Mike has a very quirky sense of humour, which has me in stitches and he'll frequently burst into song at unexpected moments. Last night we stood on the starboard side wing keeping a lookout in front of us. The light from the setting sun was diffused by the mist around us and everything was coated in a hazy pink glow. Mike started singing some lyrics from a musical and then off we went together with extracts from all the musicals we knew. Marry Poppins, The Sound of Music, Oliver, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! West Side Story and on and on. Some people say sea watches are boring but obviously they have never done them with Mike. He is very laid back and patient and encourages me to figure things out for myself rather than ask too many questions but he's never condescending despite his many years working at sea.

Being on watch with Waldemar is an very different experience. He'll be incredibly serious for a while but then suddenly come out with something really bizarre like picking up the old bulb from the search light and pretending to predict the weather with it, as if it was a crystal ball. Everyone on this ship is a little crazy (you have to be in order to survive in this environment for 3 months at a time), but these two are something else. Both Mike and Waldermar tell great stories, which help to make the watch more enjoyable. They have both skippered ships all over the world and in this regard they are wiser beyond their years. I have learned a lot from them about the ship and the sea although the main thing I've realised is just how much I don't know (and probably never will). I have deep respect for these guys, who can do things I can't even begin to understand and deal with such great responsibility every day.

The rest of the crew are now winding down on the usual ship work and starting to prepare specifically for the campaign. Sabine who is our mechanic just showed Satu and me how to look after the battery charger for one of the inflatable boats incase it rains while we are on watch, We actually had to climb up inside the boat and look into the battery compartment. I giggled to myself when I got in there because this was my first time in a Greenpeace inflatable. I've had so many dreams about this. I've always imagined that my first time in one of these things would be such an exhilarating experience... speeding across the waves chasing environmental criminals, yet here I was sitting on the edge of the boat, not going anywhere at all, not even in the water, talking about a battery.

I hope next time I'm there, it will be a little more exciting (sorry Sabine!).

L.