Sunset over Calvados

Despite the rough weather on the mainland, the trip was blessed with relatively calm seas and clear skies.  This was one of several beautiful sunsets that we enjoyed on the 5 day journey.  

Finally! Fresh Meat

Beef Crackers and Ramen Noodles get OLD after a few days.

  The guys were thrilled with this amazing catch.

Babe's on the Beach

Every woman worries about what temptations will befall her sailor who is at sea too long.
This babe on the beach is no siren, merely a "manatee mermaid".
Rest easy, Stacie.

Sea Time

Radio Skeds, Wheel Time, Uno ("Regha!"), Movie Night, Intellectual Stimulation (AKA reading Calvin and Hobbes), and Richard scraping coconuts to make coconut rice

Heading Home

Jack, Solo, and Kadi were dropped off at their village on Sudest Island in the wee hours of the night. These three translators had spent the last month at our center in Alotau checking translation work with Wycliffe Translator Mike Anderson. They were anxious to get home and thankful for the Kwadima II. It would have taken them days of waiting for passenger boats and dinghy rides to get home on their own.

All Hands on Deck

Offloading Fuel Drums and Medical Supplies on Misima, Rossel, and Paneati Islands.

The Misima Hospital is a beautiful, well-equipped facility built during the previous gold-mining era of the 90's.  Though remote, it serves many people of Misima and the surrounding islands but is still lacking a head surgeon and several other key staff positions.  Please pray for these needs to be met.  

Village Scenes

We always enjoy the opportunity to go ashore and visit new places.  This station on the island of Paneati was a quaint village where we were warmly welcomed by people who were so happy and thankful to receive much needed medical supplies.

Flying the Ship's Colors

Captain's Log

* Excerpt from Safely Home post trip email

Dear Friends,


Ateuova (Misima: Thank you – lit. “to you, my liver”) and Ago laghie (Sudest, Thank you very much) for your prayers for all of us last week. Austin and I arrived back home Thursday morning after completing our trip which lasted almost 5 days and covered about 500nm through the eastern islands of Milne Bay Province.

The trip was a primarily a government charter in which we delivered 100+ cartons of medical supplies and a dozen drums of fuel for dinghies and generators to 5 Provincial Health Centers (on Kwaraiwa, Nimoa, Rossel, Misima and Paneati Islands for you GoogleEarth geeks like me!). Also, since we were in the vicinity of Tagula Island, we were able to make a side-trip to transport 3 Sudest translators back to their village after they had completed about a month of work checking several New Testament books here in Alotau.

This was my first chance to get out with the crew since our return to PNG and it was good to reconnect with Capt. Soki and Richard and get to know Ephraim, the newest crewmember, a bit better. The trip was filled with many hours on the water and numerous wheel watches as we ran round the clock; lots of reading time, some wheel time and a few charting/navigation lessons for Austin and his friend, Caden who also came along for the adventure; welcome deliveries of the medical supplies; some wild Uno (or “Regha” in the Sudest language) games with the crew and our Sudest friends Solo, Jack and Kadi; an AMAZING catch of a ~15kg Mahi mahi (which made for some nice sashimi and a tasty fish-fry); and some new friends and wonderful sights along the way.
Buli waiwaisana (Good night - Misima) and Amba ghinda (See you later - Sudest)