04.04.15 Red Cross volunteer boat and lunar eclipse

As of Saturday morning, I became a Yapese Red Cross volunteer. Five of us from Public Health are volunteering to serve to do an assessment on Ulithi and Fais and to deliver much needed supplies. The Red Cross has given everything in their savings and shelves for this trip.
As luck would hold it, we had encountered many problems and the trip is delayed by  one day.
First the ship is loaded  with rice and water. The young men fromteh green boat are very helpful. Then the volunteers board. We are now two hours late. Then the engines start - o no, the battery doesn't work. Then the battery is jumped and I take this time to  run home and grab the children's presents sent to  me by Mrs Gibson (thank you!) as we have room for them. Then there is no fuel for the return, three drums that were to be picked up by the government people on the ship are - empty. That is right, no fuel. No payment, no fuel. Someone has two containers (about three gallons each maybe, so those are filled and now we are ready to go. Lines off, engines running, lights on (most anyway), navigational equipment working, here we go. No wait. The ship can only go forwards and backwards. You can spin the wheel and the boat does not turn. We dock again (bow line was still on). Many attemps, no success. Instructions in Chinese, call Yunka, a very nice Chinese man, to interpret. He arrives, very kind, looks at the instructions, wait, these characters are Japanese not Chinese. Where is the Japanese lady who has lived here for 20 years - someone go an get her. It is a lunar eclipse, so that occupied my time. Since I am still ariting a blog you can guess, trip postponed until tonight, hopefully with fuel, charged battery and capability to steer!

The Red Cross volunteers (apart from the PH ones) are young men and one woman who are energetic. The director is Etun and he is full of energy and very much on top of his things. He is also very surgical - do this - do that - and it gets done - so of course I really like him. Some people wished there were more like him. He gets the job done.

Here are a few pictures of our preparations and the lunar eclipse.

 

We are gathered at the dock and waiting to board. It is as hot as the blazes. And humid too. This is Roxy, who volunteers to help a lot.

 

 Men from the green boat.

 

Etun, John and one person from the dock.

 

Water filled the bow. In containers, of course!



Rice stored underneath.

Kids seeing their Dad off. It is getting really late now.

Etun, director of the Yap Red Cross, and Martina, Acting director of the hospital.

 

 

Yunka and John, who owns the boat, trying to sort out the steering system. It did steer on its several test runs, but with a different person behind the wheel.                                                                       

With luck, we will depart on Sunday at 6 PM. Or so.