Another photo of loading vehicles in Tenerife

That's me in the yellow jacket in the driver's seat (click on photo to enlarge). Olly

Benin's Religions

42.8% of Benin's population is Christian; 24.4% is Muslim; 17.3% practices Voodoo; other 15.5%. Source: Marius's Alumni newsletter (thanks pal).

Day 3 at sea

8pm, somewhere off the coast of Senegal; weather the same - blue skies, calm blue seas, bright sunshine and warm temperatures. As we continue to sail south the lengthening hours of daylight are quite noticable. Localised thunder storms are predicted overnight and tomorrow, but the seas should remain calm. Olly

Day 2 at sea

3pm, somewhere off the coast of Mauritania: blue skies, calm blue seas, bright sunshine and rising temperatures. It doesn't get any better than this. Olly

Departing images of Tenerife

This guy has been a big Mercy Ships supporter for many years, and always comes to play his trumpet during our arrivals and departures, no matter what time of day or night. The last thing we always hear as we sail away from Santa Cruz port is "Onward Christian Soldiers". Bless him! Photo by Michel Petzer.

Land Rovers waiting to be loaded. Photo by Esther Biney.

A Spanish media team filmed our departure from a ridged inflatable kindly provided by the local sailing club.

Day 1 at sea

Sunday 4.30pm. We are imagining that the sun is already getting warmer, even though we are probably only 300 miles south of Tenerife. Despite the calm seas the Africa Mercy is rolling a lot. Yesterday, we saw whales within 3 hours of departing from Santa Cruz, and a school of dolphins within 5 hours (can you believe that, Jodie?). Today we saw a massive school of dolphins from our new cabin's windows, some of which swam very close to the ship. Libby is continually saying "I can see humpback whales"...I don't even know if there are any in these waters. For me, it's been a long day as we've all been trying to keep busy after the fun of Tenerife. Tomorrow its back to work and back to school. Olly

A dolphin keeping pace with the Africa Mercy's bow. Photo by Michel Pelzer.

Thank you, Tenerife

Thank you, beautiful island of Tenerife, for the welcome you have given us over the past six weeks. Thank you, Santa Cruz Port, for the pilots, tugs, water, security and garbage disposal. Thank you, shops and restaurants, for your hastle-free facilities . Thank you, beautiful mountains and beaches, for the fun you gave us. Thank you, Loro Parque. Thanks, Ken & Caroline, Bill & Ros, Mo & Sue, and everyone else at Silencio Christian Fellowship. Thanks, everyone at Aqua Marina. Keep up the excellent work, everyone at The Living Room. And thanks again, Stella, for the sausage and chips. We will miss you all, our home from home! Maybe this time next year...Olly

Sailing to Benin

Saturday 31st January: We sailed out of Santa Cruz de Tenerife today at around 1pm. Next stop: the port city of Cotonou, Benin; a city with clean running water, mains electricity, lamp-posts without bullet-holes, and crushing poverty. The last time we were there was early 2005, when we lived in a tiny cabin on the Anastasis, and there were only 4 of us. I just enjoyed trawling through the ship's photo archives, where so many faces from the past reminded me of just how special that first Mercy Ships Outreach for the Peet family was:

Above: 2004, the screening at Cotonou's Hall Des Arts, when over 5000 people came seeking surgical attention.

Above: 2004, the Anastasis Academy's Christmas Play with Anna (3) and Noah (5). Every other child in the photo has since left except Wesley, to the left of Anna.

Above; 2004, Beninoise day-workers cleaning and painting the Anastasis.

Above: 2004, me up a telegraph pole stringing power cables and water pipes to the dock.

Above: 2004, Sally and me taking ballroom dancing on Aft Deck.

Above; 2004, our first American Thanks Giving. Olly

Liberia faces second worm wave

BBC: The UN has warned Liberia could soon face a second wave of crop-destroying armyworms as the pests reproduce. Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf declared a state of emergency this week and appealed for international aid to fight the insects. Some 400,000 residents in 100 villages have been affected by tens of millions of the insects, the UN says. The worms - which are actually caterpillars - are among the world's most destructive agricultural pests. It is the West African country's worst infestation of armyworm for three decades. Both Liberia and neighbouring Guinea, which has also been affected, have been carrying out aerial spraying against the insects. For full article click here.

Why

Why do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front?
Why do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke?
Why do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters?
Why do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage?
Why do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering?
Why does the sun lighten our hair but darken our skin?  
Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?
Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?  
Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?  
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavour, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?  
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavoured cat food?  
Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?  
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?  
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?  
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?  
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

Loading again

We started loading the vehicles today in preparation for our sail to Benin. Time of departure is still unknown - either Friday evening or Saturday lunch-time, unless some real show-stoppers come on the scene before then. As a family we are taking every advantage of the local park, and treating each trip as the last one in case we sail before the kids get to play again. Olly

Libby's first wig

Wigs (or "weaves") are important for many Liberian ladies. They are often worn for special occasions such as Christmas, graduations, Independence Day, etc. Not wanting to break with Liberian tradition, today Sally bought one for Libby, who wore it to dinner. We had many varied responses from our startled crew mates! Olly

TV interview

Last Friday, Sally & I were interviewed by Safe Worlds, a British Internet TV channel, about life as a family living aboard the Africa Mercy. Noah, Anna and Libby played quietly (ha ha) on the jungle gym in the background, and then had some very nice photos taken by one of the the ship's photographers. In the background is the Thompson's cruise ship Celebration. Olly

Liberian leader declares state of emergency over insect plague

MONROVIA — Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Monday declared a state of emergency in the West African country where thousands of people are affected by an invasion of crop-destroying insects. "I am hereby declaring a state of emergency," Sirleaf said in a speech broadcast on television. Declaring a state of emergency over the plague by the voracious caterpillars, known as army worms, will make it easier for the president to free up government money to fight the invasion but it is also a cry for attention. Monrovia has already said it does not have the means to spray the army worms with insecticide from planes and has asked the international community for help. "Thousands of people have been affected by the invasion of millions of army worms in the centre of the country (...) I have mandated the Minister of Finance to mobilise all possible resources to enable us to curtail the situation," Sirleaf said. Authorities say more than 53 towns and villages in Liberia have now been affected by the caterpillars which can lay waste to an entire crop in a matter of days. Monrovia has warned that tens of thousands of Liberians face hunger due to the insect invasion. Last week the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said the invasion by tens of millions of army worms was a "national emergency" for Liberia that could spread across west Africa. An FAO delegation currently in Liberia is due to visit other potentially affected countries Tuesday to take samples of the insects to determine the best way to combat the plague. According to reports, the army worms have passed into neighbouring Guinea. Liberia's other neighbour, Sierra Leone, announced Monday it had started a massive drive sending chemicals and spraying personnel to the border districts to keep the invading insects at bay. AFP Press

Holiday snaps

Here are a couple of images of our holiday in Costa Silencio:

Above, Noah on our balcony overlooking the pool (what a great setting!).
Above, Sally's Mum (Wendy) with Noah, Anna & Libby.

Above, Noah and Anna showing the tile that Sally broke WITH HER ELBOW when she slipped on the steps in the rain...(elbow still bruised three weeks on). Olly

New cabin

On Wednesday we took possession of a new and bigger cabin. Located on port side Deck 6, (right above the website address above the gangway) the cabin has a lounge/dining room/kitchen; a kids bunk room which Anna & Noah share, another kids bunk room which Libby has all to herself, and a bedroom for Sally and me! After three and a half years of living on Mercy Ships we have a proper bed to sleep on, instead of a sofa-bed. Praise God! We are well chuffed... So far it has taken us 3 days to move, but the end is in sight...Our new cabin number is 6430 (please ask for this number if you phone us). Olly

Above, lounge/dining room/kitchen facing aft.

Above, lounge/dining room/kitchen facing forward.

Above, Libby jumping on our fantastic big and comfortable bed! No more back aches for me!

Diving course

For Christmas, Sally gave me a SCUBA Diving Course as a combined Christmas and 40th birthday present. Last week I attended a diving school in Los Christianos for 3 very cold and exhausting days. I was challenged mentally, and challenged physically...BUT I am now a qualified Open Water SCUBA Diver! Hooray. It has been a life long ambition of mine to dive (in warm waters), so I will be very happy to continue diving in West Africa. I hope to join the elite ranks of the Africa Mercy's divers who regularly are called upon to remove blockages from the ship's cooling water-intakes, scrape the propellors etc. Olly

We're back

Today we came back to the Africa Mercy after a week on holiday in South Tenerife. We were again blessed with the use of John's appartment in Costa del Silencio via Ken & Caroline, and enjoyed living in a real house, with a real kitchen and a bath and a genuine double bed! Our kids were happy to have access to British TV for the week (and started each day with Channel Five's Milkshake) but we managed to avoid watching anything else. Sally's mum was with us for the week, so whilst I attended a three-day SCUBA Diving Course (more about that later) in Los Christianos, Sally & Wendy and the kids spent time on the beach, or pottering around Los Christianos, Medano, Fanyabae and Las Americas. On Sunday we had the pleasure of the company of Wendy's neighbours, Robin & Jackie from Dorset; on Monday and Thursday we spent time with Roy & Jackie from Bristol (ex-Anastasis crew mates), and we spent Saturday with John & Eileen from our home church in Luton. The sun shone all week, and the kids went into the sea and a couple of swimming pools several times (although they felt the cold immediately afterwards). What a lovely holiday! We now have less than two weeks to move cabin (to a bigger one, with our own double bed instead of a sofa-bed); finish buying supplies for the next ten months (toilettries, clothes, etc); and say our farewells once again to the good folk of Silencio Christian Fellowship. Olly

Rain

Tenerife ("where sunny skies and warm weather reign supreme") is in the middle of its wettest winter in 20 years. It has rained on-and-off for 3 whole days, but this evening the rain set in for real, and it hasn't stopped raining for hours. All the bone dry stream beds are running furiously, and the outside restaurants and cafes are abandoned. Thousands of holiday makers from northern Europe are having a miserable time; tomorrow we leave the Africa Mercy for a week at John's house in Costa Silencio, for a real holiday, so we hope it will dry up overnight! Olly

A wet and abandoned outside restaurant.

Loro Parque

Today 150 of the Africa Mercy's crew were treated to a FREE trip to Tenerife's Loro Parque, courtesy of generous benefactor. We enjoyed sea-lion, dolphin, orca and parrot shows, and numerous other displays including penguins, tigers, chimps & gorillas. The Parque is immaculate, and the displays top quality. The brightly coloured birds and the mammals that live in the water again reminded me of the wonder of God's creation! Olly

An even BIGGER ship

Today at dawn, the one-month-old MSC Fantasia docked in Santa Cruz. She is the BIGGEST ship we have ever seen, at 133,500 gross tonnes, and she is absolutely beautiful! Her Italian passengers had a day ashore before the ship left at sunset. Here she is, dwarfing the Africa Mercy, as she departed for her next port. Even now, an hour after her departure, I can still see her lights upon the horizon. Olly

Flowers

Santa Cruz has some spectacular flower-beds, which are simply a joy to come across. Here's a couple of photos of the Africa Mercy's Crew Services Department in front of some of the arrangements Santa Cruz's Parks Department have kindly provided for the festive season. Magnificent! Olly

Three Kings Day

Three Kings Day (also known as Día de los Reyes, The Epiphany, The Adoration of the Magi, and The Manifestation of God) is celebrated on January 6 (12 days after Christmas).This holiday is observed all over the Spanish speaking world. It commemorates the Bible story of the Three Kings (Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar) who followed the Star of Bethlehem to bring gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh...so on the night of Monday 5th January we joined tens of thousands of people who packed the streets of Santa Cruz to watch the very bright and noisy procession go by, which included carnival floats, marching bands, and the Three Kings on their camels, surrounded by their loyal supporters on foot and on horse. It was quite a spectacle, although it rained nearly all evening! Libby was mostly terrified of every aspect, including the camels, horses, fire-eating jugglers, men on stilts, flashing lights, loud noises etc etc, so I spent a great deal of time way back from the road and crowds where she felt less "scarey" (in her own words). Olly

Trams

Not only does Santa Cruz De Tenerife have a clean, reliable and cheep bus service; it also has an excellent tram service that whisks you quickly and quietly out of the city centre and up the hill to la Laguna or la Trinidad in no time at all. Well worth the ride, even if you aren't going anywhere. Olly

New Years Day

On New Years Day the Africa Mercy carried on the ancient Mercy Ships tradition whereby crew opened their cabins to other crew for light refreshments (and so we can all get to see how everyone else lives). This year 15 cabins were opened, including ours, and we had 46 guests. Here's a photo of us whilst the cabin still looked neat, just before mayhem started. Sally made Mince Pies and baked Camenbert cheese with dips...Olly

New Years Eve Photos

Here are some photos of us having a ball on New Years Eve:

Me and Sally doing the "YMCA" dance...

Me and Libby having a daughter and dad dance...

Anna & Jana...

Anna & Ken.

Noah was there, but just didn't manage to be around when the camera was out. Olly.

Tenerife sunset

In my blog entry of 20th December I tried to show a typical Tenerife sunrise viewed from our cabin. Here's a breathtaking Tenerife sunset, with the Aida Diva in the foreground. How different from Monrovia. Olly

Little and large

One of the many ships regularly moored near us in Tenerife is P&O's Oriana, a magnificent cruise ship which dwarfs the Africa Mercy, as I tried to show in the photo below. The Oriana's stats (versus the Africa Mercy): 69153 gross tonnes (versus 16572); 260 metres length (versus 152); 10 decks (versus 7); 794 maximum capacity (versus 484). What a beauty! Olly

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, dear reader. We hope you have a lovely evening, and a great New Years Day tomorrow. Tonight, we are having a ball in the Africa Mercy's International Lounge, at at midnight we will watch the Port's spectacular firework display from Deck 8, and be thrilled at the sound of all the ship's horns welcoming in 2009. Until next year then! Olly

Libby Language

Libby's language is quite entertaining. My favourite example is that she talks about going to lunch at "Old McDonalds" instead of "McDonalds". There are many other examples, but I can't remember them now. Olly

Mirky drinking water

The rough sail from Liberia to Tenerife revealed that our water tanks are long overdue for a good clean. The movement of the ship stirred up a lot of sediment that sits at the bottom of these tanks, making our drinking water less than appealing. The photo (courtesy of Drew Rawson, our Waterman) shows drinking water AFTER it has been through filters. Libby called it "water-juice" because of its colour. Olly

Are we rain gods?

I told our kids the other day that it never rains in Tenerife. How wrong could I be? It drizzled on Christmas Day (most un-typical of Tenerife)...and today we opened the curtains to find real European rain - not the torrential short lived rain of West Africa, but the miserable, long-lasting cold rain that soaks you to the skin and makes you cold. So I think we'll have a day on the ship. Our Deckies are trying to unload shipping containers on the dock today - poor guys. Olly

The best sausage and chips south of the UK?

On Sunday after church in Coral Mar Shopping Centre in Silencio (which was brilliant, by the way, Bill!), we climbed one flight of stairs to Stella's English Cafe, where Stella fried us a variety of sausage and chip meals (sausage, chips & beans; sausage egg & chips; sausage & chips etc). The sausages were the best we've tasted in years - a beautiful combination of fat and breadcrumbs that only us Brits know and love. The chips were home-made and magnificant, and even the beans and eggs tasted better than anything we can remember. And we had great company too - Drew & Laura (from the ship) and Ken & Caroline (from Silencio) ate with us, and we enjoyed chatting to other ex-pat Brits in the warm sun, about their lives in Tenerife. Long live Stella's Cafe! Olly

Boxing Day, and a new berth

Despite being Boxing Day (and a ship holiday), the Port asked us to move the Africa Mercy this morning from the cement terminal to the cruise-ship terminal. A handful of volunteers and I moved our 17 Land Rovers and Nissans the 8 kilometers around the port, whilst the ship moved the few hundred yards from the end of the East Pier, across the open water of port entrance, to the end of the West Pier. And what a difference such a short move had made - we are now on an immaculate dock, surrounded by cruise ships and tourists, and are only a short walk from the city centre.

We are now at the northern tip of the Av de Francisco La Roche pier, shown yellow on the map. Our previous berth was on the southern tip of the un-marked pier shown white, to the NE on the map. Olly

Christmas Day in Liberia

We just phoned our friends in Monrovia. Our hearts and minds are with them as we are so far removed from them. It seems a malaria epidemic is sweeping the nation - our friend Gary is just recovering, and both Musu and Samual are just starting treatment. Can you pray for those we left behind, especially the Dunseath family, the Ecklund family, the Shank family, the Chapman family, and Musu and her family. Olly

Christmas Day on the Africa Mercy

Whilst we were asleep last night, Father Christmas and his elves were busy at work. We awoke to find the kids stockings full of useful things like shower gel, a toothbrush, a bath sponge and candy, and outside our cabin door was a pile of presents from other Africa Mercy crew (as is the ancient Mercy Ships tradition). We had our traditional Christmas meal last night (turkey, ham, green bean casserole etc) before the Christmas Eve service, and this morning we had a long brunch (ham, eggs, cheese, sausages, fruit, breads etc). Photo of Noah and Anna in the corridor outside our cabin surrounded by gifts. Olly

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas, dear reader. We hope you have a lovely day. And don't forget, Jesus is the reason for the season. Olly

Our temporary berth

Our temporary berth at the cement dock in the industrial part of the port of Santa Cruz is turning out not to be quite so temporary. We were going to move to the empty cruise ship dock on Monday morning, then Monday afternoon, then Tuesday morning, then Tuesday evening (you get the picture)...Last night the first of our supply containers arrived; this morning another came, and we have started pumping fresh water aboard, so it looks like we will remain at this berth (6 kms from town) until after Christmas. If we ever move to the cruise ship dock we will only have 1km to walk into town, along an immaculate wharf; in the meantime we have to walk 1km to the nearest bus stop along a wharf covered in cement dust, navigating cement hoppers and loaders, moored bunker barges, and a moored oil rig. Still, mustn't grumble. As long as you've got your health (etc etc)...Olly

Christmas Play

Last Wednesday, at the height of the storm during our sail north, the kids in the Africa Mercy's Academy performed their Christmas play. Libby was a cow (photo below with Daniel, the other cow)...

And Noah was Joseph, photo below with Josie as Mary, with the cows and a donkey (Mirium)...

And Anna was an Angel (photo below with Joyce).

They all did well! Olly

Chinese company promises 2.6 billion dollar iron deal to Liberia

A Chinese conglomerate has promised to spend 2.6 billion dollars on Liberia's main iron ore mine in the biggest investment ever made in the African nation, Investment Minister Richard Tolbert told AFP on Saturday. Tolbert said the China Union company had promised that within 12 months it will have built a one million tonne a year capacity refining factory at the Bong iron mines, about 150 kilometers (95 miles) north of Monrovia. "It is the highest investment in our country's history. They have already won the bid in a transparent manner and we are now concluding the signing of the contract," Tolbert said in an interview. The minister said China Union would give the government 40 million dollars just to sign the contract in January. "This is the highest amount any company ever gave us upon the conclusion of our negotiations. This is the cash the government will receive, to begin to fix the infrastructures of this country, and some of the social needs of our people." He said there would be 3,000 jobs created by the project with up to 15,000 following indirectly. "That is within two to three years. In the long term they have assured us that the direct jobs could be as many as 10-15,000, and the indirect ones as higher as 70,000." For full article click here.

Tenerife sunrise

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a beautiful and spectacular city to spend a few weeks in. The port is sheltered by steep cliffs to the west, and each morning we see an amazing sunrise to the east from our cabin windows. Today we spent the whole day in the city, primarily enjoying the beautiful parks and playgrounds. The place has a very Mediterranean feel about it, thanks to the very strong Spanish culture.

Above, sunrise silhouetting the neighbouring island of Gran Canaria.

Above, the port facing South. The city is hemmed in on 3 sides

by mountains, with the sea to the fourth side.

Above, the port facing North

Above, Santa Cruz's wonderful Botanical Gardens at the Parque Garcia Sanabria, which is also very child friendly - amongst all the immaculatly maintained vegetation and fountains are three childrens play grounds. Olly

Tenerife Day 1

It's been a busy day. After an early start, Moses and I washed 12 Land Rovers and 5 Nissan Patrols, and then we helped the Deckies (God bless 'em) unload them all, leaving 9 of our older Land Rovers up on Deck 8. Thus we have provided 158 opportunities (ie the number of seats between all 17 vehicles) for crew to get away from the ship and travel the 6 kms into town. I am delighted to have our department up and running again. This is probably the most boring blog entry I have ever written in my life. Please feel free to comment and reassure me otherwise. Olly

Reverse Culture Shock

Since we joined Mercy Ships in 2003, I reckon we have been exposed to Reverse Culture Shock six times. I felt it most after our first Outreach to Liberia in 2005 - I remember standing in McDonalds in East London (South Africa), and having to work hard to control my emotions. Three years later, we seem to have become quite immune to the condition (such is the very nature of living on a Mercy Ship and returning to the developed world once a year). Today, as soon as the kids finished school, we headed for the local hypermarket, and thoroughly enjoyed immersing ourselves in the fresh fruit aisle. We saw more beautiful fruit in ten minutes than in 4 years in Liberia! Sally has just got the Tenerife fruit bowl out, and filled it with real (not mango) plums, yellow (not green) bananas, and orange (not green) oranges. Olly

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

The Pilot came on the ship at 6am this morning, and we are just mooring as I write (7.20am). Our real berth is still not available for another couple of days, so we are in the industrial port until then, surrounded by the cranes and hoppers that the bulk carriers use to discharge their cement clinker into trucks. We are miles and miles away from the main city - probably a good hour's walk, so maybe we won't get to see much of it until we move nearer. In the distance, on the other side of the port, we can see three big cruise ships. In the meantime I guess we will spend the day unloading gangways, vehicles etc. It's great to be on an even keel again. Olly

Christmas activities on the sail

To alleviate the boredom and to prepare for the fast approach of Christmas, we've had a couple of activities to keep the kids quiet...

Above, at Kids Craft Night, Libby and Aly are putting beads on pipecleaners...

Above at the Cookie Bake, Libby and Aly are covering themselves with flour and eating cookie dough until they felt ill (or was that the rough seas?)...

And Santa came to visit. Olly

Day 6 at sea

We woke after a good nights sleep to calmer seas, with hardly any wind, and a beautiful sunrise. Hallelujah! It put us in a very "Tenerife" mood - the sea and sky and sunrise and air temperature all remind us that Tenerife is not very far away. Technically we should be there by now, but the storm slowed us down a bit, and yesterday we learnt that the Spanish Navy have taken over our berth, so our arrival has been delayed until Friday morning. So, hopefully, this will be our last day at sea! Olly

Day 5 at sea

Guess what? Its still choppy, and the ship is still rolling all over the place. We were woken a couple of times by things falling off shelves, and things banging against the walls. This morning I spent only a few minutes on Deck 8, but came back inside freezing cold with a headache from the wind - I guess its not really all that cold (after all, we are now off the coast of Western Sahara, which is still Africa!), but the wind makes it feel very cold and wintry. This sail seems to be going on forever; it will be such a relief to get to Tenerife, so we can open our cupboards up again and put away the things that have been cluttering up the cabin for days. Olly

Day 4 at sea

The weather is a lot cooler today, with more cloud cover and a fierce wind blowing saltwater spray all over the ship (which is absolutely coating the vehicles on Deck 8 with salt). Sea still choppy, which the Africa Mercy really can't handle very well. I find the constant effort of compensating for the ships movement to be very tiring, and I'm falling asleep every evening by 7pm. And today we seem to be losing satellite connections a lot, so every email takes ages to send out. We are only moving at about 10 knots, so will probably arrive in Tenerife a day later than expected. Too bad. Olly

Day 3 at sea

The sea is still rough (in our opinion!) although the waves are less viscious and the ship is pitching less. Our sleep was still disturbed with things banging and crashing around us, and the bed actually bouncing around due to the shaking of the whole ship as it crashed back down again into the water, but Sally & Noah are feeling much better today. Thanks for your prayers. Olly

Day 2 at sea

Weather conditions deteriorated during the night, and the ship is now pitching into a big sea. Thankfully it is not rolling from side to side; most movement is from bow to stern. We just did some Christmas Cookie decorating in the Dining Room, which overlooks the bow, and we all feel very sick now - Sally has vomited and Noah is flat on his back and looks like he will be joining her shortly. Our cabin as right aft, and is bucking alarmingly, so we may have to camp out mid-ships with the other refugees from aft before too long. The weather forecast is the same for the next 24 hours. Yippee. Olly

Sailing again

Thus our six-day sail to Tenerife has begun. The weekend of forced relaxation for many of us gives us the chance to reflect on our time in Liberia, and relax. As I write, we are somewhere off the coast of Sierra Leone; the sea is calm, the sky is clear and the sun is hot. The sea is a wonderful deep blue, and our wake is totally white. We have seen one school of dolphins so far, and expect to see many more over the next few days. On Monday we'll all go back to work - I'll be tinkering with our Land Rovers and Nissans on Deck 8, and the kids will be in school for the last week of term before the Christmas holidays begin. Olly