31 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Pullman
As we make our way to Singapore, Roger on board the Rainbow Warrior has been getting some fantastic photos or underwater sea creatures. He has some great underwater pictures of Tube Worms, Bristleworms and other cool looking sea... things. I'd highly recommend you
check em' out!
As I sit here, some news comes through from our New Zealand office. In the early hours of this morning, Greenpeace activists boarded a deep sea bottom trawler - the Belize flagged Chang Xing - in Port Nelson. The activists have locked themselves to the ship preventing it from leaving port.
This action takes place as a UN report confirms that there is an urgent need to protect the deep sea.
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28 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Slade Gray
As we sail past a beautiful remote island not so far from Burma, I think it's time to reflect. I think that I've been so busy that I really haven't sat back to think about this amazing experience I'm having. Perhaps it's something I will reflect upon after I get off the ship and slow down for a minute to see it. It really has been amazing to spend time on this ship, spend time with the crew and see the great things that a ship like this can achieve for the environment. I think without the Esperanza we wouldn't be able to achieve a lot of things that we currently do. This ship, in conjunction with the Artic Sunrise and Rainbow Warrior... We can achieve anything!
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26 July 2006
As we sail the high seas towards South East Asia and eventually onto the Philippines, we hear of a very interesting story coming out of our South East Asian office in the Philippines. A Greenpeace employee who was taking some water samples near a mining operation has been detained by Police and what appears to be no official charge.
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25 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Alain
Well, it's 4am and Im sat here on the bridge typing a little weblog for you all. It's very dark. In fact, the only light here is the glow from my laptop screen and the dimmed lighting on the radar screen and various other navigational equipment on the bridge console. I look out the window and all I can see if pure darkness. So dark that I cant even see the horizon. It's just one big bit of black, and if you stare into it for a minute or so it makes you feel blind because there is literally nothing to see. With
Diek's Dutch ambient tunes playing softly in the background from his mp3 player, the sound of crickets doing their chirp to attract the female, and the motions of the ship, it's all very relaxing.
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24 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Slade Gray
On Saturday morning, at about 11:30am this morning, when most people are out supermarket shopping or visiting relatives, the Man Over Board (MOB) alarm sounded on the ship. It was a drill to test the crews awareness and to make sure everyone knew what to do in the event of a Man Over Board.
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22 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Richard Vallantin
Well we're now back at sea. We were itching to get to India, then we were itching to get back to sea. Don't get me wrong, India was very nice, the people were fantastic, but there is something about being at sea that is like nothing else. With the gentle waves, fresh sea air, dolphins, flying fish and even jumping tuna, it's just so nice to be out here in the Ocean. So that means back to rolling around in bed, holding onto the desk while I type and stumbling up and down hallways. But I love it!
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20 July 2006
by Namrata, currently visiting the Esperanza
©Greenpeace/Slade Gray
We've had a deluge of visitors all week, many of them journalists wanting to know everything about the Espy and of course, the campaign. Quite apart from the press conference where we launched our report on the
Indian Coastal and Marine Environment, practically every news network in town has sent a camera unit down, and the campaigners and crew have been buttonholed in the strangest corners of the ship, pinned down by journalists keen to get that "special insider's perspective." Four days of running up and down the ship, attending to the many requests for information, photographs and clipreels and fielding several hundred questions on the phone... it all makes for one hungry media officer! And that is probably what led me to the best-kept secret on board the Esperanza; Chocolate-thumbs Charles.
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by Denny & Jeetender, currently visiting the Esperanza
©Greenpeace/Slade Gray
On 16th I was at Madras port, I was so excited to see Esperanza in reality. I don't know what to say? But I feel something pumping out from me inside.. and I met some good peoples out here .. and Slade is one of them who helps me out to understand more deeply about the Esperanza... I learnt a lot about Greenpeace deeply after interacting with the crews. I had good times interacting with school childrens, college student and the public.. Glad that this ship travels the whole world and spread the messages of green clean world.. Carry on dude!! Keep rocking, I will be missing you guys like a small baby misses his mom!!
Denny
(Fundraising Team - Greenpeace Chennai, India)
________________________________________
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19 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Slade Gray
Wow! What a day. Today has been great. Nice sunny day, maybe a tad too warm for my liking but nice all the same. It was Open Boat again and we've had loads of people turn up. We've had lots of school children, the Indian Coast Guard, and the general public.
I don't think I've ever met this many people in my life, most of whom I can't recall their names. It's a brain overload.
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18 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Slade Gray
Since arriving in India a few days ago weve been having a great time. Its been humid; weve all been working very hard but has been very rewarding. Today started at 8am on deck preparing for a big day of official visits and various guests. 11am was press a conference and we had all the major national news agencies which broadcasted great shots of the Esperanza right across India. The state owned TV has the biggest coverage in India and they were onboard too, filming interviews.
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16 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Slade Gray
Today we arrived in Chennai, India. It was a very warm reception from the local people. We had a traditional Carnatic Music Band playing on the quayside when we came along side. They then boarded and gave each crew members a Haars (a necklace made of fresh flowers), and dabbed our forehead with a paint like substance known as Tikka. Its basically a blessing welcoming ritual. They also gave us some sweet candy called Misri which was yum. It was very nice to be greeted with the local customs and experience some fantastic Indian Culture. It was quite a unique experience, which we all enjoyed a lot.
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13 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Gavin Newman
Today is an extra special posting.
The Crew of the Esperanza would like to tell our very good friends and colleagues in our
Lebanese and
Israeli offices, and all the people of the Middle East that we are sending our love, positive energy and thoughts to them in this difficult time. We Love you all, we hope that you are all ok, and that you will find peace very soon.
If you are reading this, please post your messages of support so our colleagues and friends in our Lebanese and Israeli offices, and all the people of the Middle East can feel that the rest of the world is thinking about them and sending their love. (Perhaps if you could mention the country you are from would be nice to)
Read The Special Message From The Crew Of The Rainbow Warrior!
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12 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Slade Gray
The last few days have been getting back into work again. After having a nice break from the everyday onboard stuff, and getting ashore to learn and research about rising sea levels in the Maldives, its back to the painting. Chipping and Painting has resumed as the weather has really improved. Our Boson, Grant and the deckhands have been keeping up with the everyday maintenance that has to be done onboard.
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10 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Slade Gray
Today was something a bit different. The crew of the Esperanza had the fantastic privilege of visiting a remote island community. We were passing Kelai Island, in the Maldives to research the risks of rising sea levels on Island communities. This incredibly unique island is one of the most far northern islands in the Maldives. It's only two metres above sea level and is in constant risk of rising sea levels due to
climate change.
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8 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Doro
I wish I could sit down and have a chat (perhaps a heated discussion) with Sir Sanford Fleming about his time zones idea. Ive discovered that I no longer like this idea. So far in this trip we have crossed 2 time zones which means I have to get up an hour earlier for my watch (which starts at 4am). Anyway, thats my rant for the day.
As the weather improves, we can begin to get back into more work. All the jobs on deck can now be done as its been too rough to go outside. With nicer weather, it was a good opportunity for some of the crew to get a haircut from 3rd mate and resident hack hairdresser Diek. However only Frederic and Dorothee were game enough to let him get anywhere near their hair. I opted out and decided to stick with the scruffy look rather than risk it.
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6 July 2006
©Greenpeace
From hot to cool and choppy. If its not hot and flat, its cooler and rougher oceans. But I guess this is all the fun of it. We continue to make our way through the Indian Ocean getting closer and closer to India each day. As we plough through the waves of this vast Ocean, the
Rainbow Warrior continues to work on
tuna in the Med(or lack there of), and weve received this interesting report from Jim Wickens, our former Oceans Campaigner, at a fish and chip shop somewhere in London.
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5 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Richard Vallantin
Yum!
Well, I decided it was time for a Video Log (VLOG). So todays weblog is more going to be about the video. In one of my
previous blogs, I mentioned that the deck of the Esperanza was so hot you could fry an egg on it. This comment seemed to gain a lot of interest so I decided to see if it actually was possible. Turns out, you can. Thanks to the sun beating down on a big bit of metal we were able to cook an egg. Check out
Ocean Defenders TV to see the video of the egg being cooked. Maybe next time we could try a stir fry?
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4 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Slade Gray
From The Poop Deck
In the Red Sea it barely felt like we were moving. When I was in bed it felt as if I was on land. But now things have changed. In the early hours of this morning the sea started to get a little more rough (well according to
Captain Frank its just a ripple in the water). No where near as rough as the
Southern Ocean, but rough enough to make you hang on in bed so you dont fall out. Were only rolling about 15 degrees each way but its enough for me to have to type with one hand and hold onto the desk with the other. Ive already fallen off my chair twice today. Imagine what it would be like in bigger seas.
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2 July 2006
©Greenpeace/Slade Gray
Dorothee!
After working long hours all week, with watches throughout the day and night and some very extreme heat, it is finally Sunday. As we work 6 days a week onboard, Sunday is usually the day off. We still have our watch keepers working and the guys on the bridge, but for most people its a relaxing day. It was a good opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep and washing. I even decided to shave after 10 days of not doing so. Most people took the time to relax and read, lay in the sun or sleep. During the afternoon I took the opportunity to learn about navigation.
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