Bes sure to follow the last week of an incredible accomplishment at:

http://www.solotheamericas.org/

Matt Rutherford is about to acomplish something that will, in my humble opinion, be nearly impossible to ever be accomplished again. The circumnavigation of the Americas, non stop solo through the N.W. passage and around the Horn in an ancient 27 foot plastic sailboat on a beggar’s budget.

“Χριστός ἀνέστη!” Cristo Anesti! Christ is Risen.

That was the greeting at St.Nicholas  Roman Catholic Church’s Easter mass. Since a number of years the Western Rites in the predominantly Orthodox countries celebrate Easter on the same calendar as their countrymen. It is a coincidence that my home parish in Gig Harbor is also St. Nicholas. It is a small church and the members are predominantly from countries other than Greece. I met a Portuguese, Irish, several Polish members and a couple Filipino families. The parish priest is Greek, assisted by Walter a Brazilian priest from German parents and a Greek seminarian.  The church was built in the 14th century, destroyed by the Turks, burnt down and rebuilt in the 17th century.

I did not get much sleep because the Greeks celebrate Easter vigil like other of us savages celebrate New Years eve with fire crackers and a heavy duty ear drum buster. They prefer to explode them in the narrow alleys of the old town where I happened to try and get some sleep.

When I arrived on the East Coast in 2007 I could count up something like 58 different churches I had attended in the 2 1/2 years voyage. I have long since lost count but I’ll be sure to check my record when and if I make it through the Heavenly Gates. But I did just put away my old passport. I was issued a new one in Amsterdam, last week.  It had two refills for the 10 year validity, 16 Visas and 127 border crossing stamps.