Before the last leg of the sail to Fort Lauderdale, the crew sat together and discussed the take-aways of our journey.

Here are our high moments:

• Paying attention to the present moment while sailing, listening to the sound of waves, wind, sails, watching the coast line, birds, etc.
• Sailing at night, looking at the stars, moon and lights on shore while listening music, Hallelujah!
• When everybody worked together in preparation to arrive at the dock of a new harbor with the satisfaction of a great day sailing
• Taking off gloves and extra layers as we were going south.
• When spending time with permanent crew, learning about sailing and practicing new skills
• Working together to cook and having dinner on deck
• One night in the hotel with comfortable beds and nice showers
• Meeting friendly people on shore, interested in our project and encouraging us in our adventure
• Share these great moments with people having the courage to be on
  Oceans of Hope!

And our challenges:

• Being scared of big waves, heeling and steering the Oceans of hope for the first time
• Going around the deck while at sea with the limited balance some of us have. In the end, we all feel we have better balance now!
• Sleeping onboard when waves are extremely bumpy, even hitting the ceiling on some occasions!
• Feeling very inexperienced at sailing compared to others
• Being sea sick at 3am at the beginning of a 3 hours night watch
• Managing provisions efficiently to minimize tossing away too much food
• Traveling to U.S. for the first time and staying in a hotel by ourselves before going onboard Oceans of Hope
• Spending 2 to 4 weeks on a boat with strangers and getting along with each other
• Merging our individual expectations as a team and moving forward
• Being away from our support system
• The lack of understanding about how certain challenges differ for people with MS versus non MS'ers while making decisions for the next move.
• Not always having clean laundry, a shower or having time to brush teeth
  
  In the end, we are happy of our experience and glad of the challenges we have overcome. We are thankful to the permanent crew who welcomed us onboard and made our stay pleasant and safe. We are also thankful to Mikkel and the foundation for making this project possible.

Cheers,

The Oceans of Hope crew from Charleston to Fort-Lauderdale

Report from Bosun Bertram:

Grand arrival in Fort Lauderdale with perfect winds and clear blue skies! The sun is shining on our crew as they dock the boat in Bahia Mar Marina where both local media, representatives of the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and local supporters await with posters and horns. We are excited to be here in Fort Lauderdale, the yachting capital of the world! 

Local time onboard is 11:30 and our current position is 26°06'884N 80°06'480W.