A Sailin' We Will Go

In My Lifejacket for Abandon Ship Drill

Guinea has been lost over the horizon. After ten months in port, we on the Africa Mercy sailed away from Conakry, amidst the cheers and whistles of the dock workers. The tugboats blew their horns long and loud in farewell, in a way that I have never heard them do with any other ship. The sound of those horns brought tears to my eyes, to think of the difference that Mercy Ships has made, not just in the lives of our patients, but in the lives of the many other people of Guinea that we have interacted with in the ten months that the ship was in port. And then we were to far away to hear them and the land slowly shrunk on the horizon, until we were surrounded by nothing but the vastness of the blue ocean.

Pulling up the Gangway

Tugboat Coming in to Guide Us Out to Sea

With an Africa Mercy Life Ring, Ready to Sail

Dockhands Waving Goodbye

Waving Goodbye as the Tugboats Blow Their Horns in Farewell

Sailing Away from Guinea

Posing with Esther

Goodbye Guinea

Testing the Lifeboats

I must confess myself grateful to learn that I do not get seasick. With my tendencies towards getting sick on amusement park rides, I had feared that I might be prone to seasickness. I still cannot walk in a straight line after three days at sea, but this seems to be the same for everyone else on board.
Our second day at sea was a Sunday, and I had the opportunity to experience worshiping on the bow with the entire crew as we watched the sun set.

Worshiping on the Bow

Captain Tim Joining in Worship from the

Sunset at Sea

I love the sea. Standing on the bow is one of my favorite activities, and I spend most of my free time there, watching the ship cutting through the waves, watching the flying fish, and hoping for a glimpse of dolphins.

Flying Fish

Dolphins off the Bow (photo credit Reuben Plomp)

Gran Canaria here we come!