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<\/p>\n* Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of TIMBERCOAST.<\/p>\n
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Well friends, life has caught up with me. It\u2019s time for me to bid farewell to TIMBERCOAST for now.\u00a0 Why, you ask?<\/p>\n
As I consider you all my friends, I\u2019ll give you the truth.\u00a0 It\u2019s a \u2018I met a girl story\u2019 and I couldn\u2019t possibly let her go.\u00a0 If only she was German, damn.\u00a0 Life is taking me to Denmark, away from this beautiful, most organic community of inspirational people that have filled my heart, strengthend my belief in the innovative resolve of the human spirit, and finally given me an abundance of grey hairs\u2026 so many.<\/p>\n
For the past 3 months, I\u2019ve been wondering how I could possibly say goodbye to all of you.\u00a0 Where would I start? What could I possibly say?\u00a0 Could I even begin to express how much this experience has meant to me?\u00a0 For anyone who knows me personally, they know I would have an easier time expressing this in Deutsch as my \u201cWortschatz\u201d is ummm\u2026 shall we say more direct.\u00a0 That said, I like a good story especially one with adventure, adversity, and transformation.\u00a0 My experience at TIMBERCOAST working alongside the resilient, driven, and undeterred Cornelius Bockermann has been nothing short of such a tale.<\/p>\n
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Originally, I was only going to be volunteering in Elsfleth for this sail ship project for 2 weeks in February 2015.\u00a0 Elsfleth? Sail Ship Mission? I had just as little experience with the first as I did with the second.\u00a0 Nonetheless, like so many of you, I was attracted to this radically traditional concept of going back to transporting goods at sea by wind. As I know very little about sailing, the draw for me was not the romanticism but rather the call to climate action.<\/p>\n
The adventure was already in full throttle when I arrived. Refitting the AVONTUUR was an incredible test of will for Captain Cornelius and we so-called volunteers.\u00a0 There were many occasions where failure seemed like a distinct possibility.\u00a0 What kept us going was our sense of community and the relentless pursuit of our shared cause.\u00a0 The 18-month refit was an emotional rollercoaster shared by an extraordinary\u00a0group of people who I am now privileged to call friends.<\/p>\n
The adversity we\u2019ve faced has not been limited to the AVONTUUR\u2019s refit, financing, operations, or fierce seas. \u00a0Many have called our cause into question.\u00a0 Why do any of this in the first place?\u00a0 A \u2018tiny\u2019 old sail ship has basically zero impact on the overall decarbonisation of shipping not to mention, it\u2019s not time efficient nor are the cargo freight rates competitive.\u00a0There are many reasons, not the least of which is that sea aged rum is just far superior. Furthermore, we are modeling a new path forward toward the full decarbonisation of the shipping industry.\u00a0We are creating the conversations that will someday (hopefully soon) lead to a full transformation of the global shipping sector.\u00a0 I believe this is evident in the countless news articles that have covered the mission of the AVONTUUR and others in our sail cargo community. This growing community includes an international group of like- minded producers, suppliers, brokers and transporters of sustainably produced cargo, who sell to shops, cafes, restaurants, and eventually the consumers.\u00a0 This \u2018new age\u2019 global supply chain calls into question current harmful practices and provides a path forward. The size of the AVONTUUR is also symbolic of our focus on consuming less and putting even more emphasis on buying and producing locally.<\/p>\n
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When I look back at the past half decade with TIMBERCOAST, it\u2019s not the growing interest around sail cargo that brings me the most joy but rather the incredible people I\u2019ve met along this adventure.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve had a good time in the process, haven\u2019t we?<\/p>\n
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Whether you were around during the epic refit, worked at world headquarters, are an investor, joined as crew, a cargo client, trade our products, came to an event, involved in another such project, or just came into our shop, I know that at some point we shared a smile. I have been truly humbled by this experience.\u00a0 I may have arrived into this incredible country as Ben, but now I feel forever changed rather transformed into that name you gave me, Curly Ben.<\/p>\n
From the bottom of my heart thank you Bockermann family, thank you friends, and a thank you to all those who offered up all those words of encouragement and support over the years.\u00a0 Please continue to rally around TIMBERCOAST and other such projects as I know you will.<\/p>\n
And for the record this won\u2019t be the last time we hear from each other.\u00a0 Also, Cornelius can I finally go sailing already?<\/p>\n
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Sincerely,<\/p>\n
Curly Ben<\/p>\n
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Ps. Anybody have an idea about what I should do in Copenhagen?<\/p>\n
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