World Kids
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| · An Educational Outreach Program · Bringing the World's Children Together · | World Kids
Foundation Inc. |
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December 2007 |
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Final Report 2007 |
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Hi everyone, I hope you had a warm and spirited holiday season. 2007 is now just another calendar on the shelf. It has been quite a year for all of us. ~~ Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Nuevo ~~ On the World Kids Foundation and Cruising Central America side of things, here is how my year went...more or less. All things considered, I'm looking forward to 2008. JANUARY 2007 California USASigned a contract with a book publisher in the USA on the subject of getting Cruising Central America to press. A publishing contract is one thing. Getting the book to the store is another. There are many details beyond the scope of this report. In brief, I have logged thousands of miles up and down the coast of Central America by land, sea and air, surveying, researching, collecting data, compiling information and making it guide book legible for you. Over 280 pages are now complete and for the most part ready to be delivered to the editor. FEBRUARY 2007 California USAFebruary 2007 found me in San Diego, California. The next step; run around and try to acquire the necessary capital to head back to Central America and finish off the field research. My initial plan was to drive all the way to Nicaragua with my Ford Bronco II. February was also a month of reuniting and sharing time with an ole high school buddy from years back. Mark and Marcy had me over at their ranch as a guest prior to my return to Central America. In this month, my son Robin would turn 6 years old. MARCH 2007 El SalvadorVisited my snow bird folks in Yuma, AZ in the first week of March. On the drive back to San Diego, my cell phone rings with news of the death of my very dear friend and mentor, Dick Ribble. My flight to San Salvador, El Salvador was already booked. I would be flying to El Salvador to launch a 27'ft Albin Vega sloop named SV VESPER, thanks to my pal Trevor in Florida. Feeling rather empty over news of Dick's passing, I decided to stay the course, as he would have appreciated it. I boarded my flight to El Salvador to begin the next chapter. APRIL 2007 El Salvador and NicaraguaSpend most of April working on SV VESPER in the confines of a hot humid jungle estuary in El Salvador. Amazingly enough, it didn't take more than 3 weeks to get VESPER back in the water, cleaned up and ready to set out to sea. During my 20 year tenor of blue water sailing, most of it has been aboard Chickadee. SV VESPER is equipped with a mature VOLVO PENTA. In late April, with the boat in good form, VESPER and I headed out to sea on a south-bound run down the coast of Central America. In this month, my daughter Kaerolik would turn 10 years old. MAY 2007 NicaraguaResearched many new ports of call and updated the rest for the guide book. Though quite small compared to Chickadee's solid 30 ft of steel, VESPER performed well on the open ocean. She is better rigged than Chickadee, and much easier to sail. VESPER has roller furling, jack lines, diesel auxiliary and lines lead aft. Once I became comfortable with the boat and her systems, I navigated down the coast dropping anchor in various remote places. Among them, I spend close to a week in Astillero, Nicaragua waiting out nasty papagayo winds to taper off. JUNE 2007 Nicaragua
JULY 2007 NicaraguaSV VESPER and the diesel engine it came with had been running so well I thought it would make sense to give it a good P.M. (preventive maintenance). ie: Oil and fuel filter change, tune-up, grease job and general going over. This would be done before I would depart Nicaragua for Costa Rica to survey those waters. "If it isn't broken...don't fix it." As it turns out, many bugs in the ole motor needed fumigating and I had engine problems all the way to Bahia Salinas, Costa Rica. Low on funds and without a reliable motor to do the job right, I tacked close haul back to San Juan Del Sur to hang up the hat. I can honestly say I tried my best to include Costa Rica into this edition of CRUISING CENTRAL AMERICA. AUGUST 2007 NicaraguaWith hurricane season on the horizon and a boat with engine problems at anchor, I decided the next move would be to haul VESPER out of the water and stowe her on dry dock. This took the better part of two months. At first there was no room in the shipyard, followed by a broken down crane waiting for parts to be sent from Russia. Whilst waiting for the shipyard to pull me out of the water, I spent quality time with the kids. Rosio and the children are living in the rat shack; a mind bending heart ache beyond description. August 2007 marked the month I would be out of a laptop computer for the first time in 12 years. A major blow to my projects. The circuit board in the 3 year old HP 4500ze melted from plenty of use and power surges. Fortunately, all my files were recovered. SEPTEMBER 2007 NicaraguaHurricane Felix plastered the east coast of Nicaragua leaving behind death and destruction. Those of us on the West Coast of Nicaragua were spared of its wrath. Vesper remained at anchor through out this wet month as I continued to push to get it hauled out. Things were not looking good. The shipyard still did not have the crane repaired. My op funds had run out and I was getting antsy about leaving Nicaragua while still possible.
OCTOBER 2007 California USAGot a sort of lucky break and managed to get VESPER put on a trailer in the new section of the shipyard, and finally out of the water. Now with the boat locked up and stowed, the next indicate step was arranging a flight out of the country. I shoe stringed it onto a flight to LAX. Spend a few days visiting Mark and Marcy in San Diego, got my ole truck running again and hit the interstate north bound. NOVEMBER 2007 California USAPit stopped in Sausalito California to help a friend install a teak hardwood floor in his house. What we thought would take 2 weeks, ended up taking over a month. Good times however getting reconnected with ole pals and new friends. Went out sailing on San Francisco Bay a few times, took in a movie here and there, dinner on the town and overall fine times. DECEMBER 2007
The straw that sprained this camels back was a stall on the Gold Gate Bridge. With a little help from friends, I left the truck behind and returned to Canada by air. Landed in Vancouver under rainy skies, with worn out tools but in good spirits. The skies are cloudy but the future is bright. World Kids Foundation 2007Whilst back in Nicaragua for most of the year:
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