Press conference in the Heli Hangar

Posted by at 10:44 AM, June 29, 2004

Hello friends,

I met Tomakint for breakfast and signed up for general cleaning- toilets and showers. He added his name to mine, but Rien excused him and fixed some tea instead. So I cleaned the heads with Helena and hoped I could show Tomakint the ropes tomorrow morning. I thought it was really important for him to know what is expected of him on a daily basis, especially during the transit. I want him to have as positive an experience as I have had working with the crew.

This morning’s press conference in the heli hanger went really well. Better than any of the other press conferences I have done. ;-)

Frode introduced Tomakint and me to the audience, and while we took turns speaking, the names of all 57,000 people who took the pledge scrolled on a screen behind us. That was Brian’s idea, and it was very effective. Frode spoke then about this campaign and about the problems being addressed at the OSPAR meeting (www.ospar.org) including marine pollution, climate change, and carbon dioxide (CO2) dumping. He emphasized the progressive work done by both Iceland and Greenpeace on these issues in an effort to promote cooperation between the two entities.

Tomakint did a very good job editing his long document down to a two-minute statement, and he looked sharp in a black suit with dark blue shirt. I felt unusually calm owing, I think, to my solitary concentration and preparation beforehand. I think I delivered a clear statement that reflected my strong feelings about whaling. At the end I talked to a girl who was writing her master’s thesis in public information using this issue as a case study. We had a lot in common and she promised to keep in touch by e-mail.

At 1:00 Tomakint and I were taken for a spin on the African Queen by Mark and Helena. We drove around the harbor a bit and then headed out for some high speed fun. I got to drive for a few minutes (!) and so did Tomakint. Unless of course you are the person in charge of safety for Greenpeace, in which case all we did was sit obediently while Mark and Helena did everything according to the book. I think this was Tomakint’s first time on a boat like this and he was trying hard to keep his balance while also taking pictures.

I got to talk to Helena some more. Asked her expressly about Greenpeace actions and what it’s like to prepare for them and participate in them. She described the adrenaline rush she sometimes gets and she told me about the different roles played by everyone involved. I particularly liked hearing about specific actions, boarding ships, trying to outrun the crew, and occupying the crane or anchor for days at a time. She mentioned an action on the recent Med tour where Frank was actually getting airborne in the inflatable as it drew up close to the ship they were trying to board. As it turns out, I saw a video of this very action last night. It’s spectacular really. There’s Frank, a very solid and strong individual, getting tossed about like so much salad and still managing to attach the rope ladder to the ship so that the girls can get up on the ship and make a run for it. All this at high speed. All I can think while Helena is talking is: "I want a turn! Sign me up!"

Later this afternoon, I had a chance to sit down with Irene and Frode to be interviewed by a reporter for the Grape Vine, an independent bi-weekly newspaper in Reykjavik. The reporter was from the U.S. but has been living in Iceland for five years. I really enjoyed our conversation; as he asked a lot of thoughtful questions and I got to listen to Irene and Frode speak on different issues. I felt confident during this interview, as I did during the press conference. I have a good education, I’ve done a lot of research, and I think I have a strong grasp of both the science and policy. It’s like all that hard work is paying off before my very eyes. I hope to see a copy of the article some day.

Gloomy weather once again, so we are postponing the whale watching tour until tomorrow afternoon.

Opted for a nice dinner downtown this evening. Jari suggested a restaurant called Salon since he had been there last year and remembered it well. We got the last table- smoking section delineated by a convenient line of invisible air. We ordered from the "Tourist" menu, which seemed to differ from the regular menu in that it was called the "Tourist" menu. We had a very good meal actually, four Jaris out of five, and a good red wine called "Lazy Bastard" of all things. Time flew. We saw one or two Greenpeacers walk by outside and commented on how small a town it seemed after just two days.

There was another party in town tonight. It was at a pub called the Serkus. It seemed like almost all of us from Greenpeace were there, along with a substantial local crowd and travelers from around the world. Great music was spun and spontaneous bursts of dancing erupted all the time in different parts of the bar. Reykjavik is a very fun party town. (Pete- you were right!) It was really late when the place finally kicked us out. It was light outside, so who knew. Slowly we dragged ourselves back to the ship and stumbled to bed.

-Marnee