LIVE +++ Lunch break on Lock ++ Past the harbor, over the bridge on Corso Sicilia, up and down the Lungomare Gioacchino Rossini, then on toward the Ex Salina Regina di Augusta nature reserve (to spot flamingos). Turned back at the closed-off military base (cazzo), but quickly took a dip at Spiaggetta del Sole instead. November 7, water temperature 20 degrees, let’s go. Back on land, I’m feeding the week’s receipts into the accounting system (quite a few have accumulated). In case you need a face to go with this largely anonymous live ticker, I’m Spinali, number 420. ;););)+++ Come on over just for a look +++ Or for a coffee, or a nice cold beer. Augusta is really nice, and Sicily is always worth a visit in the off-season anyway. For all amboatsador:as this is certainly a welcome opportunity to check on board and see if your name has truly been immortalized. As an amboatsador:a your recurring donation lands you a spot on our Wall of Fame aboard the SEA PUNK I. In black and white, or rather, punk on a ship. Find out more here: https://seapunks.de/en/become-an-honorary-punk-now/ Just knock and let us know a little beforehand, and we can certainly arrange a quick stop by on board, provided ship operations allow it. If you’d like to stay longer and lend a hand, check out this link: https://seapunks.de/en/shipyard/ And for those who just want to come as tourists, I recommend a place to stay with a balcony and the best view of the ship. You can just make it out way down there on the far right, behind the last bridge pier. There are worse views out there.+++ Panic Buying, Sicilian Style +++ Just like in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve cleared out the toilet paper shelf. Other than that, here’s a so-called “HAUL”, the new term for showing off the spoils of an extensive shopping trip. Influencers can pack it in; we’re unpacking together. Among other things, we’ve got 8 kilos of frozen spinach, 7 kilos each of canned tomatoes, tomato puree, red lentils, and chickpeas. Plus cleaning products, lots and lots of them—it’s got to be nice and shiny on board, stationery (aka office supplies) for the bridge, biodegradable laundry detergent (safe!), granola bars in generous quantities, and water, water, and more water. Shopping haul, Sea-Punks Edition. Instead of a skincare routine, we’ve got beans and toilet paper.+++ Is old Holzmichel still alive? +++ Packed up 2 × 20 liters of SAE 30 motor oil. Fittingly, it also flows through quite a few tractors, so our hydraulics will run nice and smoothly again. Chief Engineer is satisfied. On top of that, we got a generous 30 percent discount on the thick stuff. The day before, I dropped off a small bouquet of flowers at the local marine supply dealer. B2B, isn’t it? Otherwise, I’m starting to crash a bit here, so I’m still proceeding with the handbrake on in the live ticker. At the same time, there are other construction sites. Don’t they have a tape measure that’s eight meters long? Crane sites need to be compacted. Oh, give me a break, Holzmichel is alive and well, so is the live ticker.+++ Keep the fire burning +++ Back here on land—1,800 kilometers away from Augusta, in Almania—preparations for our next rotation are in full swing. In the Media Department, we’re in constant contact with our Field Media Coordinator (FMC), who acts as our eyes and ears—both during training and, most importantly, while we’re operational—documenting everything that happens. This isn’t just about keeping you in the loop; it’s also crucial for ensuring we can later prove that we acted in accordance with all applicable regulations and laws. After all, it’s not unheard of for that to be called into question… Follow live

Rise Above

The prehistory

Brothers Benjamin, Raphael and Gerson spent a long weekend with their father in the fall of 2019. Raphael, who had had enough of his job as a ship mechanic with the water police, was looking for a tugboat to start his own business.

When he showed this ship to his brothers one evening during this vacation, the tide turned: “It looks like a rescue ship to me!” – That was the first reaction. The idea was quickly taken further and the three of them agreed: “We have to at least try. After trying to contact the German sea rescue NGOs, Mission Lifeline reported back very quickly. Contrary to expectations, they did not refuse: “Have a proper look at the ship, then get in touch.”

After the ship had been put through its paces, it was clear: Mission Lifeline was getting on board. The ship was purchased and a joint project plan was developed. The aim is to convert the ship into a sea rescue vessel within six months and send it to the Mediterranean.

RISE ABOVE

From this moment on, we do everything we can to turn the old naval vessel into a suitable sea rescue vessel as quickly as possible.

Countless volunteers, professionals, companies and foundations gave us the support we so urgently needed. This support cannot be taken for granted.
An amendment to the Ship Safety Ordinance enacted the following March massively restricted associations in civil sea rescue. Disproportionately increased construction requirements and complex approval procedures prevented our ship from setting sail in May as planned.

This more than doubled the cost of the conversion work and also made the planned operations significantly more expensive.
We saw this as an attack on our solidarity, which we were not prepared to accept.

End of the cooperation

In spring 2021, the board of Mission Lifeline decided that none of our association members were suitable to be part of the first mission. We could not agree with this assessment and regretted not being able to be part of this mission.

These differences led us to the decision to end the cooperation with the completion of the conversion and to send the Rise Above into the field without us.

Seit dem Herbst 2021 ist das Schiff nun im Einsatz und hilft, Menschenleben im zentralen Mittelmeer zu retten.