The atmosphere is almost tangibly electric. They laugh and talk - broad smiles, bubbling energy, dressed in their best. How long they have waited for this moment and day! It has been months, some have been waiting from as long ago as 2021 - to feel solid ground beneath their feet. Harbour to harbour. From Covid to the war on the other side of the earth, to the mood of the harbour Master - all considered sufficient reasons to stop them from going ashore.

But now they have a chance to leave the ship and go to, or rather escape to, the streets, beaches and shopping centres in Port Elizabeth. It is more than a mere chance to buy something at a shop. It is a chance to see ‘normal life’ away from being held hostage on the ship. It is a chance to see people and their habits, their preferences, their wonders, their smiles, their good and their bad - even seeing people has become a luxury.

Danie stands around and chats, ready to take to the streets with the seamen. Each has something to do on his wish list. Danie will be the ‘tour operator’. He will need a small miracle to fulfil all the wishes. 

Then they get the news as the agent walks up the long steps from quay to deck. It will cost each man almost a thousand rands or more to exit the harbour gate. They need Covid declarations, information for the Department of Health, immigration documents and a number of other small items that add up to a small fortune. It is as if the news sucks up all the oxygen in the universe within seconds. The disappointment is gigantic. It could even be described as painful. The calculation is simple and so is the answer: Could they use money earmarked for the families, for the children’s education, for food at home - only to visit the city? The answer is clear: No.

The atmosphere is very different from that of a few moments earlier. Danie tries to console. He quickly rummages in the CSO store to provide each with a small gift and to take orders for shopping. He tries to provide a solution within the disappointment and frustration. 

Later, after they had cooled down a little and once they find some oxygen in the atmosphere again, Danie talks to them. They get a chance to talk around a Bible. They talk about sacrifice. They talk about what each of them sacrifices to care for those at home. The discussion flows naturally in the direction of Him... He who made the biggest sacrifice of all. They talk about how that sacrifice was for each on board. Suddenly the day that had been planned so differently, becomes much, much better. They can pray together - for the wish list of each, for the cares of each on board, for family, for everything they sacrifice each day and for those they sacrifice it for - all against the background of Someone that made a far bigger sacrifice.

Each day, our faith heroes, you our donors, take the message of the Biggest Sacrifice to men working at sea. Your contribution allows us at the CSO to be there, to give a hand when those men are sea-tired, overloaded and frustrated. It is of immense value to them. 

Thank you for that!