The Outfitting and Shake Down

By Paul Cleath

The first thing one learns when launching a new boat is that there is always one more thing to do before she is ready for sea! At least, that’s how it has seemed as we have prepared to sail. Yet the promise of the sailing and the purpose that brings us all together in these compact quarters, away from family and friends, keeps us motivated and brings focus to each day.

In addition to outfitting El Encuentro, we have daily lessons to continue preparation for sailing. This, too, is an ongoing progression of concepts and rules, navigational challenges, tidal streams, bearing calculations and hazard awareness. The complexities of safely operating a sail boat are vast and being Master of a vessel requires intimate knowledge of every inch of the vessel, every system she depends upon, and every aspect of moving a boat like El Encuentro from Los Angeles to, say, Catalina Island.

So to all who have donated and prayed El Encuentro into this YWAM Ships family, thank you! Your partnership is as important to her safe operation as our labor and training. Without the generous giving and the power of prayer, no village could be reached by El Encuentro and her crew. No student could be trained to crew her and other vessels. And not a single nautical mile would be traversed in pursuit of the lost, who so desperately need to know their loving father in heaven.

Those of us who are a part of the crew of El Encuentro, and those who are in Hawaii or Orange County, wishing they could be here with us, are all committed to this vision. A vision which is best summed up by our YWAM motto, “To Know God and To Make Him Known”. El Encuentro is a tool. She is a tool that God has given to extend His reach to the ends of the earth, until “…the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14

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Interested in knowing more? Contact us. We’d love to chat!

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