It was a dark and stormy night...actually, it was treacherously stormy both day and night on our sail from New York.  Arriving in Charleston was an almost magical transition, our spirits lifting along with the temperature as the dolphins played beside us on our way into the harbor.  Within hours, we washed the grime from our lovely boat and our weary bodies and went out for barbeque (mine with a little sweet potato pie, a Southern prelude to Thanksgiving back home).  Thank you, Charleston, for your welcoming hospitality and amazing food.

Maybe it was our battle-weary arrival to such a significant battlefield in American history that got me thinking about battle scars and MS.  If you'll indulge me, I was considering the significance of scars as markers of resilience, not simply of damage done. Sclerosis means scarring, and people with MS develop multiple areas of scar tissue in response to repeated autoimmune attacks within the nervous system.  You could say that people with MS are literally wired to survive attacks, and many of us have become quite accomplished in related survival skills.

Similarly, sailors only get "salty" or "seasoned" after enduring a few storms and returning time and again to uncertain seas.  As Mikkel described in the previous blog post, the key is deciding to return for more.  Mikkel mentioned feeling proud of how well the MS crew was dealing with the difficult passage, reportedly the most challenging one since leaving Copenhagen.  While we vary in our level of sailing accomplishments, our shared experience with MS means we're used to weathering storms.  And that we did!

Some new crew members arrived earlier today, so the torch has officially been passed from Iben, Claus, Kaj, and I.  We are all grateful for sharing this experience together, and wish the crew heading to Florida a wonderful next chapter in the ongoing adventure.

Report by Bosun Bertram:

As we say goodbye to yet another inspiring crew who has taken part in taken Oceans of Hope around the world, we greet yet another group of prepared and slightly nervous crew members! Jette, Nick, Johnny and Jerome are joining Chris and Christina in taking the yacht from Charleston to Fort Lauderdale over the next two weeks for us to arrive on december 3! We are spending a couple of days in Charleston to allow a follow-up on the maintenance done in the Newport Shipyard, allowing us to take a closer look on this historical city of American History. The new crew is getting accustomed to their new home while we prepare for a daysail over the weekend. Next week we will set the course south once more and take another step, or leg if you will, closer to the tropical weather we are all heaving for! 

Local time onboard is 12:00 and our current position is 32.788269, -79.925167.