Falmouth

When seafarers suffer illness or injury their ships must often sail without them. AOS is onhand to offer pastoral and practical care.

Seafarer Ronnie with Penny Phillips of the ecumenical pastoral team and visiting Filipino seafarers in the Falmouth cabin

June 2008, Filipino seafarer Ronnie Bascuma suffered a serious injury to his arm while his ship was in dry dock in Falmouth. The ship's agent arranged for Ronnie to stay in a hotel until he is well enough to return home but his ship had to sail without him. To prevent him from feeling isolated, the Falmouth pastoral team brought Ronnie to the ecumenical seafarers' cabin. There he was able to meet and chat to other Filipino seafarers currently in dry dock in Falmouth.

Ronnie also expressed a wish to attend Mass. The team arranged for him to attend St Mary's Church in Killigrew. Fr John Bielawski said a special prayer that Ronnie would soon be well enough to go home and eventually return to work. Port chaplain Louise Carter reports that Ronnie was deeply touched that Fr John had mentioned him by name.

The AOS team in Falmouth receive frequent requests for Mass. According to Louise, the bigger cargo ships which spend time in dry dock there often have largely Filipino crews. Where one nationality dominates, the culture onboard tends to reflect the home country. She finds that Filipino seafarers support and encourage each other in the practice of the national religion. Fortunately the local Catholic parish of St Mary's is very supportive with volunteers collecting seafarers and bringing them to Mass.
 

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Bowling on!

April 2008, another match in the seafarers' bowling challenge: some twenty seafarers took part, crew members of ships Harefield and Ocean Alert. On this occasion, the crew of the Harefield carried off the cup. According to AOS volunteers Pat and John Pinhay

"The excitement was unbelievable!"

After the match, the seafarers of the Ocean Alert were invited to visit their new friends onboard the Harefield.

Seafarers from the Harefield and Ocean Alert with members of the local pastoral team.

Scroll down to read why AOS is organising bowling matches for seafarers in Falmouth

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Easter 2008

Port chaplain Louise Carter, back right, with volunteers from AOS and ecumenical partners Mission to Seafarers and seafarers from the Ocean Alert sharing Easter gifts.

click here to read more about AOS GB at Easter

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Bowled over!

Pat and John Pinhay and Josie Bee are AOS volunteer ship visitors in the port of Falmouth. The Ocean Alert is one of the ships which regularly visits the port. Together with fellow volunteers from our ecumenical partners Mission to Seafarers, the ship visitors hold regular bowling matches with members of the crew and have even instituted a Challenge Cup.

Life at sea is extremely hard work. For the Filipino seafarers who work onboard the Ocean Alert, taking time ashore to relax and have fun at the bowling alley is a means of recharging the batteries. A little bit of competition helps make life interesting. The ship visitors have noticed that they always take their score sheets back to the ship to show fellow crew members.

On this occasion, in February 2008, the AOS team managed to hold on to the cup. But Pat and John report that they will not be sitting on their laurels: they know that the seafarers will be back, determined to take that cup.

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January 2008

Two Russian seafarers wave goodbye following an AOS ship visit

click here to read how port chaplain Louise Carter brought help to the crew of a ship detained in Falmouth

this story appears on the AOS international website