Matt & Jessica's Sailing Page. Now that we’re sitting in Indiantown Marina and it’s obvious that we’re going to be here for quite a long time while we fix up Daze Off to sail, I don’t want to bore you with stories that are only related to boat work (but don’t worry, they’re still coming). A few days later we were back on land for one last internet and weather check before departing and unfortunately received some bad news from back home that one of our grandparents had passed away. After sitting in Guatemala at a marina for five months and then mostly traveling inside the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, this was our first real open water passage in a long time. Conditions out the window still looked slightly rough, but I was tired of sitting in one spot. It had finally gotten to the point that I would have taken an uncomfortable passage (read: not dangerous, just uncomfortable), over sitting still any longer. Plus we had finally gotten an email communication from Skebenga that they were leaving that day as well to head up to Cozumel.
There was a little bit of security in knowing that we’d have a buddy boat out there with us. Now our only task was getting Serendipity out of the San Pedro cut at Ambergris Cay, a tricky little thing that we’d heard cautionary tales of from people who’d entered it coming down from Mexico. It has low lying reefs on both sides, a fun little turn in the middle, and apparently is a bitch to try and navigate in anything but calm seas. Coming up on San Pedro I scanned the anchorage with my binoculars, searching for any sign of Skebenga. I didn’t see their steel hulled boat sitting with all the others, but I did see a few other boats traveling out on the water. One looked like it was headed toward the cut we were about to enter, so once more, I whipped out the binoculars in that direction. From what I could see, this boat had a white hull, dark blue sail covers, and double headsails, just like Skebenga.
Handing over the binoculars to Matt, he took a look as well, but didn’t think it was them. We let the debate continue for the next 3. Almost Skebenga, we finally decided on, as they traversed the cut. All morning we had been debating if we should try it ourselves or not, how the weather would affect it, possibly make it harder.
Followers of Christ: Please base your comments on a Biblical, Christian worldview, for the purpose of helping followers of Jesus Christ make the wisest possible.
Once it was clear that Almost Skebenga was going for it, we watched with desperate intent. Passing through the boundary of relatively calm water behind the reef, we stared on as they bobbed up and down like a teeter totter through the rough waves coming in, me becoming more panicked each minute. Taken Three (2015) Download Ipod. Should we save this for another day? Possibly when the waters were dead calm? But who knew when that day would be.
Even though it was a bumpy ride, Almost Skebenga had made it out. If they could do it, so could we. Gathering our wits and triple checking the waypoints we plugged in to the chart plotter, we were ready to attempt this hair raising cut. It was decided that I should be put at the bow to try and guide us through any coral that we might accidentally get acquainted with, so strapping on a harness I clipped on the lifelines and made my way up front.
Before I had gotten up there, when we were back in the cockpit deciding on which person should take what role, I asked Matt, “So, say we should crash? The helmsman or the bowman?” I was trying to save my skin of any burden placed on my shoulders. I did not get the answer I was hoping for. And with those words of encouragement I moved myself up front, satisfied by the fact that at least I wouldn’t have the guilt of miscalculating any turns should our hull puncture something hard that day. It turns out my position at the bow was hardly doing anything for us, the water was choppy enough that I couldn’t clearly see through it, plus anything more than five feet out from the boat was basically just one large mirror, reflecting the clouds on it’s surface. I hoped the waypoints we picked up online were trustworthy. Matt seemed to be doing a good job navigating with them though, and soon we were in line with a large yellow buoy that marks the turn out of the cut.
July 20, 2015. FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE. Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report. Specials and Events. Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5. The Tomatometer rating – based on the published opinions of hundreds of film and television critics – is a trusted measurement of movie and TV. How To Watch Blade Of The Immortal (2017) Movie.
For a film called “90 Minutes in Heaven,” this adaptation of Don Piper’s 2004 bestselling memoir spends an inordinate amount of time on earthly ground. Get the latest slate of new MTV Shows Jersey Shore, Teen Wolf, Teen Mom and reality TV classics such as Punk'd and The Hills. Visit MTV.com to get the latest episodes.
By this point we were also starting to turn into a teeter totter, our protection from the reef gone, and 5- 6 foot waves rolling in at us. Normally I’d think this kind of thing would scare the crap out of me, but being right up where the action was turned out to be like a thrilling amusement park ride. Remember these waves from Stocking Island? Picture me standing at the bow going through them. We would shoot up into the air, and then the floor would come out from under us and we’d come crashing back down, a spray of warm sea water crashing over the deck. As I held on to the head sail with both hands, I had to contain myself from whooping with joy at the sheer exhilaration of it, for fear of scaring Matt into thinking something was wrong.
It was a short lived adventure though as, even without screams of delight, he thought I was a risk to myself being up there in those conditions. Prying myself away and crouching down to lower my center of gravity, I made my way back to the cockpit, my ride getting cut short before it was even finished.
We’d made it safely through the cut, and before we knew it, depths were dropping back into the hundreds of feet before our sounder couldn’t even read them anymore. Sails were raised and the engine was cut, ready to start our 2. Isla Mujeres. If we averaged 4- 5 knots, we’d be there just about 4.
Our start wasn’t great though, the winds coming directly out of the NE direction we needed to head. Tacking to the SE just to get some distance from shore, we kept an eye on Almost Skebenga, whom was headed the same direction, just a few miles ahead of us. Just like racing nameless boat on Lago Izabal, we followed all the same tacks until we realized one really long tack to the SE was needed to put us on a decent course to keeping us from having to do any tacks in the dark if we could help it. Almost Skebenga shot north and out of our sight as we made our way further out to sea. I wouldn’t call conditions rough, but they were definitely uncomfortable enough that for the first time, both of us were feeling sick.
I had put on a scopalmine patch before leaving, and was even attempting the . We had a late lunch of cheesy onion bread and a dinner of Pop Tarts. It was enough effort just for one of us to make it down the companionway to grab something edible from the cupboards, and I was thankful I took 2. As the sun was setting we caught sight of Almost Skebenga again in the distance, and it looked like they were going to have to make another tack, while us now on a comfortable course, would totally catch them and kick their ass if they had to take time and run away from the shore. Even though we were working with a double reefed main plus the headsail, and winds were steady around 2. When darkness grew, Matt decided to catch up on sleep with a short nap, and I kept watch, where an unexpected moon rise made me think that we were about to have a run in with a tanker, a sudden orange light on our port side that hadn’t been there moments before.
I also watched us catch up to and pass Almost Skebenga as, just as predicted, they had to tack further away from shore.
Declared dead by the first rescue workers to arrive on the scene, Don's body lay under a tarp for the next 9. Don's soul, meanwhile, was experiencing love, joy and life like he'd never known before. Don was in Heaven. When another pastor's prayers helped bring Don back to life, he became a living miracle! Yet this is one miracle Don wished never happened. Heaven's bliss was replaced by excruciating pain and emotional turmoil.
With the support and prayers of his beloved Eva, their three kids and friends near and far, Don clings to his faith in God and fights to regain a semblance of his previous life. The Piper family's incredible true story of perseverance and overcoming the challenges of life- and death- will bring hope and encouragement to all who see it.