Track our Progress

Track our progress to Christmas Island

https://share.delorme.com/BrettCurtis

This link will show our location as we are sailing 1000 miles due south from Kona to Christmas Island.

In the News

Ship named Hawaii Aloha

westhawaiitoday.com/news/local-features/ship-named-hawaii-aloha

YWAM Ships recently invited Kailua-Kona residents to write in offering possible names for its new vessel homeported in Kailua-Kona. It was christened Hawaii Aloha in time for its departure on its inaugural voyage serving the region of Micronesia.

The Hawaii Aloha was in drydock in Honolulu the last month and arrived back in Kailua-Kona for its naming ceremony and blessing Sunday. Immediately afterward, the ship will begin 10 days of provisioning before setting off on its nine months deployment Dec. 18. The voyage will first take the ship to Christmas, Fanning and Washington islands serving there until the end of March, then to the Marshall Islands through June, then a planned trip to Pohnpei and Kapingamarangi in July and August before returning to Kona in September.

The navigation students completing their studies at Port YWAM on Alii Drive will embark eight of their graduates as crew on Hawaii Aloha for this voyage under Capt. Ann Ford. There will be 23 missionaries on board as the ship visits the isolated islands doing work such as Bible distribution, educational seminars, medical, dental and optical clinics and assisting with fresh water technologies.

About Town 12-10-13 

Preparing for Outreach

Thanksgiving 2013

 

Dear Friends,

 

What a journey God has taken me on!  Some of you have been following the Journey on Facebook or on my blogwww.sailorann.blogspot.com. I will fill you in on the highlights.

 

June and July I had great visits with friends and family.  In August, I flew to LA to prepare the Caribbean Reach for a Pacific crossing.  We had an awesome crew and departed LA on August 27th.  We had the calmest crossing I have ever experienced.  Thanks to our rebuilt 671 Detroit Diesel we arrived in Hilo just 16 days later.

 

Sadly my sister Lee lost her battle with cancer and passed away on Sept. 13, just two days after our arrival in Hilo.  My mom and had had a wonderful visit with her in July, and I was able to fly home to be with the family as we celebrated her life around the campfire.

 

On September 26th I started the YWAM Ships Discipleship Training School (DTS). Now the lecture phase of our program is almost complete. We are preparing for our outreach and we are passionate about making a difference in the Pacific. Ouroutreach team consists of 9 students and one staff, from six different nations. After completing the lecture phase in December most of the team will be flying to Christmas Island. I will be sailing the boat down to Christmas Island then joining the outreach team there. Our mission is to bring the Gospel ofJesus to the isolated Line Islands of Kiribati in a tangible, realistic and honest way that the people there can accept andbelieve. We will also be applying some of our specific training we’ve received during our DTS, concerning inductive Bible study and a Biblical World View and bringing medical supplies and journals to assist the local clinics.. We will do outreach on Christmas Island, then we will sail on board YWAM Ship’s 74 foot ketch on the very first outreach to Fanning and Washington Islands. On this 500 mile circuit we will spend about a week on each of these remote islands that is only served by one cargo vessel only 2 or 3 times a year.

On January 22 we will fly to Fiji and continue our outreachworking with the YWAM base in Lautoka for another 4 weeks,returning to Kona on February 16.

 

We are excited to be the first team in YWAM history to reach these remote islands. If you would like to support us in our journey donations can be made through our

website at www.ywamships.net/give.

Haul out in Honolulu

Everything is going well with the underwater repairs. We still need more funds to repair top sides.

Sailing in Kona

Last Saturday was my first chance to sail with the new mainsail. It was an honor to sail with these three great leaders in YWAM: John Dawson, Tom Patrick, me, and Brett Curtis.

Discipleship training school (DTS)

I am learning so much about God and living in community here at the YWAM Ships DTS in Kona.

Synchronized dancing

I really enjoyed the Davidic dance that we did at Thrive last summer.

Www.thrivetoday.org

Video of ships arrival in Kona

Great video of the ships arrival in Kona.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7TwsERLpfo&sns=em

Front Page news

Here is a link

http://westhawaiitoday.com/sections/news/local-news/ship-mission.html

About the arrival of the boat in Kona.

Sunday church services

Today I will go to church in Hilo. I already miss our Sunday services at Sea. I feel really close to heaven, when I am in the middle of the ocean.

Thanks for all the Prayers

Our trip across the Pacific was smooth and uneventful, just the way I like it. No accidents, no injuries and just enough mechanical challenges to keep the McGuyver's  in the crew occupied. The Caribbean Reach is a big heavy boat so when the winds became light, we had to motor sail.  I am so thankful for Jesse and Mike Harris who completely rebuilt the 671 Detroit Diesel. They kept the engine purring. If we did not have the engine, I would not be writing this now.  We would still be bobbing around in the middle of the Pacific.

We will be leaving Hilo soon and preparing for a grand arrival in Kona on September 21.

Thank you for all of the prayers. I know it made all the difference in having a safe smooth passage.

Safe arrival in Hilo

We had calm seas For a quick safe 16 day trip across the Pacific. We arrived in Hilo On September 11, 2013.

Track our progress across the Pacific

https://share.delorme.com/BrettCurtis

This link will show our location as we are sailing from California to Hawaii.

CR team preparing for departure

Preparation nearly complete

I have been on the Caribbean Reach for two weeks now. We have had the complete crew on board since August 20. God has assembled a fantastic team for this voyage. Everyone is working together to get things done. I know I  have a great team when the crew is waking up in the middle of the night to make lists, while I am sleeping peacefully! I could go on singing the praises of this team and at some point I will.

I have had eyes on every part of the boat from the top of the main mast to the bottom of the keel, from bow to stern, inside and out. I have a general idea of all of the systems on the boat. Thankfully I have a First Mate, Colter Scarborough, who has been on board for over two years, and a Chief Engineer, Jesse Harris, who just completed a rebuild of the main engine (671 Detroit Diesel with 220 horsepower).

I have never been on a boat with so much fresh water and electricity available. Of course we have back ups, but I am thinking I could get used to this.

Preparations have been a bit of a roller coaster ride, with plans changing every other day. God's timing is perfect. We will leave when we are ready. Today the plan is to leave on Tuesday, August 27.

You can Track us with Delorme. I will post that link soon.  We do have a Satellite phone for weather and emergency communication.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Preparing to sail to Kona

I have been on the boat for five days now. Working on endless lists to be sure the boat is safe and ready to sail to Kona.

Bluewater Send-Off

It is great to be part of a church community that understands sailing.  I am blessed to be under the covering of Pastor Jordan Seng and Bluewater Missions. www.bluewatermission.org 

Today was my last Sunday at church. Thank you to all of my Bluewater supporters.

The YWAM Adventure begins

So much has happened since my last post in 2008. Mainly I got a "real job" teaching in an elementary school.  I may write about that at some point.  Right now I am happy to announce that I am moving on! 18 months ago when asked, "If you had no limitations, what would you do?" I answered, "I would take a sailboat to the remote islands in Micronesia and help to meet the needs of the people there."  In February of this year I accepted the invitation to join the staff of Youth with a Mission (YWAM), as a Captain on their sailboat, taking outreach teams to remote islands in Micronesia. God answers prayers!

The details are falling into place.  I leave Oahu on July 2.

Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands