By Daviot Kelly, Staff ReporterTHE 200-PERSON crew and their now popular collection of books arrived in the island, albeit with a little rough weather off Portland. The crew, all volunteers, hail from 45 different countries, minister to persons at 440 ports in 140 countries all over the world. The crew members provide aid in various forms; whether by donating food, providing clothing and shelter, offering medicine and, of course, selling literature.
Alas, this is the final trip of the Logos II ship. The old lady (why are boats always referred to in the feminine form?) will be docked after this round of missions; Jamaica being the first stop. That doesn't mean that the work has stopped; it will increase as final arrangements are being made to buy a bigger ship that will have the capacity to hold up to 400 crew members and even more books! The first Logos ship struck an iceberg in South American waters and had to be abandoned. There is a bigger book ship, the Doulos.
TOUR
Members of the media were given a tour of the ship before the official opening. They saw everything from the hull to the bridge. All through the tour, there were pictures of the crew at work in the many countries they have visited. Each new crew member receives on-the-job (or should it be on-the-sea) training while onboard and every couple of years, new ones sign on, to replace those who have completed their training. The last time the ship was here, 33 Jamaicans joined the crew; two of whom are still left. With the new boat enabling the drafting of more crew members, the offer is open. As long as you are over 18 and under 65, you can volunteer to work. And if you are healthy enough, 65 is no barrier either.
During the tour, the book fair, always a hit, especially among the children, was well under way. According to Director of the ship, Lawrence Tong, Jamaica always has one of the most enthusiastic crowds. He said that over 100,000 persons came to visit the vessel on its last trip in 2002. No wonder that for the Jamaican leg of the trip, seven 40-foot containers worth of books were packed.
The opening ceremony was a colourful affair with members of the crew dressing in costumes native to their countries.
Among other things, the gathering was showed a video presentation of the crew's visit to Nicaragua. The lines were endless and homes were built and repaired. The Nicaraguans are eternally grateful. It is responses like these from persons in the Caribbean and Central American regions that has caused Logos II to establish four regional offices in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent and Jamaica.
The Logos II, will be in Kingston for a month before sailing to the Montego Bay Freeport on April 28. The ship finally leaves our shores on May 11, and will head for the Cayman Islands, its first trip there. After that, it's off to Antigua, with the final destination slated for Europe. Persons can visit the book fair between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. from Tuesdays to Saturdays and on Sundays and Mondays, the opening hours are 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
