In the mid 70's, mission founders Jamie and Jacque Spence gave up professional careers to sail the Pacific. They wanted to find meaning for their lives and, over the course of seven years, found islands populated with incredible people. During their travels, they listened to the stories of the people they met and began to understand their situation. Seeing the great need for specialized surgery teams, Canvasback mobilized skilled doctors to provide care that was unavailable in the tiny hospitals of the Pacific.

Returning to the United States, in 1981, Jamie and Jacque began construction of the 71-foot, aluminum-hulled Canvasback, one of the world's largest sailing catamarans. With donations of supplies and equipment from local businesses, plus more than 200 skilled volunteers, the vessel was launched on June 16, 1986.

The Canvasback catamaran was uniquely designed to deliver free medical, dental, and eye care to remote islands accessible only by sea. She was staffed by volunteer physicians, dentists and seamen who brought healing and hope to the people of Micronesia.

In 1993, Canvasback was invited to bring service to the marginalized outer islands of Chuuk (formerly Truk) State. Shortly after, they were invited to help establish community health centers in Kosrae.

In 1998, after 14 years of island service, Canvasback's expanding programs had outgrown the catamaran. The sale of the ship provided the funds needed to continue building programs and services for the FSM and the RMI. These services include providing much-needed health care for the island people, continuing education for island health care workers, and supplies and equipment for island hospitals.

Mission Statement

They believe that all people deserve a high quality of life through access to healthcare and health education. They address this by providing free and otherwise unavailable specialty healthcare in the Micronesian islands through surgeries and diabetes treatment programs, which provide resources and supplement existing healthcare systems.

Mission
Through partnership between volunteer professionals and island communities, they bring health and wholeness to Micronesia through diabetes reversal, specialty healthcare, and health education.

Goals

- Reverse the epidemic of diabetes by halting the rate of onset
- Provide cost-effective treatments that immediately address health needs
- Provide resources and training to supplement current healthcare structures already in place
- Design and implement programs with Marshallese input that create lasting sustainable improvements for the community's health
- Provide assistance when requested