Logbook, November 1-2

In Barcelona, ​​at the Oneocean Pot Vell port, the Bamboo with its peace flag shows We want ports full of ships that host and not boats that exclude.

1th of November - The trip from Marseille to Barcelona starts with little wind. We proceed with sailing and motor navigation. An eye to the forecasts that announce libeccio, or rising south-west wind.

Needless to say, we have wind in our faces. Let's try to anticipate not to get caught in the middle of the Gulf of León.

At night the wind increases, storms and gusts of wind. In the morning the real libeccio regime begins and we head upwind to Barcelona.

The tight, among other side effects, also has the one that makes you feel stunned.

After a while you feel like a sock in the washing machine, worse: like a sock attached to the railing.

When we see the profile of La Vela, the great building that dominates the port of Barcelona, ​​we are all, some more or less, a bit 'smoothies'.

We found a place at the Oneocean Port Vell

Tired. We found a place at Oneocean Port Vell, a marina that has something to do with us. We slalom between mega yachts as big as spaceships.

The Bamboo with its flag of peace rocked by the wind does not seem worthy of his gaze.

How much life this boat would have to tell, how many stories of people, how many stories of falls and rises, how many miles, how many laughs, how many cries, how much, as they say in the heyday of the mainsail, "tremendous desire for the sea."

It is much more than a slogan, it is a battle cry. The history of this ship began at 1982 when it left the Baltic shipyard in Finland.

He changes hands twice and when he reaches the Don Antonio Mazzi Exodus Foundation He has a world tour and ten years of career behind him.

It is said that when the phone call came from the generous shipowner who wanted to deliver the ship, nobody understood what it was.

Don Antonio is a priest who knows many things

Don Antonio is a priest who knows many things: how to get people out of trouble, how to build a network of communities for people who for one reason or another have ended up marginalized.

He knows how to train educators and a thousand other things, in short he is a battle priest on a “mission for God”, but he knew little or nothing about ships, at least at the beginning.

Fortunately there was a community on the island of Elba and the ship was destined for that purpose.

Thus began the third life of Bamboo that became, probably the only case in the world, in the headquarters of a community.

Here, the young people who face the trip to return to the path (and someone, it must be said, has had a skid) have many tools, including that of sailing.

In Bamboo you have to learn to respect yourself and others to move forward

The boat is a small world in which you have to respect a few rules, but mandatory (it depends on your life).

In it you have to learn to respect yourself and others in order to move forward, in it, the sea teaches you to have fear and courage. Where you can literally leave your past behind and try to be a new person.

Now do not think that everything is a fascinating adventure wet by the waves and hair in the wind.

There have been caravans, educational trips by sea of ​​children of the community, so successful that they have earned the title of "Caravan of the Apocalypse".

However, in this boat many people have found their balance between a turn and a light, a strong stern wind and a great calm.

Some and some became crew members and now they continue in other ships the work of solidarity navigation that they have learned about the Bamboo.

It is clear that we do not marry this port for the rich

With a story like this, it is clear that we do not marry this port for the rich. But outside it blows 30-40 knots and the waves rise and rise… we don't have many options.

Once at the mooring, to make a difference with these mega yachts, in addition to the flags of peace and the flags of the Mediterranean Sea of ​​Peace, we also put socks, underwear, sleeping bags and shirts.

To eliminate any doubt and differentiate ourselves further we also put the tea towels.

The next morning we began to wander like Martians in search of showers (after all these days at sea we began to "stink"), after a
time, we understand that they are far, almost 800 meters from the pier where we are moored.

Why put the jacuzzi on the boat?

Then the lighting: it is almost nil. On the other hand, why use common showers when you have a jacuzzi on your boat?

Although the real question would be: why put the jacuzzi on the boat?

There would be much to say about how and why the sea has become a place of luxury.

Once upon a time, the workers, the poor, the convicts and the adventurers went out to sea. Today there is a whole system that wants to make the sea a place for the rich.

Why is that so? We have our own answer: because the sea is beauty. And some would like this beauty to be a privilege for a few.

We, with our socks in the middle of the mega yachts, want to claim another way out to the sea: a sea of ​​solidarity where beauty is for everyone.

We want ports full of ships that host and not ships that exclude.

2 comments on “Logbook, November 1-2”

Leave a comment