Even though financial woes may have had passengers on edge during their stay in the Canary Islands, members of the Church and the community thoroughly enjoyed the activities of Sea Trek 2001 during the visit of three tall ships Sept. 6-8.
While tall ships are nothing new to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, seldom is the opportunity given to go aboard for a tour. And the visits of other ships do not include the musical performances and a family history center where 16 computers are available to search one's ancestry.
Taking advantage of the ships' tours were the Primary children of the Las Palmas District of the Spain Las Palmas Mission. Attired in traditional Canarian dress and handmade badges to commemorate the occasion, the children proudly went from ship to ship to learn how early saints sailed through their islands on the way to America. Sister Olga Phelps, district Primary president who, with her husband, Elder Harold Phelps, is serving as a missionary in the islands, said the children now have a much clearer understanding of what early Church European emigrants had to endure to help establish the Church in America.
Of the thousands who visited the ships, about 500 visited the family history center where the computers enabled guests to search for ancestors and learn how they can research on their own at home with a connection to the Internet. Many people came to the center with what family history they already had acquired, hoping that they would be able to add to it. Of particular interest was the U.S. Census of 1880 because it contains information on many Canarians who settled in the United States and founded such communities as San Antonio, Texas.
After a representative of the mayor spent an hour at the center with Juan Rodriguez, director of Church family history for Spain and Portugal, she offered to give the Church 19 rolls of microfilmed vital records and cooperate with more microfilming the future. This is the first time the Church has been successful in obtaining such records in the Canary Islands.
Many members volunteered to help with the Sea Trek 2001 activities. They were proud to be associated with an event that was receiving so much positive publicity, something not experienced since President Gordon B. Hinckley's visit several years ago. Front-page news articles and broad radio and television coverage included information about the Church and its doctrine.
In a show of appreciation for their visit, members and non-members alike lined the docks to see the ships leave Saturday morning. A traditional Canarian folkloric group played and sang to passengers as the ships slowly departed on their way to Bermuda and New York City.
Sea Trek 2001 is a private venture retracing the 19th century migration of coverts of the Church from Europe and the British Isles. Sea Trek has consisted of two segments, "The Gathering," and "The Crossing." Eight ships participated in "The Gathering," which began in Esberg, Denmark, Aug. 6, and with participating ships calling at Copenhagen, Denmark; Gothenburg, Sweden; Oslo, Norway; Hamburg, Germany; Greenock, Scotland; and Liverpool, Hull and Portsmouth, England. Originally, four ships were scheduled to cross the Atlantic, but one was turned back for lack of enough passengers to justify its sailing onward.
While the ships were en route to the Canary Islands from Portsmouth, a financial shortfall had threatened to hamper the trans-Atlantic voyage, when owners of two of the three vessels threatened to turn back unless they were paid. But an 11th-hour appeal from Sea Trek organizers for donations brought in enough money to keep the venture afloat.
The three ships — the Statsraad Lehmkuhl, Christian Radich and Europa — are scheduled to arrive in New York Harbor on Oct. 4.
Manuel Benitez is a counselor in the Spain Las Palmas Mission presidency.
