1 April 2006
Pirates: If you can't beat em? Join em!
by Dave, onboard the Esperanza

The tropical South Atlantic island of South Georgia was finally agreed upon, despite my arguments for making our way north to Hy Brazil. Still, beggars can't be choosers. The crew of the Arctic Sunrise are joining in our mutinous lifestyle change, and are currently hotfooting it from Rio de Janeiro with a cargo of Samba musicians.
We're low on some crucial supplies - especially ice cream and beverages. As soon as we arrive at South Georgia, we're planning on stocking up on fruit from the autumnal orchards and hitting the high street of Grytviken for some shopping. After the funds run out, we'll resort to barter, and after that, maybe some buccaneering around the Magellan Strait, where we can extract goods and money from passing ships.
Pirates? If you can't beat em, join em. Arrrr.
- Dave aka 'Musket Ball Tobias'
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Comments
Hmm, I would have hoped you would catch a bigger fish than this Chinees rustheep and go after one of the bigger ships that get suppleyed by the smaller vessels and next frustrate the fish supply to Europe in the Cannarie Islands by action there.
The stranded ships near the Guinee coast ask more for a sepperate documentary about this sad issue.
Posted by: Maarten at April 1, 2006 1:18 PM
*snicker*
"Fancypants" Andrea Teach here, reporting for virtual pirate duty! Geez, "Fancypants" is one of the nicknames we have for our huge, 15-year-old orange male cat ("Mr. Attitude" is another nickname, heh).
Sounds like you guys are getting pretty punchy, but there's nothing wrong with that ;-)
Page
Posted by: pvdl_amsterdam
at April 1, 2006 1:33 PM
Hi again,
I have heard there still exists a herd of reindeers!!! in South Georgia , that were imported by the Norwegians , who had there whaling stations on the islands.
Posted by: Ann Novek at April 1, 2006 1:37 PM
Wow! Do you think should interbreed them with the herd of reindeer that live on the Esperanza's monkey island? Not a lot of people know this, but we use their discarded antlers for making very effective, organic radar antennae.
We also have an excellent biosphere garden and a herd of formerly-feral goats on board.
Posted by: Dave - Webbie on the Esperanza at April 1, 2006 2:02 PM
Hey Maarten - we're a long way from the Canaries at the moment - but thanks for the input!
Posted by: Dave - Webbie on the Esperanza at April 1, 2006 2:10 PM
Ahoy Mateys, Cap'n Flora Skullcrack reporting for duty.
If you would just provide me with your co-ordinates - stars will do - me and me Mates on the good pirate ship "Winsum Lut" would be happy to join you for the festivities and a share of the bounty.
Here's lookin' at yu!
Posted by: echo at April 1, 2006 5:46 PM
At last somewhere Greenpeacers can retire to - all that action training must in come good for something more profitable than this saving the world malarky! Ahoy there - get yersleves settled in and we'll be joining you soon...
Posted by: elaine at April 1, 2006 7:26 PM
So you are using our donations to have a holiday?
Get your asses out there and campaign! That's what we are paying you for!
If not, forget about any more donations!
Posted by: Peer at April 1, 2006 7:28 PM
Peer - Please don't take it all so seriously...
Posted by: Dave - Webbie on the Esperanza at April 1, 2006 7:48 PM
Hah! Was a bit confused there for a second.
Posted by: Cap'n Lea Sharkbait at April 1, 2006 10:53 PM
yeah, yeah. Seems that you don't have anything else to do?
Now that I have your attention;
Instead of this 'big catch' (...) why aren't you in Canada, campaigning against the seal hunt? Or in Norway, since these idiots are about to start their whale-killing again this year?
And, why keep you refuse to work together with Seashepherd? Because of your attitude a lot of whales were killed in Antartica last January. Got you some 'good' pictures though... Anything for publicity!
Seems like you ego, political ambition and fundraising is much more important than the protection of wildlife?
Posted by: Peer at April 2, 2006 12:02 PM
Peer - seems like you've found a lot to criticise, but - we can only be in so many places at once, in terms of our ships. The Esperanza is currently working on the impending environmental and humanitarian chaos caused by pirate fishing off West Africa. The Rainbow Warrior is currently dealing with the horrors taking place in the Paradise Forests of Papua New Guinea. There's a also a lot work that happens behind the scenes, or at least on less-glamorous level that doesn't involve the ships - we're constantly putting pressure on governments and corporations through cyberactions, through delegations at conferences (e.g. the UN Law of the Sea meetings) and so on.
If you'd like to read our reaction to the Canadian seal hunt, click here
We don't work with sea shepherd because while our goals may be comparable - saving whales - our principles and methods are not - this has been repeated elsewhere on this blog.
And on the contrary - we dogged the whaling ships for weeks in the Southern Ocean, saving many whales. Sending two ships, a helicopter and 57 people to the Southern Ocean for 70+ days isn't believe or not, a good way of making money or saving money, it's a very expensive operation.
Of course, publicity is an issue - there's no point in Greenpeace doing something - chasing pirates in West Africa, or blocking the harpoons of whalers, unless the world gets to know about it. So yes, we definitely do it for publicity! We'd be crazy not to!
Icelandic Whale Hunt:
Icelandic whale hunt
As for your accusations regarding "ego, political ambition and fundraising" - I'd like appreciate if you could provide some of your evidence to back up what you say, so I can address them further.
Greenpeace isn't a wildlife protection agency - whereas the campaigning for protection of ecosystems - and by extension, wildlife, is certainly within our remit. We deal with the environment as a whole. It might be worth checking out an organisation like Peta - they're an animal rights organisation.
Greenpeace is an independent, campaigning organisation which uses nonviolent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems, and to force the solutions which are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace's goal is to ensure the ability of the earth to nurture life in all its diversity.
See also: Greenpeace New Zealand
Posted by: Dave - Webbie on the Esperanza at April 2, 2006 12:37 PM
Hi Peer, with all respect, I honestly don't think the seal hunt is the biggest of all the problems threatening our oceans. Pirate fishing is among them, though. And Norway made public the decision of the new whale hunt figures like - what - two days ago so there's no way the Espy would make it there from Guinea. Don't forget we have three vessels...
Also, with all respect, but how much good did the Sea Shepherd really do for the whales and the green movement in Iceland some years ago? Ever thought about that? Non-violence is the key here, turning to violence you only lower yourself down to the same level with the wrong-doers.
Posted by: Satu at April 2, 2006 12:41 PM
Hi all,
Personally I'm a very big fan of the whales , but the more I'm involved with Greenpeace I see that other issues are as important as whaling.
TODAY*S VERY BAD NEWS- WHALING SEASON BEGUN YESTERDAY IN NORWAY. Lisa and I have sent protest letters.
Posted by: Ann Novek at April 2, 2006 4:40 PM
Seems to me that there is a lot of 'armchair environmentalists' around. I know we can't all be fortunate enough to be on the front line or to be one of the many landlubbers who hold this all together, but if you look deeply into what Greenpeace does, you will see that it is a huge and complicated machine that has to work in many diverse ways to achieve our goals.
What a lot of the public see is the end result of months, even years, of research and preparation. What happens at the end, is the public become involved through the media.
Now some times the media, in ignorance,or by mis-information take the wrong slant, but most of the time they work with the facts and the true message comes out, but, for every 10 that are for you - there is always one against.
If you do something good it will be talked about for a few days, but make a mistake - it will be talked about for ever.
Seals hunting is a very strong image for the media - blood on snow - but seals in huge numbers will have a devastating affect on fish stocks. Fishermen have gone out and fished areas dry, but do we see people protesting against fishermen?
In my own town we have lost most of the wild salmon in the rivers because there was a ban put on seal control. They now have a huge population and eat 40 tonne of fish a day.
We used to get a lot of revenue from sport fishing in the rivers, and the whole community benefited from the spin offs. This has now all but come to an end.
Whilst we must guard against slaughter and willful destruction, we must also consider the consequences of allowing a situation to run wild.
Whilst deforestation is harmful, management is beneficial. Whaling for local populace is a way of life - and for some, a means of survival, but when it come to large scale commercial plunder, like the Brazilian timber merchants, or the Japanese whalers, that is a different matter.
I agree that there is much work to be done, but lets make sure we approach the right people and not just tear into the nearest thing we can lay our hands on. The real criminals are well concealed behind corporates and many honest innocent workers. To find them takes time, effort and money.
We do that research, and it goes without publicity.
To truly understand takes a lot of time and study, and unfortunately most of us do not have the time to devote to that, and we rely on organizations like Greenpeace to do it for us.
They work with and for the public who support them, and do it well. The pen IS mightier than the sword, and it is through public awareness and pressure on the companies committing the crimes that we will win.
If you want to help, the join and support, if you think we are wrong, explain, we'll listen, and if we are, then we'll sort it.
Posted by: Hughie at April 3, 2006 8:05 AM
All updates from the Southern Ocean whaling 2007 leg »
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All updates from the Pirate Fishing/Africa leg »
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