LIVE +++ Move your body, every everybody +++ Everyone pulls together to move the boat. First, it’s positioned at a slight angle to make room. Yesterday’s dry runs with the crane are on the agenda today, this time with the real RHIB (aka MOLLY). It’s not exactly like backing a car out of a parking spot. It takes quite a few hands to loosen the lines in the right spots and reattach them elsewhere. By the way, Eiffel 65. Not punk, but probably on the CD shelves of most kids who grew up in the ’90s. In 2025, the Italian Eurodancers gave a concert here during the San Domenico festivities in Augusta. Unfortunately, I missed it, but it must have been a real banger. And in the background, Mount Etna comes into view after the thick curtain of clouds has cleared for the first time.+++ ÓRALE PUES +++ „Con dinero o sin dinero hago siempre lo que quiero.“ In the background, Mexican ranchera music plays through the galley. José Alfredo Jiménez, one of the all-time greatest pop stars in Mexican music history, provides the soundtrack for dinner. Our head chef Naomi brought corn tortillas and chipotle chiles especially for this occasion, and plenty of black beans are being mashed to go with them. Bean purée, let's go! It's not H. P. Baxxter, but H. P. High Protein sending his regards. Buen provecho!+++ Dry runs under Greek direction +++ Under the guidance of our exceptional anti-fascist athlete from Athens, who is also a former top basketball player. Just a few years ago, he was on his way to becoming a star in the Greek basketball Olympus, but he’s since found a new passion (good for us!). As 1st Mate, that is, First Officer, he’s instructing the crew today on how to crane the RHIB. First up: dry runs. Instead of the actual RHIB, a basket stretcher is suspended from the crane to simulate the procedures. The crew needs to familiarize themselves with the crane, keep the lines taut from all sides, and move in a controlled manner in sync with the crane’s movements. Everything needs to be well-coordinated before they move on to the actual rescue boat (RHIB aka MOLLY) tomorrow.+++ So kind of pseudo-philosophical aka Descartes +++ I think, therefore I am, cogito ergo sum, or something like that. When not too much is going on every now and then, your mind wanders a bit. You sit together, get to know each other, strike up a conversation. Favorite animal: seahorse; favorite color: red; favorite music: punk. Just the usual small talk. And then you sit there and think to yourself, this is complete madness. People come on board who blow their entire annual vacation on rotation duty. Everyone’s so committed. The same goes, by the way, for the people who lend a hand during the shipyard work or volunteer with the association throughout the year (shout-out to them!). And without all the Amboatsador:as, there would be a nothing going on here anyway. From day one, there’s a sense of professionalism and mutual respect here, it’s insane. There’s already a certain tension in the air, officially goosebumps.+++ Fish Food +++ When the stove here is running at full blast and the rice ends up getting sticky (at least on the bottom of the pot), eventually even soaking and scrubbing with a metal scrubber won’t help. So, cast off, drop the pot into the harbor basin overnight, and the mullets will take care of the rest. The next morning, give it a good rinse again, and you’re all set. Fish are happy, dishy-wishy done, make some coffee, take a lunch break, and get back to work. Life hacks from the life of a seafarer, or rather, a country rat who’s lost its way. Follow live

Post from Sicily from the ship

Sea Punk I, Augusta

Ahoy! Today, a personal letter from Antonia has landed in your inbox. She tells you about her time in port in Augusta and what’s currently happening on the ship. In addition to her studies, Antonia volunteers for our association. Among other things, she works in the media department – and when we recently needed someone to travel to the ship to represent the SSC (Ship Shore Coordinator), Antonia didn’t hesitate and traveled to Augusta. Just do it. People like Antonia keep our business running. What did she experience on the ship? Read for yourself.

On Thursday, I took my last exam for this semester, and two days later, I set off from Vienna to Augusta, Sicily. It’s been almost a year since I had last been on the ship; last time I saw her, was when she was still in dry dock in Valletta, Malta. Back then, our ship had a hole in the hull, which came as quite a shock. A lot of welding was done, the thickness of the steel plates on the outside of the ship was measured, and we tried everything to sail again safely as soon as possible.

So, getting off the bus in Augusta and seeing the Sea Punk I back in the water was all the more wonderful now. One side has just been freshly painted, the ship looks really pretty. And since last year, it has been out on several rotations. I stand there for a moment and feel happy. This is what we work for all this time.

When I arrive on the ship, everyone is on deck for their lunch break. After a quick round of introductions, everyone goes back to work and I take my things down to my cabin and settle in. It always takes me a few days to get used to life on the ship again, but then it’s easy to fall into the routines and daily schedules.

For the first few days, Benn is still there and explains my tasks as Ship Shore Coordination to me. After a good year of video conferences and remote association work, it’s nice to see him in real life again. I’m also gradually getting to know the other crew members better. At the moment, we are a rather small group; when Benn left, there were only five of us.

During the day, we mainly sand and repaint the ship’s hallways on deck, replace lamps, check batteries, and repair cables. Smaller and larger tasks that keep the ship in good condition. In the evenings, we sometimes have a barbecue with the other ships in the marina, go out for an ice cream, or have visitors from Augusta come to see us at the pier. Little by little, the group is growing closer together.

I am always impressed by how much time and energy people are willing to contribute for something they believe in. This is something that gives me courage when I read the news and get frustrated because of racist policies and rhetoric against people on the move. Ultimately, we have each other, and together we can make a difference. We don’t have to accept fortress Europe. We can all shape what borders look like. Even if we can only try to offer our guests on board a brief moment of rest on their long and exhausting journey, and thereby support them on their way, it is worth it.

Love & Rage,
Antonia


We do as much as we can on a voluntary basis. But sea rescue costs money. Not doing it costs lives. Will you help us make our rotations possible and continue supporting people on the move? Then please, donate now.