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It is amazing how quickly time can pass when one is busy. As predicted, being on watch wasn’t particularly noteworthy (either on the 11th or today).. Saturday, January 12 and Sunday, January 13 were, however, quite nice.
On Saturday, we had three guests aboard Amistad for lunch: Susie Pratt, the Deputy Director of the US Mission in Sierra Leone, and two other embassy employees, Danna and Amy. It was the first time that any of them had been out to see the ship, though Susie has been opening her home to crew members as a place where we are welcome to relax, watch TV, sleep in real beds and have hot showers (complete with water pressure). As Susie, Danna and Amy were leaving, Susie invited the crew members who were available to her home that night for a party celebrating Amy’s arrival in Sierra Leone.
That night, Susie’s house was crammed full of wonderfully interesting people, most of whom were members of the international diplomatic community or Non-Governmental Agencies. There must have been at least 20 nations represented on the guest list and the conversation was wonderful, ranging from the monitoring of elections in Africa to governmental corruption to the preservation of chimpanzees to low-power community radio stations. After the party was over, Drew, Heather and I spent the night at Susie’s home, and I spent part of the morning watching cricket games on South African cable TV before retuning to the ship in the early afternoon.
After lunch, three Canadian officers (two Navy, one Army) who are attached to IMATT (the International Military Assistance Training Team) came to the ship to visit with Heather. During their stay with us, we were all invited to join them in the IMATT compound to visit or to use their Internet connection. I am really impressed at how welcoming everyone has been to the Amistad crew, inviting us into their homes, feeding us, offering to print our photographs for us, sending their drivers to pick us up and take us around.
On Sunday evening, Susie sent her car and driver to take Barry, Eve and me to the Hillside Station Hotel, which is perched at the very top of one of the highest hills overlooking Freetown and Lumley Beach. Barry, Eve and I were joined by Amy and Danna and we all had a really overpriced (by Sierra Leonean standards) dinner together before going our separate ways.
Today has been another watch day, the big events of which were re-hanging the tarp awnings to keep the sun off the deck, and the moving the oil drums that are stowed on deck so that we could clean underneath them and give the wood a chance to soak up some water.
In sailorly news, Drew Kerlee taught me how to make an eye-splice yesterday and I've been practicing every chance I can get.
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