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The small boat used to transport volunteers and supplies to The Wesleyan Church’s hospital on La Gonave Island in Haiti was simply no longer up for the job.
The rustic and old Wesleyana was both well-worn and worn out. The small, old boat has held as many as 25-30 passengers (plus pieces of luggage), a number far beyond its limit. Just 14 miles separate La Gonave from the Haitian mainland, and a one-way trip took 90 minutes to complete. Dean Stephenson, a lay person from the Atlantic District, first noticed the Wesleyana’s limitations while serving with a missions team in 2007 that traveled to Haiti to do construction. As Dean and team members began to talk, they realized a new boat might better serve the island.
Dean led another team to La Gonave in 2008. Peter Wilcox, a lobster fisherman from New Brunswick, Canada, also traveled with the team. Through conversation, Dean learned that Peter and his father had a lobster boat currently for sale.
La Gonave, Haiti, is home to 120,000 inhabitants, and the only hospital available on the island is one run by The Wesleyan Church. A boat is imperative to carry volunteers and supplies to and from the hospital.
In late summer 2008, others caught the vision for a new transporter boat, and through the generosity of many individuals and churches in the Atlantic District, the Breezy Sea (pictured behind the smaller Wesleyana) was purchased for a fraction of its worth. After making a few repairs and cementing numerous details, the Breezy Sea set sail for Haiti on November 22, 2009. Bob Colpitts, a marine captain, and Charles McNair, a congregant in Dean’s home church, co-captained the five-week voyage, arriving in St. Marc, Haiti, on December 29.
The BreezySea's voyages have never before seemed more important than in the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake that rocked Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area.
“The Breezy Sea has done everything from hauling supplies, transporting medical teams, transporting the bodies of those killed [who were from La Gonave], rescuing stranded World Hope students in Petit Goave and bringing the injured to the Wesleyan hospital in La Gonave,” says Dean. “It appears that it arrived just in time to offer a better level of service for our missionaries and our Haitian friends in this desperate hour. For this we are thankful for God’s provision.”
To read more about the Breezy Sea, visit the Caribe Atlantic Area Web site.
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