S/V Koinonia Weekly Sailing Log - A Busy Few Weeks (Wed Oct 18 - Tue Nov 7, 2023)
After a bit of an unplanned hiatus from our weekly sailing log, we’re back to post an update to catch up on the last several weeks. It has been a travel intensive time as Ben flew back and forth from Grenada to the US twice in 24 hours, once by himself for work and once with the family to attend Amber’s middle brother’s funeral service. As such, this post will be a synopsis rather than our typical daily log format.
Ben Travels to Florida for Work - Ben flew to the US for a consulting project. During this time, Amber and the kids remained with the boat in St George’s, Grenada. Amber and the kids did an amazing job of caring for all the daily needs on the boat like making water, monitoring the state of the house batteries, and more all while homeschooling and taking care of the kids. What an amazing woman! While Ben was in Florida, he got to attend the Ft Lauderdale boat show and also reconnected with our friends Tommy and Tracy on S/V “Sailin' Shoes” as well as Drew Trent on S/V “Reload and Charge.”
Amber’s Birthday and Traveling to Georgia - sadly, Amber’s middle brother Daniel McGowan, 45, passed away unexpectedly Sept 19th. Since the family is geographically dispersed, the funeral and celebration of life was set for a time when everyone could travel to be together. After Ben returned to Grenada, we packed our bags and prepared to fly back to the US the next day. Amber’s birthday was Oct 31st, the same day Ben returned home, so we celebrated our wonderful wife/mother’s special day. Our boat neighbors and dear friends, Brandon, Ashley, and their three boys on S/V “BAGIA” baked a birthday cake (Tres Leches) and the boys each made homemade birthday cards and a bouquet of origami flowers. They are also graciously keeping an eye on “Koinonia” while we are gone. Aren’t friends amazing? Our trip was smooth and we arrived at Ben’s parents house after a full day of travel at 2am on Nov 2nd.
The Funeral - the service for Amber’s brother was well attended, with standing room only in the church. The service was very well done and we got to see some family members and friends we haven’t seen in many years. After the memorial service was a reception with southern desserts and coffee.
Visiting Family in Georgia - we got to visit with grand parents; we are blessed that three of the girl's great grandparents are still living. Fortunately, both Ben and Amber’s parents live within about 3 miles of each other and most of our extended family lives within about 30-45 mins. The big girls woke up early and went fishing with their cousin, Andrew, at a nearby private pond and they caught a bunch of fish. Ben helped his Dad swap implements on the tractor and Lizzy did some squirrel hunting on her own. We bought the girls some new shoes, since pickings are pretty slim in the islands. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be a complete visit to the US without someone getting sick. The kids have cycled through a stomach virus, which sadly caused us to have to cancel some of our visits for fear of spreading the illness to others. Amber proactively called the airline to find out about our options, in the event someone is still sick on the day we are scheduled to fly back to Grenada. Fortunately, they will allow us to reschedule our flight with a Doctor’s note. Of course, we are praying that won't be necessary.
God Bless
S/V Koinonia