The Gift Of Our Two Yachts

s/y EL ENCUENTRO

A 60 foot ketch yacht, donated new to YWAM Ships Orange County through an incredible act of generosity by Ready About, a Christian mission organization in Grand Haven, Michigan. On January 24, 2012 Director Jim Pollard called Brett Curtis (YWAM Ships OC), and explained he wanted to donate the vessel outright. All it needed to complete it was rigging, sails, and an anchor windlass system. A new vessel, debt free, never having been in the water.

Jim recalled how in 1997 the Caribbean Mercy ship lead by Brett and Karen Curtis had been in Grand Haven for four weeks and as a retired mariner from earlier in life – now Pastor – he would take crew from that ship out to church on Sundays and on shopping runs in his van. He recalled having met the Curtis back then. When the Caribbean Mercy finally pulled out of port and headed to Chicago, he was inspired to build a training vessel, a sailing ship, that would be used to train young people in the ways of the ocean and discipleship. The vision was to go from port to port around the world spreading the love of Jesus to those who did not know him. A short time afterward he received the donation of a hull which he then proceeded to build into the vessel EL, ENCUENTRO (The Encounter). Jim, a master cabinet maker, sought the very best equipment with most items being kindly donated by many from Florida to the Great Lakes. Only the best equipment would do, she was to be top class in every way. Today as you walk around her, you see the results, high quality equipment and finish work.

As this vision got closer to becoming reality Jim contracted Parkinson’s and after struggling with it for 5 years he finally knew he could not finish her and so on January 24th 2012 he found YWAM Ships on the Internet and placed a call.

Days before this there had been a prayer meeting during which YWAM ships crew were planning details for a new training program, a School of Navigation and Seamanship. They had only just begun to advertise the course on their web site and were praying asking God if He might have someone who had a yacht that might be kind enough to lend it to them on weekends or afternoons in order to have the students practice what they were learning in the classroom. Then the phone call.

Some of the ships specifications include:

Launched: July 18, 2012 Newport Beach CA

Registration: CF 6086 UZ

Length: 60 feet LOA

Beam: 13’6″

Type: Ketch

Main Engine: Perkins Diesel

Horsepower: 75

Draft 6 feet

Generator 9 KW Onan

Hull Identification: CFZ275317X

Weight: 48,000 lbs

 

s/y CARIBBEAN REACH

One of the ministries in Youth With A Mission, Marine Reach, owns and operates a vessel in the Eastern Caribbean sea called the s/y CARIBBEAN REACH. Their leaders Tom and Lisa Kaiser who pioneered this wonderful ministry approached us October 30th 2012 and explained that in early 2013 they were to planning to retire after years of service with Youth With A Mission in the region of the Caribbean.  They went on to explain that after prayerful consideration with their board and regional leadership they want to donate the vessel to YWAM Ships Orange County.

The had been watching for some time what we had been doing in the Pacific with our School of Navigation and Seamanship, and could see how the CARIBBEAN REACH as a vessel would truly benefit what we were committed to.  They told how they could see she is a perfect sized vessel for the region we are in, as we seek to multiply crew for all the ship equipped ministries throughout YWAM.  There are 9 other ship equipped ministries in YWAM now, each of them needing qualified crew to operate.  This vessel is perfectly outfitted for such an effort.

She is designed like the EL ENCUENTRO, a ketch yacht, but has a larger capacity for ministry.  We were obviously surprised and delighted to receive this news and know that EL ENCUENTRO will now have a sister vessel to help reach the isolated in the Pacific and train young sailors.

The CARIBBEAN REACH has been ministering in and around the islands of the Eastern Caribbean Sea for the last ten years.  Her repositioning cruise will see her pass through the Panama Canal and on to Kona, Hawaii before pushing on toward an initial ministry destination in Micronesia .

Some of the specification include:

Length: 74’

Type: Ketch

YEAR: 1982/1996

HULL NUMBER:  GRM 207

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 653498

Beam:  21.8

Draft:  10′

Freshwater Maker: 380 gallons a day

Speed: 7 knots

Berths: 18

Tons:  86