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

UNDER EU PROTECTION, COVER, AND FUNDING: SO-CALLED LIBYAN COAST GUARD SHOOTS AT RESCUE SHIP AGAIN – SEA-WATCH 5 UNDER FIRE

Sea-Watch 5 under

During the night from Thursday to Friday, a patrol boat of the so-called Libyan coast guard fired on the rescue ship Sea-Watch 5. The crew came under fire after rescuing 66 people in distress at sea. Following the shots fired on the Ocean Viking, this is the second time in just a few weeks that the so-called Libyan coast guard has felt authorized to shoot at civilian sea rescuers who uphold and defend existing human rights. his must first be understood and stated very clearly: With the protection, cover, and funding of the EU, the so-called Libyan coast guard can shoot at civilians without consequences! Fortunately, the crew and the rescued people on board were unharmed! But this is precisely the risk the Libyan coast guard and the EU are accepting. We demand immediate clarification and consequences from Italy and the European Union.

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