Hello Again Dignity - Blog by Helle Kirstine Rosenmeier
Two days ago we had a quiet and sunny day of sailing. We hoisted the mainsail and put the engine on and were making around 6-7 knots. As both the sea and the wind were calm, we sat around on deck, enjoying the sunshine with time to talk, write, or snooze as we sailed. I read through many of the blog entries from members of earlier crews on Oceans of Hope. And I recognized a feeling described:
I can do more than I thought I could. Not as in ‘I've suddenly become much better physically.’
More like ‘In my mouth I now taste the taste of a whole person experiencing.’
I am not sure how to pinpoint this feeling yet. But it has to do with the place I have been experiencing from, after I got MS. This place has somehow shifted on this trip. What has presented itself strongly while on onboard the Oceans of Hope is: I am a whole person with options and limitations.
This empowering realization comes from all the overwhelming experiences of this journey - the friendships, the overcoming of challenges, the nature, the unexpected. So hello again dignity, understanding of yourself and your boundaries - and the sense of empowerment and new possibilities coming from that.
Report from Bosun Bertram:
November is upon us and with it the rainy cold weather of New Jersey. Temperatures are slowly dropping outside, and the big saffron-coloured boat emits coziness and warmth in the Liberty Landing Marina, where we are spending another night. Despite the cold weather several of the crew is challenging the rain and are out shopping, while the rest of us are hiding with tea and leftover Halloween candy. As of tomorrow afternoon we will set the course to Atlantic City with 90 nautical miles to go - our longest stretch on the American tour so far. Also it will be our first overnight sail, which the crew is both excited and, I think, a bit nervous about!
Local time on board is 14:50 and our current location is 40°42'625N 74°02'531W.