Our new crew has arrived in Licata. Andi, Leara, Stephi, Thorsten, and Toni will join skipper Matthias on our last deployment in 2025.
The preparations are the same as for our other deployments: we prepare the ship, familiarize the crew with the safety precautions, and conduct a psychological briefing together.
But now in winter, the weather is getting colder and the sea rougher. This not only means that our dinghy trainings sometimes end in the dark due to the short days, but also that many low-pressure systems with strong winds are passing through the southern Mediterranean Sea, shortening the weather window for our deployment.
But despite the difficult weather conditions, our presence at sea is particularly important in winter, because even now people are fleeing across the Mediterranean Sea. The people who set out in unseaworthy boats in high waves and stormy winds have no choice: they are fleeing persecution, hunger, torture, and war. We want to sail out to meet them and support them on their dangerous journey.