Oceanracing 2004 - Breaking The Ice - Segel-Expedition 2004

Breaking The Ice - Segel-Expedition 2004 Eine Friedensinitiative besonderer Art
1.Januar 2004 bis...
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02.01.04 - Tagebuch
Iceberg's tip surfacing [General] - Torsten - torsten@breaking-the-ice.de @ 23:40:24
Psychological challenges will play a major role. How will Israeli Special Forces veteran Avihu Shoshani be able to overcome his distaste for the actions of Suleiman al-Khatib, a Fatah Organization activist? As al-Khatib made a farewell phone call to the oldest known Palestinian terrorist – with the news cameras rolling -- Shoshani stood on the side shaking his head. “Just like that old guy, Suleiman was also in jail for attacking Israelis. Now he says he’s abandoned violence in favor of diplomacy. So why’s he making a folk hero out of a guy who murdered Jews?”

Kann das Symbol Realität werden ?

That’s just one iceberg tip out of many that are bound to surface during the weeks ahead as the group makes its way further southward. As they begin to understand that the routine of round-the-clock on-deck watches, cold weather and seasickness is more than a one day “experience” these voyagers from the Middle East are likely to find their nerves fraying fast. Yet all of them know that their success and safety depend upon overcoming their differences and working together in a way that, should they succeed, will truly set a new precedent for their peoples.

In the Beagle Channel, Chile - (55° S -- 68° W)
The dream is for real [General] - Torsten - torsten@breaking-the-ice.de @ 23:30:06
Pelagic Australis’ skipper, Steven Willis, had good news: the weather forecasts for the unpredictable Drake Passage showed a window of opportunity. The preparations moved into high gear and the realization crept in that the dream of Israeli businessman Heskel Nathaniel was about to become a reality. It was about a year ago that he first conceived the idea of combining his love of extreme sport with his desire to do something to advance the cause of peace in the Middle East. The result was what most of his friends told him was an absolutely crazy idea: taking a group of Israelis and Palestinians to Antarctica to see if they were capable of working together in order to do things most people never attempt.

“I knew that to make it across the Drake Passage, to trek 20 miles across Antarctic glaciers and to reach the peak of a mountain that no one had ever climbed before would demand real teamwork. And I knew that if we could succeed it would send an important message to both our peoples and the whole world. We have to prove that we can do the impossible. That’s the same challenge we face in making peace.”

Set out on sea
[General] - Torsten - torsten@breaking-the-ice.de @ 23:25:13
At the first minute of the new year, the team raised their cups in celebration, trading hugs and kisses and best wishes for the year ahead. The New Year's party, held in a tiny Chilean Navy outpost at the southern tip of South America, brought together four Israelis and four Palestinians -- people far more accustomed to confrontation than expressions of affection. They traded toasts of “le’chaim” and “sacha”, wishing one another “life” and “health”, and hoping aloud that 2004 will be better than 2003, 2002, 2001 and any number of other years before these.

Early the next morning, at an hour when most people around the world were contemplating a day of relaxation, the team was busy making final preparations on Pelagic Australis, the ocean-going yacht that will carry them to the Antarctic Peninsula. The Israeli expedition leader, Doron Erel, stowed mountaineering gear in the boat’s forward hold, helped by Palestinian team member Nasser Quass. The realization that Erel once served in an elite Israeli army combat unit -- and that Quass spent three years in an Israeli prison for throwing a Molotov cocktail at Israeli troops – lent special poignancy to an otherwise prosaic moment.

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