It is with great regret and disappointment that AMISTAD America must officially announce that the Freedom Schooner Amistad will not be able to visit Goree Island, Senegal, as originally planned in February. Amistad left Freetown, Sierra Leone (500 miles south of Dakar, Senegal) for Goree Island on February 4th, nearly two weeks ago, but unfavorable winds and currents worked against the ship's progress, making for a long and difficult voyage. In an effort to make headway, the schooner used its engines for long periods (motor-sailing), but progress overground remained painfully slow, and the rate of fuel consumption became unacceptable. In addition, the schooner had an electrical equipment failure, and the seas reopened a troublesome leak in the forward section of the vessel. The decision was made that it would be prudent for the schooner to anchor among the leeward islands of Cape Verde, take on fresh fuel, and have divers repair the leak. It is important to note that the leak—though of concern—never presented a danger to the ship nor its crew. Freedom Schooner Amistad will return to its tour schedule on February 27 with its arrival in Praia on the Cape Verde island of Santiago.

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