I'm very grateful. That's it. - Blog by Ian
So what did I expect from my stay onboard Oceans of Hope? Well, I’m not sure if I expected anything. I tend to think if I expect nothing everything is a good experience. Of course I was hoping for good weather, lovely sunshine and a light breeze. I was looking forward to being out in the open on this beautiful yacht. But I certainly didn’t expect it to be easy. I knew it wasn’t a cruise.
I think I am managing the challenge of being onboard well, though I find it difficult at times. The muscles are constantly working because of the movements of the boat. It doesn’t matter what you are doing. Standing for any period of time or basically walking around weakens my legs. And there is nothing to do about it other than working through it.
Obviously a lot of things make up for the challenging ones. Some days ago we had a short stopover in the bay of a Greek island and everybody went for a swim. It was a fabulous experience. Although I was reluctant at first going into the water. But seeing everybody getting ready to swim I thought: “I might not be getting the opportunity again, so I better take it.” And I’m glad I did.
I have one feeling that overshines all the others being on this voyage. I’m very grateful to all of those who made this possible for me. That’s it.
Report from Bosun Josefine:
After some five days of nonstop sailing we have finally reached the Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily. For a couple of days we have had some strong headwinds with large swells making the sailing pretty uncomfortable to many of us. Today the wind died out, but unfortunately kept its direction. Our engine - Mr. Perkins - is our best friend these days. Together with our main sail he makes sure we get to Rome in time for the change of MS crew before moving on to Barcelona.
Local time onboard: GMT+1
Current position: 38,24.583N, 15,63.249E