Being my first ever attempt at a sea voyage, today marks March 15, 2008, the fourth day into my transatlantic from Cape Verde. Thirty-eight days from Freetown, Sierra Leone. When talking about weather, it has been pretty good based on what people expect the middle passage to be like, even compared to the journey from Sierra Leone to Cape Verde. We have seventeen crewmembers, including one puppy, Fogo. We have three watches, which makes the rotation easy and enjoyable, with lots of sleep from watch to watch. What interests me the most, and makes me feel at home is the inclusion of a daily teaching program, which comprises of a ship report, position at sea, nearest landscape etc. This brings relief to shattered hopes and emotions lost from sea and wind actions. The teaching program starts at fourteen hundred hours each day. Experience gained so far ranges from sail handling, and boat checks (which includes GPS, taffrail log and dead reckoning, which helps us know the nautical miles covered at sea as well as the boat's position). Another aspect of shipboard life is deck washes and cleaning of heads and soles. Amistad life is full of mutual understanding and care of each other, which makes life so pleasant that I don’t even think of staying on land again, where I think of political powers and environmental problems that threatens one’s life. To be precise, if one half of my land acquisitions were put into Amistad carriage, then I would not easily think about going back to Sierra Leone. The luckiest thing about me is that I am very prayerful, and that reminds me of spirituality, which keeps me stable together with Amistad while at sea. I encourage all Sierra Leoneans, home and abroad, to cultivate the spirit of
love and dedication to work in all aspects of life.    
My final message to all seafarers is that we all must work collectively to see that the spirit of navigation is comprehensively achieved.
   
Samuel B.Yokie

 

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