The Queen left the ghostly Lootus 2 with her nets still down in the water. I'll never forget sitting alongside that trawler in the fog and looking up at the rusty hull and the large round dangling lights, which hung across the deck. We couldn't see anyone on board at all. It seemed as if the ship was running all by itself with nobody to haul the nets in. As soon as we pushed off towards Halifax on the Esperanza we noticed that the Lootus 2 finally stopped for hauling after 18 hours of having those nets down in the deep. It's upsetting to think about that ship still out there tearing up the sea floor along with so many others. We didn't stop deep sea destruction in international waters because we need the UN to do that but we went out there to tell a story and I think we told it very well. The bottom trawlers out there in the NAFO area might be hidden in fog but we've unveiled their actions to the world. It's up to governments now to make the right decision by putting in place a moratorium on high seas bottom trawling and granting deep sea biodiversity the reprieve it deserves. You can help by sending them an e.mail.

Being back in Halifax it was hectic since we did an open ship for 2 days and had lots of people on board. I enjoyed talking to people about the bridge for a few hours and whenever there were kids in the tour group I would get them to help me switch the bridge window wipers and water on and we'd wash the windows. When the kids didn't want to accept my offer I was surprised when adults were keen to take their place! I felt so lucky to have spent time living and working on the ship, which so many people were now queuing up in the hot sun to spend a few moments on.

I didn't get much sleep during my last night on the ship because so many new people had just arrived and others were leaving early in the morning so I wanted to stay up and make the most of the time I had left with everyone. I helped Chris, the radio operator, do his laundry and then said goodbye to him and Virginia who left at 4:30am. Then I went down to the mess and ate toast with Flo before getting around 2 hours sleep. Woke up at 7:30, hugged more people goodbye as they left one by one, swept and mopped the campaign office, packed up my things and sat down for lunch but I couldn't eat much at all. My heart felt like it had expanded several times it's usual size and it was difficult to breathe let alone eat. Strange how emotions can really manifest themselves physically.

I walked down the gangway one last time and turned around to wave at the Esperanza with tears welling up in my eyes. It was tough to accept that such a good thing had come to an end. I can only hope that I'll experience it all again sometime in the not too distant future.

So that's it folks. The Esperanza is now making it's way back across the Atlantic, heading for Norway. Most of the crew from the Deep Sea campaign have gone their seperate ways and I'm sitting on my bed back home now, looking at the crew photo and it doesn't feel like I have totally left at all. I took a taxi to the airport with Maite and Flo and we sat down for coffee before we each flew off in different directions. Maite told a story about a conversation she had with someone once when they said "your body travels faster than your mind and so when you leave a place you have been for a long time part of you stays there for a while". I certainly feel that way now.

--Lisa.

Images
1) People line up to board the Esperanza during open ship © Greenpeace/ Hunter
2) The bridge at sunrise © Greenpeace

Click on the image to see a larger version.

Image © Greenpeace/Hunter

This has been one amazing adventure and experience. It's been great meeting everyone on board and to have new friends from all over the world. I really enjoyed being part of such a big team and working together on a large issue like bottom trawling.

I never intended to be on the Esperanza but only to be helping out at the harbour in Halifax with Greenpeace Canada. It's funny how things work out. My mother happens to be on the Greenpeace International Board and she persuaded me to volunteer on the ship.

My first week was a little scary and rough, since this was my first time on a ship at sea. I was seasick for the first day and then battling with nausea on and off for a while. The waves and wind freaked me out until I realised I had nothing to worry about. The very experienced crew on the Esperanza made me feel safe.

I got to experience going out in the African Queen on an action and happened to pick a beautiful day to be out for 4 hours on the ocean. I finally was able to understand and see what deep sea trawling was all about up close and I really enjoyed being included.

I have also loved seeing dolphins play at the bow and for the first time seeing whales up close. One of my favorite places to be is on the heli deck where I enjoy looking out over the water. That's one of the things I will miss.

I was really happy to know that there was exercise equipment on board, which gave me the opportunity to exercise everyday, which is really important for me.

This time has been an amazing lifetime opportunity to become a part of the Greenpeace family. Thanks to everyone.

-Melanie

Hope to see you soon despite the miserable weather.

-Lisa.

Name: Bernhard
From: Germany
Job: Greenpeace International Logistics Coordinator

How did you end up working for Greenpeace?

I studied marine science and became a volunteer for a local Greenpeace group in Germany about 12 years ago. In my opinion Greenpeace was the way to become active in protecting the oceans. About 4 years passed while I was volunteering in every activity I could get a grip on. Then in '96 the chance arose to enter even deeper in the Greenpeace world by taking on various jobs in the German office. Seeing more and more of the importance and potential of an international organisation I act now as the logistics coordinator for Greenpeace International and have done so for the past 2 years.

Working with people under sometimes difficult conditions and facing ever new challenges. The work we do really makes a difference.

If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?

I would bring the human evolution one step blobfurther to a state where ego does not rule but people have learned that respect for others and nature is the way sustain our existence. Nature doesn't need us but we need nature.

Why do you think we should give high seas bottom trawling the (fish) finger?

Bottom trawling is one example of man just longing for profit. This fishery is not performed by small fishermen but by big companies. In their rush for money they don't care about what they destroy or what species they extinguish.

Only little is known about the sea bottom. Even on well researched seamounts science has hardly seen more than 1000m down. This is about the area that one bottom trawl erases within 10 seconds from the sea floor. It's as if we are burning a land before we have even seen it.

We are on the way back. Steaming with 14 kn - 750 miles to Halifax. The tour is at the end and this part of the seamounts campaign is over. It was a great time for me here on the Esperanza. From the campaign side as well as from the personal side.

>From the personal side it was a great team to work with - the campaign people as well as the crew of the Esperanza. There was always the chance to say your opinion, to get heard and to be involved in the decision making process. I love to be on the sea, to see the horizon, feel the wind and taste the salty air. It's freedom for me and I never will get enough of it. Every ship tour you meet new people, some which fit more to yourself, some less. There are so many different nationalities and different stories behind the people so it's always such a great experience. One of my wishes when I came on boars was to see whales and dolphins alive in the sea. Until now I've only seen harbour porpoises in the North Sea and dead sperm and fin whales on the beaches of the Wadden Sea. Here I got to see dolphins, pilot whales and sperm whales a few meters alongside an inflatable! It impressed me deeply and reached my heart where it will stay forever. I am able to sit and watch the ocean for
hours and hours. Feeling cold or hungry doesn't matter and nothing else seems to be important when you get the chance to experience the ocean like this.

--Iris

Name: Chris
Job: Radio Operator
From: Australia

How did you come to be working on Greenpeace ships?

I did a degree in telecommunications and was working for the Australian navy 10 years ago when I saw on the news that Greenpeace had suffered damage to their radio equipment during an action so I offered to fix it for them.

I manage an organic chocolate farm with my girlfriend in Costa Rica

What is your favorite thing to do on the ship?

Participate in anything that matters.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

Protesting is not enough. We must take radical action against the fascist leaders in this world.
[Editor's note - I think Chris has watched "Team America" too many times]

Image © Greenpeace/ Hunter

If I had come up to the bridge, probably 5 minutes earlier everything would have been different. There was a meeting in the chartroom and almost everyone was there and I stepped right into their discussion about what we could do with the Lootus 2, which was only 1 nautical mile to our starboard side and hidden by the fog. By the trawler's behaviour over the last 24 hours we could tell that they had not hauled their nets for over 14 hours, which was more than strange. The team decided to do something about it. What? Well, the banners with magnets worked the other time, but now we wanted something different. They chose an action with swimmers for a change, so the moment I stepped into the chartroom, they were looking for volunteers. The first thing I heard, was Luke saying: "There's one!" while pointing at me. That's how I became a swimmer. Actually, there was a list of people who had volunteered earlier for possible activities and there I was on the swimming list because in so me silly moment I must have lifted my arm, to volunteer as a swimmer. I can't remember why. Normally I don't like swimming, but that's a different story. This didn't seem to be very normal at all.

So I found me a nice big bright dry-suit. I've tried these before, you ac tually stay dry and don't really feel the cold of the water. No luck! Gab or and me were told we had to wear wetsuits which are apparently much bet ter for swimming. Everybody seemed to know a lot more about swimming than we did!

Well, there we were, in shorts on the poop-deck, finding our way into the suits, jackets, boots and gloves. In the meantime everybody else got in the inflatables and left, not without giving us some last great tips on h ow to avoid the propellers, how to hold on to the bow of the ship and how to make sure the captain of the ship actually sees our banner. This was really exciting! Gabor and I started liking the entire project.

Eventually we had everything and got into the boat to leave for the Lootu s 2, which was difficult to find in the fog. Once there we got some more advice, none of which I really took in. Then the inflatable manouvered in front of the fishing vessel. The captain of the Lotuus 2 had not replied to any of our attempts to talk to him for the last 24 hours, even though Waldemar was telling him via radio to stop, since we had two swimmers in front of his bow.

There we go. All of a sudden Gabor and me went overboard, some water crep t into the wet suit, but as promised, we didn't really feel the cold wate r (14 B0C). Someone handed us the banner, which was attached to a floati ng buoy and then our boat was gone. Instead of coming closer to us, the L ootus 2 actually steered hard to port side, so that we couldn't come clos e to it. Then something weird happened, both Gabor and I actually tried t o swim after the ship, trying to reach its bow. It was crazy! Now I was s wimming after a fishing boat, trying to stop it!

Since this attempt was not very successful, we decided to go for it again. We really wanted to show the captain (and the world!) that we were dete rmined. This time we jumped much closer to the ship into the water and af ter only a few seconds we actually touched the hull of the ship. The Lotu us 2 was still trawling at about 3 knots, so after only a few seconds we were drifting by the side of the ship, nearing the stern. From right unde rneath the ship it seemed huge...an enormous wall of steel driven by a ve ry strong propeller. Scary! For a brief moment I was scared of the idea o f being sucked under the ship and at the stern I felt the water twirling and spinning, but it was not strong enough to actually pull us.

We did the action again for a third time and I held onto the bow for seve ral seconds and actually managed to light a flare at the same time but th e Lotuus 2 never slowed down. Hanging on the bow, it actually felt like t he ship was speeding up and after a while my arms couldn't hold me any lo nger. I had to let go and I drifted alongside the ship, passing the stern and the two massive cables, which went all the way down to the fishing n et on the seabed 900 meters below.

Why didn't they haul for the last... now 16 hours? It's a sad feeling, se eing these fishing boats from behind, disappearing in the fog. Their huge doors at the stern look like big mouths, in whose nets tons and tons of fish and sea life disappear. We felt exhausted but good about trying to d o something, about expressing our opinion even if it looked kind of crazy out here in the middle of nowhere swimming in the ocean. We had a nice w elcome back on board, got dry and got us some warm food. Great!

Later that night, close to 11 o'clock I stood on the deck watching the Lo otus 2 and one of our inflatables in the distance (still waiting for the ship to haul) and then I saw a big shark passing the Esperanza. No kiddin g, this shark was 2.5 to 3.5 meters long and stayed some time in the spot lights alongside the ship and then dove away. I had never seen a shark be fore, but this was beautiful, the way it moved in the water, the color of the water. I don't have the words to describe it but just believe me, it was an incredible sight.

And only then I realised we had just been swimming in shark infested wate rs!!! Not bad for a story.

--Flo.

Photo Captions

Name: Tara (Tarasara)
From: Sweden
Job: Assistant Cook

How did you come to be working on Greenpeace ships?

Three and a half years ago I started at Greenpeace as a direct dialoguer. At that time I was a poor student that desperately needed a job. When I saw that Greenpeace searched for direct dialoguers I became very happy because I always liked Greenpeace and their beliefs and thought it was nice to combine work with something important. The more I got to know about Greenpeace the more interested I became and I took the decision to become a Greenpeace activist. I trained as a boat driver with Greenpeace Sweden and got totally sucked in. So when I had the chance to join the ship I took it and I've never been happier!

At home I just finished my Performing Art studies, which included singing, dancing, theater, circus and art science. I spend a lot of time with friends but I am also training a lot and trying to learn new things. Climbing and singing is something I do a lot back home. I do actions and voluntary work for Greenpeace Sweden. When I'm go back home from the ship I'm going to spend some time diving and try to find a job.

What is your favorite thing to do on the ship?

I love to sit outside on the deck watching the ocean with dolphins in it and feel the freedom that you only can feel when you're out at sea and only can see ocean wherever you look. When I get the chance I drive the inflatables. That and changing the world for the better are the things that make my life worth living. To just travel everyday and see new places is also a thing I love about the ship.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

Everyone would be vegetarian.

The Esperanza went into action mode and was once again buzzing with anticipation. As we waited for the Lootus 2 to haul in the net I managed to get myself included as part the crew on the safety boat for the action. The call came at about 7'o clock that the trawler had slowed down and was probably hauling so we should prepare to launch. I dashed to the wet room, ready to board the Hurricane but as soon we all got into our boat suits and life jackets another call came through over the speakers, "stand down, the ship is speeding up again and is not hauling". Disappointed, we took everything off and went back to waiting around but it quickly grew dark and the action was delayed until the morning.

The ship hauled her nets at around 11pm and took off at a speed of over 9 knots, which it maintained for 7 hours during the night. It slowly slipped away from us during my nightwatch and by 5am it was over 7 miles away. At 6am, the bridge started to come alive with many people watching the radar and pondering what to do about the situation. Bunny, our campaign coordinator, asked me to wake up the the crew who would be involved and at 7:30am I did another wake up call, this time for everyone. We launched the Queen which went over to the Lootus 2 and waited there, feeding information back the Esperanza about what was happening. By 10am the trawler had been fishing for 5 hours and we expected she would haul before lunch time so once again we were on standby.

We launched the Hurricane and another inflatable over the side and stayed in the water, ready to go to the trawler as soon as she slowed down to haul. She had been fishing since 5am and we traveled alongside the Esperanza, behind the trawler for what seemed like hours, wondering when the fishing would stop but it went on and on! What were they doing? Were they too scared to pull their nets up in front of us (trawls don't usually last more than 8-9 hours)? I sat in the Hurricane bobbing around on the ocean, along with Mike and Rosso and after a while Penny passed us coffee in flasks through a porthole in the Espy (so nice!). I had time to think a lot about the fragile, living structures on the sea floor right beneath us, which were being demolished the entire time this vessel was fishing... dragging the net through the myriad of life in the deep... and about how many other creatures were also being swallowed up by this enormous death trap. It made me sad and angry and I felt i
ncredibly eager to go over to this deep sea destroyer and do something to try and stop it.

Eventually we had to come on board the Espy again since we didn't want to be traveling in the water for too long. I desperately needed the toilet so I was very glad about the pit stop. Mike had been telling me what I needed to do in order to pee over the side of the Hurricane and I really didn't fancy that option, especially right alongside the Esperanza with over 30 crew on board! I ended up falling asleep in my boat suit on the helideck while I put my camera on charge and waited for the call to go again. Staying awake since the wee hours of the morning was proving difficult.

After we hit 5 o'clock it became obvious to everyone that we needed a plan B since it seemed like they were going to keep trawling and keep their nets down for as long as we were around. We also had to start heading back to Halifax as soon as possible (the Espy is on a tight schedule). So we decided to get in the way of the trawler itself by putting protest swimmers in the water right in front of the bow of the Lootus 2. Gabor and Flo bravely volunteered for this and suited up. I helped load a banner into the Hurricane, which the swimmers would carry and we set off into the fog towards the trawler.

Well now, I've already written too much and my intention was to wake everyone up, not put anyone to sleep, so the rest will have to come later along with loads more pictures!

-Lisa.

Give governments your own wake up call and tell them to stop bottom trawling in the high seas before it's too late

Image captions

-Lisa.

Image

Yesterday we pulled off an action against a Spanish trawler, attaching a banner saying "deep sea destroyer" to the hull of the offending vessel. No doubt that information is available through the official web pages but if you only read them what you miss is the stuff that goes on behind the scenes. So that's what I'm going to tell you about, about how it happens from the moment we have the chance to do an action. The following account is roughly how it has taken place during this campaign.

Once the inflatable detaches itself from the crane, it comes against the side of the ship by the pilot door and collects the extra crew (campaigners, photographers and action people now all dressed in thick orange suits and life jackets) from the wet room. This is hardest part if the weather or swells are bad. Boarding passengers need to be quick when climbing down the ladder and only when the driver says "go". They also need to to hold onto the sides of the pilot door and look down towards the boat to make sure it doesn't get pushed out by the waves as they try to stand on it otherwise they could drop right into the water! There are always extra people at the pilot door to help crew get into the boat. The captain can watch the pilot door on a television screen on the bridge and he communicates with the inflatable by radio. This communication can also be heard in the radio room.

Once everyone is on board the captain gives the inflatable the signal to go and then they stay in contact on the radio. The driver of the inflatable needs to know where he is going since it's been foggy and impossible to see where the fishing vessel is. He asks the captain for a bearing and away they go. If the weather is too rough the captain may decide to abort the action at anytime.

After the action, everything happens exactly in reverse. The inflatables come back to the pilot door. Most of the crew get off, very carefully. The crane pulls the boats out of the water. People pull the tag lines in. Everyone takes off their boat suits and washes them and then hangs them up to dry. The radios are returned to the radio room. The photographers go straight to their tiny offices and look at what they've got. There is time for a shower and some left over food in the mess and then we all have a discussion about what happened.

This meeting is mainly celebratory and there are lots of good vibes flying around along with the serious discussion of the events although it becomes obvious that not everyone is completely happy about not taking things further. Everyone is different on board and although we all care about the same things and want to take action for a better environment we don't always see eye to eye about the way it should be done. Some would perhaps like to do something a little more radical but what unites us is that we all want to do something to stop the destruction, and the conviction that whatever we do has to be non-violent. So everyone does their best even if they are not completely in agreement with the plan. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing. We want a moratorium on high seas bottom trawling and there is not a single person on this ship who doesn't.

When another trawler is discovered on the radar the entire process starts again, even if it's Sunday and the crew are expecting to be in bed for a little longer (just like yesterday).

-Lisa.

To make your voice against deep sea destruction heard along with ours click here to take the cyberaction

Pictured: Eddie, the bosun, launches an inflatable using one of the cranes on the main deck © Greenpeace

Name: Isadora
From: Germany
Job: Photographer

How did you end up working for Greenpeace?
I got a phone call asking if I would like to make pictures of the people working on board.

If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?
No more war.

The following is an account from Mike (chief mate) of what happened in yesterday's action against high seas bottom trawling...

The sun rose and some of the crew were out to watch it for its brief appearance. The rest watched with us as it disappeared again, half an hour later into dark rain filled clouds that took over the sky whilst we were launching the boats. The wind rose in the suns wake to a Beaufort force six, occasionally gusting to seven. Esperanza swung one way and then the other, making a lee to each side in order to launch the boats in the twelve foot swell. The Hurricane, with me as coxswain and Florian as crew were the first in the water. Florian, is a university student of environmental science from Germany, who joined the Esperanza as an activist in Halifax. He wears his long blond hair in dreads, and volunteers for everything all of the time.

In the action boat, we were joined by Marta from Madrid and Tara from Stockholm. They had come along as the painters. The four of us wore helmets for protection and bright yellow vests, with the words `Deep Sea Defenders' emboldened on the back in large black letters. My helmet was fitted with a camera to capture another angle of the activity. Inside the boat, we carried five litres of water based orange paint, two rollers and a paint tray. We also had a back up banner with magnets, and a small yellow flag to fly from the stern of the Hurricane. The weather tore at the small boats and within minutes the seas on the Flemish Cap had found their way through our action suits.

The Queen headed towards the target vessel and positioned herself ready with the cameras. Then the call came through, " Your turn Hurricane". A goodbye wave to the Esperanza and away we went at fast speed, straight into the action. I brought the Hurricane alongside the Icelandic bottom trawler 'Petur Jonsson' whose gear was down, trawling at a slow speed. The rise and fall of the swell was phenomenal. Marta poured some orange paint out into the tray and Tara dipped the roller into it. The hurricane rose and fell two meters at a time as she tried to paint a question mark onto the Petur Jonsson's hull. But the roller slid and did not paint well over the wet surface and we risked getting dashed against the side of the trawler. I filmed this as it was happening, with the camera on my head. Gavin, our video guy, had instructed me to try and look at things for periods of ten seconds at a time so not only was I concentrating on the positioning of the inflatable, but I was try
ing to restrict the movement of my head, whilst looking out of the corner of my eye.

The fishermen rushed out onto the deck and turned their fire hoses on us and I heard them shouting in a language that I did not understand. The paint was not going on and the painting plan was not coming off. I shouted above the wind to the crew, "Lets try the magnets and banner". The girls put away their paint, whilst Florian pulled out the banner. It was a simple message that read, `LEGAL?' A number of attempts were made to place the banner on the ships side with magnets, but somehow the wind whipped around the side of the Petur Jonsson and tore it down again. The crew resorted to holding the banner up in their hands and for the picture I was asked to position the Hurricane under the bow, beneath the ships name. As the bulbous bow came up cascading with white water, it pushed the bow of the hurricane away, swinging the stern onto the hull of the trawler. Effectively we were being bounced around and I needed little engine movements to keep her in position.

Despite the odds, we held our message today before the camera lenses to focus attention on the international waters, which cover 64% of our Earth. Like a message in a bottle it was cast off, with love and peace.

Mike Mate

Pictured: The location of our deep sea action yesterday © Greenpeace