Sailing the Carribean

Well over a year ago I sent magnets, lots of them, to the mother of the girl in the Panama post. This, Heidi, woman and her husband in their sailboat, Act III, went island hopping in the Carribean for quite a long time. I feel sure it was over a year but confess that I lost track. Below is a photo of their sailboat and, below it, are quotes from Heidi's emails:

"My magnets are safely stored against breaking and rust and I'm looking forward to having memorable moments as I pass them on. Did I mention to you they are lovely? The biggest story for us so far is crossing the Gulf Stream earlier this week, from Miami to Bimini. You're right the weather has been unusual and tricky for sailing...most cruisers report they have never seen such patterns.  Our trip is terrific, but only now are we beginning to feel 'foreign'."

" I did not leave one in Bimini, as the right situation did not come up.  I did, however, give one to Darcy, in Warderick Wells Cay, Exumas, Bahamas. For the past 6 years Darcy has worked at this unique Land and Sea Park, coordinating moorings for vessels wishing to stay at this park. It is spectacularly beautiful here, pristine and full of fish and lobsters and healthy coral reefs,
due to the park's "no take" policy."

"You can put pins in Dominican Republic (Luperon) where I gave a magnet to the lovely woman who makes breads and jams to sell at the weekly swap meet at the marina.  Also Boqueron Puerto Rico, where I used one to say thanks to Raul "Rolling Thunder", the man who facilitated our check-in. There's been no obvious place in the USVI to leave one, but I expect to find a home for one in Tortola.  They are great fun "trade" for a surprised smile."

"We've left magnets at every island we've gone ashore.  On our way south, we mostly stayed aboard because we were in a hurry to get south, below the "safe" hurricane latitude. We spent the summer in Grenada, where the sweet barmaid was delighted and charmed with your project.  I dropped on on a Rasta in Bequia (one of the Grenadines associated with St. Vincent) and in St. Vincent proper I gave one to the young "boat boy" who paddled out to us at the anchorage.   In many of these islands the locals greet your boat way out of the bay and want you to pay them for a mooring that they don't actually own, or buy something, or guide you around, or they even just ask you, "do you have a fishing rod, surfboard, or goggles for me?".  They can be aggressive nuisances, but this boy in St. Vincent just chatted and didn't ask for a thing--he appreciated a gift."

"We left a magnet in Martinique, at our favorite bakery.  It wasn't long before the young lady knew to put 2 baguettes into a bag when we came in."

"You can put another pin at Portsmouth, Dominica, where we left a magnet at the Kalingaro (Caribe) village.  Don't know if they have any fridges to put them on, but they make awesome cassava bread with a foot-pedal-operated grater for the cassava root."

"Also, at Les Saintes, Guadeloupe (Terre d'Haut) we gave one to the sweet man who came to our boat every day to deliver fresh baguettes and croissants."

"We're now in Antigua, just checking in with customs.  I have a magnet ready for delivery...who knows where yet."

"...we've had great fun dispersing your magnets.  Our boat (and a magnet) are currently in Bocas del Toro, Panama, and you can add Isla Mujeres MX and Grand Cayman Island to your list, if they're not already covered."

Namibia, Africa

My mother bought some magnets from you and she gave them to me to give away in Namibia, Africa this summer. I was there as a short-term missionary/volunteer for a month. I helped at a school called Talitha Kumi Christian Academy and I also helped out a family that has several children that go to the school. I gave the frog magnet to the family as a way for them to remember me. They absolutely loved it! 

Now let me tell you a little about the family. Buella and her husband are raising seven girls. Two are their own children and the other five are their foster children. The family is part of a ministry called His Promise, which is an organization that helps care for vulnerable and orphaned children. Buella is an amazing woman who loves these girls like her own.  Shecares for them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I was helping her girls learn how to use a laptop computer and they were so appreciative.  Saying goodbye to this sweet family was very hard and tearful, but I am grateful to have met them.  A piece of my heart will always be with them in Arandis, Namibia. They have the frogmagnet to  remember me and I have a picture of them.

The community of Arandis, where I spent most of my time, is in the middle of the desert. It's about an hour from beautiful sand dunesand the Atlantic Ocean.  It's a very unique place.

This is the website for the organization: http://www.hispromiseministries.org/
...and a comment from her mother:"...As she gave it to the family she remembered an appropriate saying "F"ully "R"ely "O"n "G"od "FROG!"

Alaska, Sort of...

How sad that this couple left their magnet in their hotel room. Having nothing to pacify this ferocious bear they had to resort to human sacrifice...