The trade winds are starting to make themselves felt, the sun gets a little hotter everyday and the ship rolls easily in the long Pacific swell. Boobies, following us to hunt the flying fish that leap out of the water as we pass, are hitching a ride. [Editor's note: Boobies are a group of seabirds closely related to gannets. They are large birds with long pointed wings and long bills. They hunt fish by diving from a height into the sea and pursuing their prey underwater.]

It is a unique feeling to set off on a voyage into the Pacific at any time, and on any ship - but is especially so on board Esperanza one year into Defending Our Oceans.

The first couple of nights we were treated to spectacular displays of shooting stars - including one (just as we were bemoaning their apparent absence) which "fell" across half the sky and left us speechless.

The clear skies mean that we have chance, on these moonless nights, to look at the constellations: in the early part of the night (on the 8pm-12am watch) Orion, Canis Major, and Gemini are rising as Aquarius, Pisces, and Cygnus set. We can even make out the faint Andromeda galaxy with the naked eye.

I'm lucky to be out here in the Pacific. It’s a privilege to be part of the long and honourable involvement that Greenpeace has in the Pacific and Pacific issues. From Amchitka to the present day - that too has been some voyage!