June 25, 2020
Happy International Day of the Seafarer!
Under normal circumstances we would be holding our annual Peak Challenge and fundraiser at Grouse Mountain today in recognition of this important day. Well, the good news is that you have an extra year to train for our 4th annual event to be held now on Friday, June 25, 2021!
However, not to be forgotten, this year’s Day of the Seafarer is particularly important as thousands of seafarers have endured extended periods away from families and friends with little shore leave due to travel restrictions and other measures put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19. We are fortunate in Canada, and in particular British Columbia, that the number of cases have remained relatively low thanks to everyone’s efforts and respect for each other.
Shipping never stopped and seafarers have been instrumental in keeping our economy and others around the world on life support, so on this Day of the Seafarer we ask you to use you voices to help get them home to their families or to their next voyage so they continue to support their and their families’ well-being as they have supported ours. Through your social media feeds, i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn send a message with #SeafarersAreKeyWorkers to encourage trading nations around the world to recognize that seafarers are essential and that temporary measures are urgently needed to facilitate the movement of seafarers to and from the ships. The physical and mental health of our seafarers are at stake.
If you are looking for other ways to help, support a local seafarer centre near you by volunteering or supporting their fundraising efforts. The Mission to Seafarers in Vancouver has just launched their 2020 Cycling for Seafarers summer long event – for more information visit, www.flyingangel.ca.
Thank you for your on-going support and we look forward to seeing you once again on the Grind!
Sincerely,
Bonnie Gee
ISSC Event Committee Chair