One week until Boston arrival
The crew of Oceans of Hope is planning to set sail from Hamilton, Bermuda, today on the final stage of their unique Atlantic crossing from Portugal to America. They are due to arrive in Boston, Massachusetts in exactly one week.
Oceans of Hope will be berthed at The Marina at Rowes Wharf in downtown Boston for the ten-day stopover. She is due to arrive at 1.30pm on Monday 8 September and we hope that boaters and sailors on the Charles River will turn out to escort her to harbour after the journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
Arrival in Boston will mark the end of the first transoceanic passage of the first global circumnavigation by a crew including people with multiple sclerosis.
There is an opportunity next Monday for people with MS across New England to join Oceans of Hope on the water as the project has organised some free sailing sessions for people with the disease to experience the freedom and sense of liberation sailing can bring.
These sessions will start and end at The Marina at Rowes Wharf and are timed so that the boats, kindly provided by the Boston Harbor Sailing Club, can accompany Oceans of Hope at the very end of her transatlantic voyage.
You can help us ensure that we can continue to change perceptions of MS by providing these free sailing opportunities in the ports visited by Oceans of Hope. Simply click on the Donate link to support the Sailing Sclerosis Foundation. You can read more about the ethos of the organisation here.
As the crew of Oceans of Hope prepare to slip lines and leave the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club to head out into the Atlantic again, they welcome a new member to their ranks. Bostonian Susan Strachan will sail with the team to her home city.
“We had the opportunity to welcome Susan on board yesterday during the open house - she was of course welcomed by the rest of the crew with great enthusiasm!” says Bertram Christensen.
He continues, “As we are enjoying our stay in Bermuda with beach time and local drinks, the crew is also preparing for the next and final leg of our Atlantic Crossing. On Friday we spent a couple of hours preparing the boat for sea and reorganising some of our safety equipment, before we had an open house session for local people interested in our voyage. The MS Society of Bermuda showed great interest among with many local sailors. It was a great success. On Saturday we opened again for three hours in the afternoon before we shopped for the provisions for the trip to Boston!”