Rose is the overall project leader (or, as hapless project leaders are more commonly referred to within Greenpeace, “cat herder”) for Defending Our Oceans. Herding cats is obviously never an easy task, and this isn’t called our “most ambitious expedition ever” for nothing.

Rose at sea

The Persuaders.... Rose as onboard trainer

Rose has worked for Greenpeace for most of her adult life after running away from home in her teenage years. You can usually tell if she’s in the building if you see an exceptionally stylish woman with a phone glued to her ear exclaiming, “I’m LIKING it” punctuated by “Oh my gawd, can someone bring me some cawfee?” in the Boston accent which has survived (flourished, even) after 37 years living in the Shetland Islands off the coast of Scotland. She's equally at home, it seems, in an orange survival suit on an Greenpeace inflatable, organising phone conferences from the middle of the ocean, having a pint with fishermen or hobnobbing with Prime Ministers, UN delegates,celebrities.

Rose has been at the helm and guided the expedition (sometimes comprising our three ships at once) through an amazing 380-odd days at sea, 2 oil spills, an earthquake, a volcano, a hurricane, a toxic dumping and three humanitarian relief missions, not to mention everything from stolen equipment, missed ships, lost web editors and eleven different Greenpeace offices collaborating with eleven different universities and marine scientists (and no doubt at least 3000 cups of strong coffee).

I for one will certainly be raising a glass of brandy to Rose this Christmas.