Yesterday was our first day sailing toward Florida. The crew was very excited although the weather was gray and cold when we set sail. We all got the chance to steer the boat and participate in the different maneuvers onboard. Joy and peace conquered the boat. It was great to see and great to be part of. As the day passed by, the sky cleared up and ended with a beautiful sunset.

As a new crew, we had to adapt to a new environment and unique mixture of people on board. We all share a common health perspective and an interest in sailing, but we all have very different lives and characters. By getting to know and taking care of each other, I see a sense of belonging developing on board. In my opinion, this is the magic of Oceans of Hope and what makes this project so unique and extraordinary. 

Today, we will do our first over night sailing to reach Florida and warmer weather. I was still wearing my "tuque" (warm hat) yesterday! 

Report from Bosun Bertram:

On our way to the better latitudes we are having fantastic sailing. These days it's getting warmer by the mile and the winds are in our favor coming mainly out of the west and northwest. After a perfect sail yesterday, we spent the night in the cozy marina of Dataw Island, two hours inland of the St. Helena sound. As we left this morning we were waved off by some 20 local citizens who had warmly welcomed us with everything from doughnuts to a pineapple turkey to show their support to the project! Now we are speeding south with an average of 8 knots making our way out of the sound to do an overnight stretch to St. Augustine in Florida, where we expect to arrive sometime tomorrow around noon. 

Local time onboard is 12:30 and our current position is 32°22.316N 80°20.825W