Suddenly, he found himself on board the ship. It was smaller than he had expected. The team spent the night in port and the next morning the Sea-Watch II was due to leave. “We had small bunks with no windows and we were very conscious that once we were on the way there was no turning back”, says Dr Zenses. One person disappeared that very night, leaving no message behind and no reason for his departure, just giving his notice in writing to the Harbourmaster. The doctor from Solingen remained on board.
In Summer 2017 Dr Christoph Zenses had taken a break from his medical practice, using his annual leave in order to move South. He went on preparatory courses, on which he also got to know the team with whom he would be setting sail. He planned to spend three weeks on the rescue ship – later christened “Lifeline”- rescuing, helping and above all giving medical treatment.