For someone that considers walking to get beer on the beach maritime travel, a full sized ship is a big deal. Especially when it’s in the middle of a year long journey to save the oceans, exposing the threats and promoting global solutions. One of the biggest threats to life in the oceans is organized illegal commercial fishing, AKA pirate fishing. In the Mediterranean alone, over the last twenty years, the fishing industry has lowered the spawning stock biomass by 80%. In English that means that the fishies are getting much smaller and have a lot less baby fishies. So Greenpeace decided to defend life in the Mediterranean in general and the Blue Fin Tuna in particular.

The first day on board is pretty laid back. Except for some disturbing instructions about what to do in case of a fire ("don't do anything, let the crew do what they need to"), man overboard ("stay out of the crew's way") and abandon ship ("put your life suit on, and pray", sheesh!)- not a lot of work yet. The gloomy forecasts of sea sickness have been proven (so far) as wrong, mainly due to calm sea. Two meals in, none out. The meals, by the way, are surprisingly good.

After dinner today, sitting on the deck with the assistant cook, a fin appeared between the waves. The assistant cook, obviously drilled, said "Dolphin." And was immediately repeated in shouts across the ship. Some of the crew showed their faces in the windows. A pod of Dolphins was escorting the Esperanza, with spectacular jumps through the air. For a moment it seemed like they were checking us out. As if they were encouraging us to go and stop the crimes that are being committed every day, away from everyday life, the looting and the destruction that their habitat is subject to. Looking at the setting sun, it's tempting to think that this pack understands the meaning of Esperanza - "hope".