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3 December 2005

There's a world out there...

by Lally, onboard the Arctic Sunrise

Click for larger.
©Greenpeace/Sutton-Hibbert
An iceberg we passed
along the way.
I just went outside for the first time in 3 days. Kate the photographer made me do it. I wanted to, I really did but to be honest it just looked a little bit scary and a big bit cold. And I was right it was both.

Kate goes out there all the time, as do various other members of the crew, where they do mysterious stuff (I will ask what one day). But I’ve been kind of looking at them and wondering how come they don´t just all fall into the sea. For fear of being boring I haven’t really gone on about how much the ship is still rolling. Since setting off we’ve had exactly ONE day of non-vicious ship rolling. The old timers onboard say that conditions at the moment aren’t that vicious but they are, trust me.

When going outside, once you’ve put on all your clothes you own and anything else you can lay your hands on the first thing to overcome is opening the door. It isn’t an ordinary door. It’s a huge heavy metal door designed to keep the sea out of the ship and stay shut in a hurricane and it has three different handles that need to be twisted and turned. Anyway, once you’re past it you’re outside.

Outside is a different world. The wind is the coldest I’ve ever felt and the sea looked like hills of dark boiling blueness. In the distance in between gigantic waves I could occasionally see a tiny little Esperanza. When I tried to speak my cheeks filled with wind like when you open your mouth on a rollercoaster and I noted that my face was already numb.

Standing on the helideck I realised how little our ship looks and how very very far away we are from land we really are. When you’re below deck it’s very easy to forget that all this vast amazingness is never more than a few meters away.

Cobwebs cleared and with colour back in my cheeks it was time to retreat below deck with a newfound understanding that I really must get out more.

   

Comments

And yet I envy you. It's been a long time since I've experienced that. I miss it. Be well, be safe - Kim

Posted by: Kimberly at December 5, 2005 8:07 PM

Beautiful description Lally, I can feel that cold wind on my face! Take care out there.

Posted by: Irene[TypeKey Profile Page] at December 5, 2005 9:48 PM

and here in Israel, summer decided to come back (cause a week of sort of a winter was more than enough it seems).

take care! and enjoy the view and take more walks outside. no matter how cold it is, everyone could use some fresh air once in a while...

Posted by: Alina at December 5, 2005 9:56 PM

(This post was backdated.)

Posted by: Andrew - Esperanza web editor at December 6, 2005 4:04 AM

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