As we all know - ships are places where money just disappears. It is not that we spend money frivolously - it is just the nature of the environment. For example- today I have pulled out the charts for the Cape Verde Islands which we are fast approaching.... they cost a couple of hundred dollars for the set - not to mention the discs and chips we are still waiting on for the chart plotting system - and the Pilot books both for shipping and cruising that cost another hundred plus dollars to do the research we need to do on port regulations, customs, currency, medical concerns etc...

The there are the five sextants we have aboard - all of which are here through some personal connection. Mike Moreland was awarded his this past spring at Maine Maritime Academy for outstanding navigation, leadership and seamanship - an award sponsored by the Boston Marine Society. Paul has his own too - a gift I think from his family. Two of the sextants are generously on loan from Mystic Seaport Museum - where Don Treworgy the Planetarium and Astronomical wizard - always gives Amistad the utmost support - he donated a full set of Air Navigation Tables last year as well.  And the last sextant is on loan from the Astronomy 2 class at Harvard - where I have assisted Phil Sadler in teaching celestial navigation for a decade or so. This morning, as I listened to the mates precompute morning stars, I also remembered that we would need to get next year's Nautical Almanac out to the ship - if we were going to keep up the great celestial work we have been doing at these tropical latitudes. On the early morning ca;; top Quentin Snedker back at Mystic, I put in our request - 2 2008 Almanacs Please..... to go along with the copper piping, head rebuild kits, malaria medications, and sail repair material and all the other things we are asking our home office to fit into suitcases as people fly over to meet us in Sierra Leone.

As the days goes on - the list grows longer - looking aloft - I see that are American Flag is so tattered that we are loosing our stripes. (We need at least 2 more)... And our binoculars have suffered immeasurably. Last fall they stop focusing giving you blurry objects to guess at. Now they have developed a fog - opaque. One of our trustees donated a lovely little set of old Abecrombie and Fitch binoculars (when A&B made real equipment) but they were field binoculars and are a bit too tender for the application we put them to. Paul Bracken brought his own, a beautiful set of Steiner's and we have unabashedly adopted them on deck - the only problem there is.... Paul will taking them home when he leaves... and Amistad is going to have to fend for herself when it comes to binoculars -or should I say "seeing."

Our support people at Furuno have been wonderful - taking our phone calls from half way around the world, offering technical support and warranty assistance in several ports along the way.... Looking aloft - I see that antenna  - we are suspecting needs to be replaced and seeing that arriving in the office and needing to fly over to us as well....

One of our trustees donated the Thanksgiving dinner we had - and for that we are all extremely grateful... Brazilian turkeys are fabulous.....
Rose, on our media team, donated the fishing gear - from which we are feasting - even if we now need a Guide to Atlantic Fish!

As the list gets ever longer and almanacs and charts and tools need replacing - I am awed at both the endless stream of funds it requires to keep this phenomenal operations going - and the depth and breadth of the generosity which every tool or meal or educational moment reflects. It is like Don, Bill, Rose, Gary, family members and so many generous people are out here with us.... As Johnny Kamara, our Sierra Leonian crew member always reminded us - "It takes a little stretch."

Comments (0)