This afternoon...

... the captain announced that we had sailed passed the mouth of the Orange River and are now sailing off the coast of South Africa. Sweet.

Sailing Update

This is one rocking ship. Literally.

We have felt the swells and huge waves over the last two or three days. Fortunately the next few days promise to be more calm.

Huge waves hitting the bow.

It's been a fun week of sailing despite the rocking and rolling. There has been a lot of laughter. Just getting our meals has been an adventure; not to mention trying to balance a cup of tea as you fly across the dining room.

On Sunday we participated in the Sailing Olympics. We made up teams of four and played 16 games. We named our team North and South - two members from South Africa and two from North America.

Team North and South.

Visit Murray's Mercy Ship Adventure for more pictures and information about the sailing olympics.

Pictures taken by Murray Crawford

From Pollywog to Shellback

Yes, it's true.

We crossed the Equator early on Tuesday morning and are in the Southern hemisphere now. (It's good to be back by the way.)



This recent development means that our entire crew are now what the more experienced seafarers among us call shellbacks. Up until Monday those of us who had never crossed the Equator by ship were slimy pollywogs.

All of this maritime madness can be traced back to seagoing practices from earlier years. Sailors who had never crossed the Equator by ship were not considered well-travelled and labelled pollywogs - a horrible stigma for any sailor.

After an initiation and shellback ceremony, the sailors received certificates to verify their new status. This usually involved some form of celebration ... which is the perfect excuse for a chocolate!

Time To-go...

We left Togo over the weekend and are on our way to my homeland...SOUTH AFRICA!

The Africa Mercy departs the port of Lome, Togo (thanks Murray for the picture)

I am yet to spot whales or dolphins although some people have already seen some. I'll keep you posted...

So far the sail has been good to us. This evening we watched Titanic out on Deck 8. A little bit of irony. A lot of fun.