Day 1 Oriental Boat Show

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Somehow we made it through Day 1 of the Oriental Boat Show without taking any pictures!
We will try to remedy that today.

We did meet a number of people who seemed interested in our mission work. We also reconnected with a number of people that we met here last year. That has been really cool.

If you are at all interested in boats, come on out. We have 2 days left.

Saturday 10 - 6
Sunday 10 - 3

The Fullness of Time

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Those are not often my favorite words. I want the fullness of time to be now. But we submit to God's timing in all things, even when we feel impatient.

We are praying that I will have a more healthy summer and a less crazy work schedule this year so that I will have more time in the Mission Nav shop.

That said, it is time to prepare for our summer work schedule. If you are interested in working in the shop, please keep an eye on the Mission Nav Facebook Page for work day postings and details.

If you would like to have us share about Mission Navigation at your church, please contact us, and we will work out an arrangement.
missionnavigation@gmail.com

We are also planning to be at the Oriental Boat Show again this year. I am just getting the ball rolling with that, so I do not know where we will be placed. Mark your calendars for April 8-10th! More info about the show: 2016 Oriental Boat Show

 

 

 

Mission Partners

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If you have been involved with us for any amount of time you have probably met or heard of Dick Apps. He has been down here several times to work with us on the mission boat and has been instrumental in forming and leading groups down here as well.

Dick is a retired RN and continues to be active in service. In fact, early this morning he and 11 others flew out (from Syracuse, NY) to Les Basse, Haiti to serve on a 2 week medical mission trip. They will also go into a remote mountain region there as well.

He has requested prayer for their journey and service. I have included that here in his words.

2012 Building Team leader, Dick Apps

2012 Building Team leader, Dick Apps

Key prayer requests: 
For team unity- that the Lord will unite us in His work with servant hearts.
Wisdom during this trip. Might see some medical things that we don't normally see in the US.
Please pray against the spiritual strongholds in Les Basse, Voodoo is very strong throughout Haiti.  Eph 6:12 is a key scripture to be prayed.
For our health. (AARP would be well represented if we belonged to it.)
For our Individual spiritual growth. Time with God in prayer and devotions.
Travel mercies.
That all our supplies would arrive without tampering.

Picture-less but Essential Work

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Saturday I had a small time window to work in the shop. I had been postponing a small, but tricky project in favor of larger more satisfying tasks. That was until yesterday (Saturday).

The stem of the boat has an acute junction of port side, starboard side, and foredeck that is rather tricky to glass. I have the opinion that no one should ever have to be concerned about slamming anything (within reason) with their bow. In other words, I like the ice-breaker bow mentality. Consequently, I make the bow of a vessel extremely tough.

That said, the tricky glass work that needs to be done on the tip of the stem (component that makes up the bow), needs to be done multiple times. And because the shape is not user friendly for the fiberglass, someone needs to baby sit it.

Short story: It's done! Three layers of 1708 fiberglass and it should be pretty tough. This sets me up to put the second layer on the foredeck. Stay tuned please.

Back in The Shop

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There are many things on my mind as I share this. So I'll attempt to be concise.

  1. This is my first workday in the shop after surgery four weeks ago. So, I'm enjoying this small victory.
  2. My regular job schedule has increased which reduces my available days to work in the Mission Nav shop.
  3. The mission in Haiti we are building this boat for just lost ALL of their incoming supplies. You may have seen the report of the cargo ship that sank in Hurricane Joaquin. That vessel contained NWHCM's winter supplies. We celebrate that the crew was rescued. We are stunned at the overwhelming loss of resources.
  4. I am a bit discouraged at how many obstacles arise, seemingly effortlessly, that require a great deal of struggle, just to get a work day in the shop.
  5. Today I discovered that I had not ordered fiberglass. Feeling kind of foolish that I forgot a primary component. So as a plan B, I worked on the lazaret hatch opening which used Xynole. It was good progress, just not what I had planned.

Engine Compartment Hatch

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Today, as the weather was (in Down East parlance) "kicking up a slight mullet blow," I was able to sand up, shape, radius, and fiberglass the engine compartment hatch.
Hatch = Lid

There is a lot of technical stuff going on at the corners, but it rather defies description unless one is familiar with the fiberglass process. I'll spare you all the details. My boat builder comrades will pick up on it.

The actual process took a tad bit longer than the video.