I thank you for your work.
My love is with you

"The Institute for Cetacean Research, the front group for the illegal Japanese whaling operations did send a letter with demands to be met prior to a release. Sea Shepherd is not interested in any demands based on the holding of hostages."
http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_080116_3.html

Little Elisa thinks you're great for saving the whales! Just like Barbapapa does..
Take care of you all, you're in our thoughts!

"the Japanese Fisheries Agency's chief of whaling, said the two anti-whaling activists taken aboard the Japanese ship would not be released unless Sea Shepherd stopped"
http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/stalemate-over-whale-piratehostages/2008/01/16/1200419869014.html

despite all the comments flying round on this blog, there is no doubt about it: Greenpeace are the ones stopping the whaling because they are chasing the factory ship. And without the Nisshin Maru able to take whales on board, none of the others can kill whales.

Of course Paul Watson is playing its own game, claiming his own victories, and that's also drawing international attention to the whaling. It's a shame Sea Shepherd doesn't allow public comment on its blogs - seems it's pretty much a one-way street with Paul Watson - it's all "me, me, me."

keep up the great work Esperanza crew and keep saving those whales!

It's so refreshing to read shindig's comment above...

I couldn't agree more, and feel a great sense of empathy for Irene having to constantly filter and post comments that corner Greenpeace into a position where they are basically damned if they do and damned if they don't.

There are plenty of Greenpeace supporters out there, thinking of how hard you guys are working for an incredibly important cause. There's not many people that can say that about what they do.

Our good ol' friend Paul Watson is as big a spin doctor as the Spokespersons for the Whalers, and it is refreshing that at least Greenpeace is consistent in their approach, honest and accountable to their supporters. And not only that, they think about the short and long term strategic objectives in their campaigns. Which is what will bring about long term sustainable change.
Cheers to that!

Hi
Keep up the good work,its an absolute outrage that the japanese are still whaling.Rudd should live up to his promises and send back up for you and crew.
The whole of Australia is behind you

Dear shindig,
I don't agree with you - on the contrary, Paul Watson is quite right: Greenpeace indeed just "takes pictures and hangs banners", besides its diplomatic efforts. But Japan laughs at the banners, and diplomacy with it is useless, because it needs the whaling to show the "Western" countries that it doesn't give a damn about their ideas, how Mr. Morishita of the Japanese Fisheries Department said last year, basically. These "Western" countries are not partners for Japan - they just should buy its products and shut up for the rest. Japan takes the liberty of ignoring global resolutions when it has been outvoted.
With this Japanese Government as opponent, a boycott of all Japanese products is the only thing that would work from outside Japan. Without such a pressure, the Japanese people will go on bearing this rotten government still for decades.
Greenpeace's years of efficiency are long gone, it seems. So go on lamenting "We love Japan, but whaling breaks our hearts".

hi,,i just wondered what you will do when your fuel reserves run low, i have read that the jap killers might be out there until mid april,,will you dock up somewhere refuel and head back down there or is that the end of your trip,
many thanks and keep up the brilliant work 100% respect to u all down there.

Shindig, the whales don't care what you or anybody thinks. Every whale that's saved is a success. All the disruptions, the publicity and all the governments having to deal with the whaling issue is a good thing for the whales. This is not a sporting event. Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are not opposing teams. The only winners or losers are the whales. It's not me, me, me. It's all about those wonderful creatures we call whales. If you understand that, you would do better to keep your eyes on the prize!

{Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the domestic law of the country where a ship is registered - in this case Japan - applies.
"I expect this may allow the vessel to use reasonable force to prevent boarders from causing harm to the vessel and the crew and to ensure that they follow the lawful directions of the ship's master," Mr Knight said.}
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4359391a12.html

Have sent letter to the Japanese Ministers and hope many others will do the same.

Keep up the good work, keep on their heels, myself and many others are behind you 100%.

Best wishes

Ian

I just want to say thank you for what your doing. It’s an example for the world. On the video, I saw a few of you walking around on deck without a coat. Isn’t it freezing over there?!

Keep up the wonderful work!!!

Unfortunately shindig, your comments reflect either touching naivete or else simple, child-like wishful thinking, more than reality. The WhaleKiller ships can STILL be killing all the whales they want.

They can tag them and fill them with air and then go back and recover them later. Or, they just kill them for harpoon gunnery practice and leave them to rot. Or, they just kill them for the the pure hell and fun of the kill, again leaving them to rot.

They may especially be killing any humpbacks they come across, just to see what it feels like to kill humpbacks: preparing for the day when The Moratorium is Overthrown and the Oceans of the Planet become a FreeFire Zone for Extinction-based Whaling for EVERY type of Whale.

How would we now if they were or were not doing that? Do you trust the Japanese whalers to tell us the Truth?

Another Question For Dave on the ESPERANZA: are there any inderpendent observers on board any of the WhaleKillerFleet vessels to ensure that the reported Kill is accurate?

The ten (10) pirate whalers that "Me, me, me" Watson destroyed 10-20 years ago during the SSCS flurry of so-called "eco-terrorism," those sunk and scuttled and destroyed WhaleKillers are killing no whales at all right now. That much is established fact. All else is conjecture.

"WHALE Is The Planet's Canary."

JG Moebus
S/V WayFinder
HMB CA USA
sv_wayfinder@yahoo.com

MY BEST REGARDS FOR ALL OF YOU!!!

YOU¡RE DOING AN AMAZING WORK!!

KEEP SAVING THOSE WHALES

Well you bunch of greedy greens ,how dare you uk radicals come here and committ piracy ,do you think you are above the law do you ? what your doing is illegal and you should be jailed for it !anyone else would be ,as well as taking over the power station you should also be jailed ,all you do is tell lies and try to rip our taxes off ,YOU ARE BRAKING THE LAW YOU STUPID FANATICS AND RUINING OUR STANDING IN THE WORLD .JAIL FOR ALL OF YOU!

some of greenpeaces supporters arnt listening to the news are they..the japanese put out a press release stating that the Nisshin maru wasnt running from greenpeace but were worried seashepherd was close by and was trying to avoid seashepherd.last year greenpeace didnt even engage the fleet till it was all over.and the year before that the fleet never ran from greenpeace,they kept hunting and even nearly took out one of greenpeaces zodiacs with a harpoon.id hardly call that running from them that year.the fleet ONLY run from seashepherd..get it rite and stop trying to bullshit everyone.Paul watson doesnt have a blog because hes not interested in what you guys think hes doing wrong..remember seashepherd does its actions for the WHALES ,NOT FOR YOU,NOT FOR ME ,BUT FOR THE WHALES!and im sure hes not saying me me me to himself.get to no the guy before you judge him huh.if it wasnt for guys like Paul Watson and Bob hunter greenpeace wouldnt be here today and all you greenpeacers wouldnt be get those big fat wallets of yours.so show abit of respect and do it for the whales.put you cameras away and stop this madness.you guys blew it when you didnt help paul find the japs and your getting bad media from it now.it was so childish and nothing good came from being that way.I no you wont put this up on our blog and i dont really care.but i have been a huge supporter of greenpeace in the past but like many others i now support seashepherd,you guys have done nothing to inspire me.take care tho and do it for the whales!!!

I think you are all amazing! I love you for what you are doing.

{Glenn Inwood from the Institute of Cetacean Research says the activists may have to be taken to Japan.

"Two men have committed a breach of international law by illegally boarding a flagged vessel," he said.}
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/17/2140406.htm?section=justin

Keep after em!! Wish you had resources to refuel so the chase could continue until the poachers are back in Japan. May the peaceful spirit of the sea stay with all of you - thanks for what you do. Best wishes to the Sea Shepherd and its crew as well. Australia's national newspaper, The Australian, has had great coverage the the ongoing issue with the Sea Shepherd. PEACE!!

"the Oceanic Viking is currently within sighting distance of the Japanese whaling vessel"
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23066016-12377,00.html

thank you so much for your work! you are all angels.

First of all, since we seem to get the same comments over and over and over again:

- There has been no whaling since we started chasing the Nisshin Maru.

- We are all here to save the whales. We are not here to fight Sea Shepherd, and they are not here to fight us.

- Yes, not only do we take pictures - we have footage too! And if you bothered looking at it you would find that we do much more than that. Your comments are ignorant and insulting, but I guess that is your little way of contributing to saving the whales.

Diana my sweetie - I'll pass it on, regards to Elisa and Barbapapa.

Ian: Embarrassingly enough I haven't sent one myself! Am pushing the send button… NOW.

Justin - we will have to let go when we run out of fuel (or preferably before!). Unfortunately. Thankyou for your support.

Bryan Kilgallin: You might have the legal right to detain someone for trespassing, but then you either hand them over to the authorities or let them go - unconditionally. Charge them or release them, those are the options. I've been wondering what happened to the Oceanic Viking, it seems as if they may have popped up now.

Jeroen M - I don't know exactly which video you refer to, might have been shot before we reached the ice. For a girl from the north it is not THAT cold though. At least not every day.

JG Moebus: There might be coastguards onboard some of the whaling vessels, but as far as we know there are no independent observers. I doubt that the whalers "tag them and fill them with air" - whale meat starts to rot more or less instantly.

Jack: "commit piracy"? "Power station"? "Rip our taxes off"? I am curious as to what you are on about.

Marcus: Your bottom line: "they are much scarier than we are". Allrighty then.

Peace2008, Francis, Belinda Grace, Sergio campos, Ross Giles… thank you for your support!

/ Iréne onboard the Esperanza

heh heh seems like I stirred things up! nothing like a good bash on the blog.

Irene, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Sea Shepherd guys haven't actually stopped any whales from being killed have they?

In my understanding Greenpeace is doing that by keeping the Nisshin Maru on the run (which is neither hanging banners or taking photos - it's stopping whaling).

I think last year that neither Watson nor Greenpeace saved any whales - the whalers did that all by themselves when the Nisshin Maru caught on fire. The ship Watson had the altercation with wasn't a whaling ship - it was the closest to a "research" vessel that they get - it was actually counting whales.

But while I don't like Paul Watson, the Sea Sheps ARE helping to keep international attention on whaling, which is a good thing.

Lol.

Hello Jack.
What a great rant. You must be so frustrated that you can not blog on a Sea Shepherd site. It shows in your grammar and spelling - fabulous.

It really is people like you that makes me appreciate the way Greenpeace go about their business. Keep it up Jack!

Matthew, I had to chuckle as I read your entry. I suddenly had a vision of Japanese Whalers holding up banners saying 'We are measuring body fat'. As they butcher a whale. I always thought that imitation is the purest form of flattery.

WayFinder
Whaling is a commercial enterprise. Depicting individual human beings on board as blood thirsty killers is probably not fair. At the end of the day they have a job and receive wages to support their families. Also, I am sure grenade tipped harpoons are not so cheap, for them to be used for enjoyment.

Let's work on showing the world what is going on, so that no country will send out any vessels capable of killing cetaceans in the future.

Martin

{"Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the two governments had struck a deal to have the men returned to the Steve Irwin and called for cooperation between the captains of the two vessels.
"Japan has given us assurances that the two will be released and returned to their ship," he said.
"Neither captain involved should set conditions on the return beyond those necessary to ensure the safe return of the two men.}
http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/news/local/general/diplomacy-fails-in-whaling-standoff/1163823.html

"The whaling fleet and the Steve Irwin have been unable to agree on a direct transfer, with each side making threats against the other."
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200801172228/customs_ship_trying_to_arrange_transfer_of_activists

Stick to your peacefull way of doing things guys... from what ive seen of sea shepherd and its antics"ramming other vesels" etc and basically acting like Conservationist "vandals" i am 1 million percent behind what greenPEACE stands for and does...dont be bothered or swayed by the amount of international coverage sea shepherd is garnering(for its OWN agenda) the world wil not judge conservationist activism based on the stupidity of one organisations actions... stay true to the cause greenpeace you are doing ALL us conservationists proud
Keep well and safe guys...
Steve

Ohhhhhhhh :) i just discovered and downloaded the toolbar..i checked out the chatroom feature but it was kind of lonely in there all by myself...it would be great if maybe some of the team onboard the Esperanza could maybe sit in the chatroom?? or perhaps hold certain chats to give us the Cyber brigade watching here on our PCs the chance to "get it straight from the horses mouth" of cause not calling anyone a horse :)
Just an idea i know you guys are kinda busy down there chasing them nasty whaler types all over the ocean...
tally ho troups
:)

Sea Shepherd & the Oceanic Viking are with the whaling fleet, the Nisshin Maru is heading back, so...

DON'T CHASE BACK!

Conserve fuel!!

You'll catch up with the fun soon enough and be able to loiter for longer.

Good whalers 'watching'!

Best wishes,
Martin

Whether you agree with Sea Shepherds past (or present as they openly state they do not intent any ramming antics) tactics it's for each person to decide to what length they are prepared to go. Aggressive direct action is sometimes necessary in my view, but that's my view.
But this bickering is pointless, and from reading both sides, sorry, but it seems to me to be coming mainly from the Greenpeace camp.

I truly wish this bashing from the Sea Shepherd supporters would cease. It is redundant and pointless. But I'll have to say, a couple of good things came out of this.
1. Even though I hope with all my heart for mercy for the two crewmen of the Steve Irwin, the only thing Captain Watson got out of this, was a good slap on the hand, and the knowledge that the next time he decides to send one of his sacrificial lambs, ...they will be arrested and do prison time. Japan: I ask you to release the men. The point has been made, and this could only serve your interest to do so.

2. ...and most important, Captain Watson is being stopped from ramming any more ships in the immediate future because of all this input and attention, both pro and con from you personally that blog in here.

While Captain Watson claims there have been no injuries or deaths from the more than 10 whaling vessels, and numerous fishing boats he boasts of sinking, that was something he could not foresee or expect. When you run full speed intending to ram and sink another ship, you have obviously no regard for human life, ...and certainly if he continues this attitude, there will be casualties. And on that note, it looks like your record now is blemished with the two casualties that are facing possible terrorist charges. You come in terror, and by every definition, you are a terrorist, and you do nothing to that will help the whales. Just like the cat we spray with a water bottle to stop it from attacking birds, it will only strengthen their resolve to encourage and find new and innovative ways to continue to hunt, ...such as the new and super scuttleproof factory ship they intend to build.

Thank you Greenpeace for staying your course of Love. You bring to us the ideal of human change, and I ask you to resist any pressure or notion of acting in complicity with the Sea Shepherd group. In the eyes of those that truly care, we see you as our only real hope whaling will end forever.

Dear Irene, I’m far from wanting to insult anyone of you all! I rather wish you good luck with all my heart. And by the way, I didn’t leave it at that: I’ve paid you some hundred gallons of fuel for this trip – well, put it to good use!
But in my humble opinion, Greenpeace is fiddling around with Japanese "scientific" whalers for 22 years now, without getting any result. Please excuse me, but this is not the usual Greenpeace way. One could really believe that someone of your board of directors sleeps with an official of the Japanese fisheries department! Why the hell do you handle Japan with kid gloves? Since 1986, when "scientific" whaling was invented! In Iceland, Sea Shepherd has ended "scientific" whaling by sinking the whaling boats. Well, I must admit that, though efficient, this is not your way neither. But you used to have more efficient ways to put your opponents under pressure than the ones you apply to Japan!
Irene, you even expect for yourself that Japanese "whaling could continue for decades", in your above posting! Well, I can’t believe it. So please do something else than whaler-watching! Who in the world, if not Greenpeace, disposes of the means to organize a boycott of Japanese products? And you could find yet more reasons to force the pace: Japan is one of the most effective destroyers of tropical rainforests in the world, Japan is an important market for products made from endangered species, Japan’s foreign aid policy consists in corrupting poor countries (to join the IWC to vote for whaling, to let Japanese companies clearcut their forests, and so on), for example.
Please don’t forget that you are not dealing with a whaling company, but with a government being wild about whaling, a stone-age government in a high-tech country. Why not make use of this contrast to discredit Japanese products? Go on, you have let Japan 22 years to come to its senses, that should have been long enough! Please stop sucking up to Japan!
I wish you all the best! God bless you and be with you!
Matthew

Shindig, again, your score keeping is irrelevant. "In my understanding Greenpeace is doing that by keeping the Nisshin Maru on the run (which is neither hanging banners or taking photos - it's stopping whaling)."
You have not been paying attention! Glen Inwood already said they are running from Sea Shepherd.
In fact, since it is so important to you, last year Sea Shepherd was extremely successful in bringing the issue to the media's attention. Also, for the first time, Sea Shepherd introduced a ship that could out run the Nisshin Maru, much to the their surprise. Before that, Sea Shepherd's Farley Mowat could only about eight knots. The much faster Nisshin Maru only had to move their operations far enough away so they could continue. That's exactly why the Esperanza is not merely photographing the slaughter of whales this year. Instead, the factory ship ran away to avoid the Steve Irwin. Can we assume from your dislike of Paul Watson that you would prefer that Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd did not exist? Your answer to that question will also be irrelevant.

I really would like to know why you aren't going to refuel and return to the sanctuary. The japs will be there until April, so should you!! Please refuel and get back there as fast as possible.

It seems that you are keeping your distance. Why not stay up close in their face???

"Sea Shepherd members, Benjamin Potts from Australia and Briton Giles Lane, were released to an Australian customs ship on Friday morning."
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200801180920/japan_to_continue_whaling_after_release_of_activists

Steve
Sensational idea, see you there.
This is the toolbar location - I think.
http://greenpeaceinternational.ourtoolbar.com/

Cmon guys come join us in the greenpeace toolbar chatroom...we dont bite "much" :)

Steve:

"join us in the greenpeace toolbar chatroom."

I use Safari.