Our Sailors

I just talked to a very tired, hot and frustrated brother. He said that they are moving 3 miles an hour....not quite the pace that they desire! It's in the 90's, with little wind so they are hot. The way I understood it, they have about 200 miles to go....not sure if I understood that correctly...he talks so fast! It has to be frustrating to be so close and yet be moving at a snail's pace. PRAY FOR WIND!

location:

13 degrees 53 min S
145 degrees 44 min W

Our sailors

Today's report is very little wind....and anxious sailors! They are ready to be done with this journey!


Location:

12 degrees 49 min S
144 degrees 44 min W

Our sailors

When I arrived home from school today Terry had already left a message. They need us to pray for wind....they've been motoring, but can't do that much longer because of low fuel. Dave and Dan are suppose to fly out of Tahiti (for home) Monday night so it would be good if they arrived in Tahiti before their plane takes off!

location:

12 degrees 7 min S
144 degrees 0 min W

Sailors

Our sailors are experiencing their hottest day yet -- over 90 degrees. Plus they do not have any wind. For now they are motoring, hoping to get some wind soon.

location:

11 degrees 33 min S
141 degrees 01 min W

Terry and crew

All is OK. Good winds. Nothing new to report. (which is OK with me!)

Location:

10 degrees 46 min S
141 degrees 5 min W

Terry called this evening and said that they were just leaving Hiva Oa. They couldn't leave until they had gone through immigration....which thankfully, they got to the right person with minutes to spare, otherwise it would have been a wait until Monday. Because of the shallow water at the dock, the boat was hitting bottom and was a little tippy. He also had an issue with the anchor, but retrieved it with the dingy. They are now on the open sea and with favorable winds, will be in Tahiti in about 8 days. Please continue to pray.

location: 9 degrees 50 minutes S
139 degrees 01 min W ( I'm not sure how accurate this is, I couldn't hear him very well.)

Terry and crew

They made it to Hiva Oa today! Hurray! The biggest leg of the journey is over. They had just pulled into port when Tami had talked to their daughter briefly. She said they plan on at least spending the night, maybe a day and then they'll move out for the last leg of their journey. I'll know more when I talk to Terry tomorrow. Keep praying for this last leg.....it's not necessarily an easy trip through the islands.

Terry and crew

The message tonight: if the winds continue they will be at Hiva Oa tomorrow....I think they are a little excited!

Location: 8 degrees 29 min S
137 degrees 37 min W

Terry & Crew

It is a good sailing day and if things continue our sailors should be in port in 2 days. Terry was discouraged because his new navigational system stopped working....not a good thing if you are in the middle of the ocean! Thankfully, Dave and/or Dan also brought along a handheld GPS which is working fine. Continue to pray.

Location: 6 degrees 47 min S
135 degrees 31 min W

Terry and crew

Just heard from Terry. They are moving along at a good clip - 5 1/2 knots, so winds have picked up. They had storms last night....he got soaked 3 different times on his 3 hour watch. If the winds continue, they should be at their first port in a month, Hiva Oa, in 3-4 days. They are anxious to see land!

Location: 5 degrees 47 min S
133 degrees 58 min W

Our Sailors

Just talked to Tami and she sounded discouraged because they really aren't moving very much. She asked that we have everyone pray for wind. It's unusual for there not to be any wind where they are in the ocean. Terry was working on the motor again and they were doing some motoring when they could. I guess almost every day he has something to work on....that can help with being bored, but also gets old and can be discouraging. I think they are ready to be done with this journey. But as Dave said to Tami, "It's better to be bored, than terrified!" She agrees.

Location is: 3 degrees 20m S
131 degrees 12 m W

Equator

It's official... the sailors have crossed the equator! Right before it, they lowered the sails so that Terry could swim beside the boat as they crossed from the northern hemisphere into the southern. If nothing else, it is an emotional lift to know that they are beyond a target point. Now on towards the first land. Hopefully, in a week or so they will be experiencing life off from the boat for a tad bit.

Location: 0 degrees 7 m S
128 degrees 12m W

Equator here we come

Well, our crew have now seen a shark and sea turtle. Tami and Tobi have also experienced flying fish landing on them while they slept! (The fish came through the open hatch.) Things are going well and if the wind continues as is, they should be at the equator tomorrow. Then, if the winds continue to cooperate, they hope to be at their first port in about 8 days. Land....what a beautiful sight that is going to be for at least some of them! But then they'll have another week or longer on the boat in order to get to Tahiti. I wish I could talk longer than a minute when Terry calls....I have so many questions to ask him! Guess they'll have to wait.

Keep praying!

Location: 1 degree 29 min N
127 degrees 39 min W

Terry and crew

The report for today is hot and muggy, but they are at least moving! (about 5 knots) They hope that they are out of the doldrums. The big news of the day is that Toby caught his tuna! (I'm sure he had some help!) It was about 60 inches long and I am told that it was pretty tasty. Terry also said that while they were without wind, they decided to go swimming. I guess it would be pretty tempting to do so with water all around you and you are experiencing hot and muggy weather. At least there weren't any sharks around!

Location: 3 degrees 33m N
126 degrees 54 m W

They hope to be at the equator in 1 1/2 to 2 days.

Terry and Tami

I didn't get to talk to Terry directly, just had a message and some of it was not clear. I picked up that it was hot & muggy, no wind, and he called the ocean "flat".
They were doing some motoring, but I'm not sure how much or even how much they can do on their limited gas supply. Their location is:

5 degrees 19 min N
126 degrees 9 min W

Pray that they'll have wind soon so they can be on their way again a little more quickly!

Terry and crew

The crew is now in the doldrums and are motoring in order to get through this spot of no wind. They had a leak in their fresh water tank, but were able to fix it.

What a unique way to spend Easter Sunday....I'm sure they had a time of celebrating the risen Christ, but I think it was probably a far different service than what most of us experienced today! I am so thankful that our risen Christ is with them every mile of this journey.

Location: 7 degrees 7 min N
120 degrees 28 min W

The sailors

Our crew seems to be doing fine. They went through a small squall this morning with winds 25 - 30 knots, but this afternoon the skies cleared and they are enjoying a nice day and good sailing. Their little whale friend was with them for awhile this morning, but has now gone his own way. They should be at the equator in about 4 days if the wind continues to cooperate.

Location: 8 degrees 53 minutes N
124 degrees 46 minutes W

Continue to pray for safety, wisdom, good winds, the boat to work well, peace of mind, unity.
Thanks!

Terry and Tami

The sailors were making good progress today. As Terry was giving me their update, he was watching a small whale play near them. They weren't sure what kind of whale. He also said that they have not seen any other boats since Long Beach, CA. I can't imagine the emotions of being surrounded by water and seeing no one but your 4 crew mates day after day. At least they have the satellite phone to keep in contact with what's going on outside their water world.

Their coordinates for today are:

11 degrees 0 minutes N
124 degrees 9 minutes W

Terry and Tami

Today's report is sunny skies, 85 degrees, and very little wind. Terry said that we can pray for a little more wind. A few days ago they saw 40 some dolphins and occasionally they have flying fish land on their deck. (little ones!) I guess some of them have been doing some fishing. Toby is hoping to catch a tuna. Their exact coordinates are:

13 16m North
124 3m West

He confirmed that the storm they were worried about is east of them. Yay!

Terry and Tami

Good news! It looks like the hurricane force winds that are predicted are not for the area that Terry and the crew will be in. Keep praying that God will guide them and protect them. They did have some higher winds last night, but today was better. Their coordinates are:

15 27 N
123 43 W

Terry and Tami

Today's location is: 17 degrees 23 minutes N and 123 13 minutes W

PRAY! There is a possibility of running into very strong winds in a couple of days --not the kind of wind they want. Pray that God will give them wisdom to know what to do as they find out more about this weather forecast.

Terry and Tami

Today's report is sunny skies, 75 degrees, and good winds. They are about level with Hawaii and are hoping that the winds will continue. If the wind continue, they should be at the equator in about 8 days. Once there, they will take a "pit stop" so Terry and Dan can take a swim. :) From the equator it is about another 800 miles to the next land and then another 800 miles to Tahiti.
Keep praying for the crew and for the loved ones they have left behind.

Terry and Tami

I just talked to Terry and Tami's daughter, Tawyna, who had the latest contact with the crew. She said they still need prayer for good winds. Their location is:

20 degrees 35 minutes N
122 degrees 21 minutes W

Terry and Tami's Journey

Terry was much more upbeat today because the winds had picked up. They were averaging about 4 knots and even briefly went up to 8 knots. Plus they were going in the right direction! He said that they are averaging about 140 nautical miles per day. Their exact location is:
23 degrees 37 minutes North
121 degrees 46 minutes West.

Terry and Tami

Terry sounded tired and discouraged. They've made very little progress today. They are just zigzagging east and west with very little progress south. Maybe God is trying to teach Terry some patience! It's very difficult for a hyper active guy to be in his position. Pray that they will hit the prevailing winds soon. Their exact location is:

23 degrees 58 M North
121 degrees 38 m West

Terry and Tami's Journey

Today's report is calm seas.....too calm. The lack of good wind is slowing down their progress. Pray for Tami that she would sleep better at night. She's beginning to feel "I'm stuck on a small boat, on a large ocean, for several more weeks" feeling. Their exact location is:

25 degrees 25 minutes North
121 degrees 55 minutes West

Terry and Tami's Journey

Today Terry reported sunny skies, beautiful blue water and great winds. They are now actually going in the right direction! For a couple of days the winds did not cooperate and they were not moving in the most direct route. The swells are 3-5 feet, some up to 10, which are not too bad. If they continue at the speed they are now going, they will reach the equator in about 11 days. That will put them a little over 1/2 way. Their exact location is:

27 degrees 5 minutes North
120 degress 56 minutes West