Bert terHart is a Canadian man who set sail on October 27, 2019, from Victoria, BC, Canada on an adventure to circle the globe non-stop. He is sailing on his 40’ ocean-faring sailboat, without even the aid of electronic navigational devices.

Bert is aiming to become the first North American to complete this kind of journey while using only an almanac, sextant, pen, paper, and a logbook for navigation.

A Lone Sailing Adventure

Since beginning his seemingly risky journey in the fall of 2019, Bert has coincidentally become the safest person in the world. On April 1st, Bert was close to Australia which is two-thirds of his way through his journey.

While sailing, Bert has experienced a few battles including emergency repairs, violent weather, extreme temperatures that go from scorching hot to freezing cold, and even moldy food.

His journey was planned to last 6 months; however, the extreme weather has caused some delays and required Bert to sail many kilometers off course in order to avoid extreme winds and hurricanes. Now, his journey has stretched to 8 months.

Bert is noting information regarding climate change which he will give to oceanographic scientific research companies.

Bert’s Goals While at Sea

In order to become the first North American to complete this journey, Bert can’t stop to disembark at any port. He has 9 months’ worth of food, water, and supplies onboard. Not only does he want to be the first to complete this sailing journey, but also someone who can inspire young people to live their craziest dreams so they can come true.

When asked about what advice he would give for those who are on land and dealing with the quarantine, Bert said that self-isolation is a chance for one to learn more about themselves and that it is rare for us to have time to examine ourselves in terms of what we want and hope to leave behind as a legacy.

Novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is famous for her surprising charity donations of a vast amount. She recently announced that she has given a total of $2.7 billion donations to 286 charity organizations. This multi-billion dollar donation is the third round of a series of no-strings-attached, major philanthropic donations Scott has made. She is the third wealthiest woman in the world, and the 21st wealthiest individual overall, thanks to her $57.0 billion net worth. She recently wrote in a post that, she and her husband Dan Jewett has made the donations to help the recipient organizations in their various charity works without any difficulty.

Choosing the Right Organizations to Make Donations

In 2020, MacKenzie Scott donated a combined $6 billion to various social causes including Covid relief. But this donation was not made at the spur of the moment. A great deal of careful consideration and planning has gone into it. She said earlier that, the increasing practice of disproportionate wealth concentration among a small section of the society continuously troubles her. Driven by this, she and Jewett have decided to contribute parts of their fortune to propel much-needed changes in various socio-economic sectors. They have worked with researchers and philanthropy advisors to carefully choose the recipient organizations for their recent donation. This move will ensure that the donations will benefit the needy rather than the greedy.

Donation to Several Charitable Causes

The latest recipients mainly include equity-oriented nonprofit organizations and groups working in long-neglected areas, ranging from universities to refugee resettlement groups and civil rights groups, as well as arts and culture organizations. The University of Central Florida and the University of Texas at San Antonio both received a donation of $40 million apiece. Focus is given on an urgent basis to the organizations and groups, which have suffered from decreasing donations due to the corona pandemic.