Students, Busumbala and Sailing!

Hi!
A brief update of progress....... at the moment all the school fees and enrolements are being completed for the new school year which is about to start. We have a few students moving to Upper Basic Schools this year, some moving onto Grade 12, and student Seedy Jammeh is enroling in the GTTI (Gambia Technical Training Institute) to start a 3 year course to train as an electrician. Lamin is continuing at the University, and our Nursery teacher Ansu is starting his 3rd year of teacher training. We are very proud of all of our students, one or two need a bit more encouragement, but most of them work hard to achieve the very best they can.

All projects are running smoothly, and the house at Busumbala has now progressed up to the roof. There is a lot still to do, plastering, doors, floors to be tiled, the roof and verandah to be done, but hopefully it will not be too long now before it is completed and Sankung's family can move in, and of course it can then be used for any of our students that need somewhere to stay while at further education.

Marje and Liz are going to Gambia in November, and will be visiting all the projects and schools we support. I will then be going in February hopefully for a month, along with other charity trustees and supporters.

We will be distributing our next newsletter in January, but will meanwhile update the website very soon.

On a personal note, I returned from my last sailing trip late July, after spending over five weeks at sea from St.Maartens to Portsmouth in 35foot yacht "True Colours", with three friends. It was a fantastic time, and we felt so privilaged to see so many sightings of whales and dolphins along the way, plus amazing sky changes and magical night watches. It was quite eventful, including a large motor yacht bringing over to us chocolate ice cream mid-Atlantic - what a treat!! a close encounter with the Portuguese Navy, and an even closer encounter with a whale that collided with us East of The Azores causing damage to the boat, and unfortunately to itself as well. Generally the weather was kind to us, just one week of rough weather, and then at times no wind at all. It was extremely hot for the first couple of weeks and therefore very uncomfortable,then it became much damper, and by the last couple of weeks we were in thermals and oilys! but what an experience! Sue