[QUOTE=john;81579]I also want to thank Father Oubre, president of Apostle Of The Sea ( http://www.aos-usa.org/ ). He’s a mariner himself and occasionally still sails out of the same union hall as the ship’s crew (SIU Houston) so he’s in contact with all the major players here in the US and the seaman’s churches in Venezuela to assist as needed.-John[/QUOTE]
I sailed with Father Sinclair Oubre back in the '90s. Great seaman and shipmate. He’s served on several maritime commitees and no greater advocate for the American seaman. Cigar smoking, Harley riding, AB and Priest.
On the hitch we sailed together, we had a pump failure and fire with 200K bbl gasoline on board. With all the skilled sailors on board and Tampa Fire Dept, I think an AB with 'higher connections" was a great asset!!