

Tons and tons of provisions loaded;

All Land Rovers and Nissans repaired and serviced;

Elevator converted from manual to electronic, with fancy new controls, as modelled by Jesse:

and loads of other smaller jobs that I can't remember.

Thank you for praying for us during this memorable but trying time during which God has been good to us all: it has been a time of refreshment and growth for some, and a time of hard work for others, especially our technical crew.

What's next: we sail for 3 days to Cape Town, where we hope to enjoy 24 hours of shore leave, then we've got a long sail to Sierra Leone, where we should arrive late February. And that's where God wants us!

Olly

Collecting lifeboats

2011-02-07T17:25:00.009Z

Today I went with a team of Deckies to collect Lifeboats 3 and 4 from the neighbouring yard where they have spent the last 3 weeks having their 5-year service. Their return to the Africa Mercy was one of the last major pre-sail hurdles...we are now officially ready to sail later this week. I think.

Actually, what do I know? Olly

Queen Mary II

2011-02-07T17:02:00.004Z

Today the Queen Mary II came into the port of Durban. Thousands of people from all over KwaZulu Natal flocked to the beach to see her come in...but sadly, this is all we could see of her:

Zooming in:
Zooming in:
It's been a long time ambition of mine to see her close up...and it looks like it will remain a long term ambition. Olly

We love hospital supply

2011-02-07T15:41:00.002Z

I love what I found on a white-board in the hospital today. Click on image to enlarge. Olly

And another...

2011-02-05T06:22:00.001Z

I quite like this one. Olly

Another great photo

2011-02-02T09:39:00.001Z

...of the Africa Mercy at the Southern African Shipyard (Pty) Ltd's repair berth, courtesy of someone with an airplane I guess...

Olly

Bye bye beard

2011-02-02T08:46:00.002Z

Last night I chopped off my beard, after 2 weeks of growth. Man, I hated that thing, and so did Sally and the kids. Charles is still persevering, and should have a significant growth when we sail next week. In the meantime, here is a photo of us taken after about a week of growth...my, what a couple of good looking guys, eh?

Olly

February

2011-02-01T18:27:00.014Z

Here are some memories of late January/early February:

The Africa Mercy, taken from lifeboat 4 during a drill:

The port of Durban at dawn:

The welcome home sign (click to enlarge):

Memories of our long trip home: Nissan 927 broke down again, and had to be carried back to Durban on an AA truck:

Noah's last fire at Appelsbosch, in which he burnt his precious collection of sticks:

A new year: new cooks. Sylvanus from South Africa carving melt-in-your mouth roast beef...

...and Bobbi from NZ (right) with her beautifully displayed fruit:

Weight tests on the lifeboat davits: each yellow bag is filled with tons of water, whilst the lifeboats went around the corner to another yard for their 5 year services:

The best fry-up in South Africa, available at the Harbourside Cafe, 10 Rotterdam Road, Bayhead:

A tornado hits Tongaat as we travel home:

New ice machine on Deck 6 outside Crew Galley:

New air conditioning plant in the engine room:

Our technical crew have worked themselves to exhaustion over the last few months, and words are insufficient to express our thanks to them. The new generators are now working; we have electricity to just about everywhere and shore power is being disconnected as I write. Deck 3 & 4 a/c was switched on over the weekend, and (praise God) the new a/c system for Decks 5, 6 & 7 was switched on last night. The temperature in our cabin went down from 31 degrees to 26 degrees in an hour, and we woke up at 22 degrees this morning. What a welcome relief, as Durban's summer is well and truly established. Olly

Bye bye Appelsbosch

2011-01-29T16:26:00.002Z

Last night was our last sleepless night at Appelsbosch (whining dog ALL NIGHT LONG outside our window). Today we finished packing before breakfast, left the Bosch about 10ish, and arrived at the ship early afternoon. And how great it is to be back onboard! It's hot (no a/c yet on Decks 5,6 & 7), and still only partly lit, but we're back in our own cabin with carpet, our own toilet, wi-fi, and only a short walk from the facilities. Slowly life will return to normal over the next couple of days as more generators are turned on and I get my office space back. Then I'll be able to get back to blogging, with photos. Meanwhile, the kids are very happy to be reunited with their toys and shoes, and spent an hour making a mess with them whilst Sally and I tried to unpack and bring order to things. Then we went for a very refreshing swim in the pool - yes, it is open at last! Olly