Hello Hobart – at the end of a long journey
Posted by Irene onboard the Esperanza
©Greenpeace/Jiri Rezac
The icebergs outside our portholes have been replaced by the buildings of Hobart.
We could smell the trees from far away. For some reason many looked surprised at the sight of land, as if we had expected it not to be there anymore. When sailing into Hobart, we were moved by the big welcoming crowd cheering and waving on the quayside. It took some time to clear customs, but about an hour later we set foot on land for the first time in a month and a half. It was lovely to see all these smiling faces, and as much as I like my crewmates, it is good to see some others than the 36 onboard!
Tomorrow we will hold the ship open for visitors – if you happen to be in the area please come pay us a visit between 12 and 19pm!
We would like to thank all our supporters out there, who give us financial and moral support by sending us messages and comments. Grateful Child, Dwarven, Jenni Barrett, Barbara Stowe and Alice to mention a few returning readers - you were right there with us. I will close our posts for comments soon, since I’ll be off the ship.
A thank you as well to david@tokyo and Isanatori: we will never agree on much.
Thank you to all who have participated in the online actions.
A couple of days ago Dwarven posted a comment on my crew profile asking if we were coming to Hobart, and if we had any requests. The thought of eating avocados had grown into an obsession, so I asked him to bring a couple. It was perhaps the best avocado I’ve ever had, so many thanks for that!
For all you webcam addicts out there: we’ve taken them down for now, only the mast camera is still running. I hope that absence will no be too difficult for you!
Somehow it is suitable that we came to Hobart, a town that used to be at the heart of shore-based whaling in Tasmania. What is left of the old whaling stations in Tasmania are historic sites, the way it should be.
We will continue our work to end whaling in the Southern Ocean for good, on the political arena and in Japan.
From South Korea to Tasmania, with all that zigzagging when chasing the Nisshin Maru in all directions, we’ve sailed 17 000 nautical miles since I got onboard the Esperanza 3,5 months ago. Now we will all go in different directions, some will stay onboard for a while longer and others are heading home. Saying goodbye to the crew and the ship is never any fun, but I look forward to a long walk in the forest.
See you!
- Iréne
Comments
I want to congratulate the whole crew on a job well done. Hopefully the debat (that you guys made happen) will result in a termination of Japans whaling expeditions. It was nice to read the regular updates all these weeks, I want to thank Iréne for keeping us so well informed with regular updates.
It is inspiring to see a crew like this work together for the common goal of stopping these majestic animals from being slaughtered. Despite the sometimes fierce criticism, you all stood by the principles that are at the core of all Greenpeace actions. Violence is never a good solution.
I'm thinking about signing up at the regional Greenpeace office here in Belgium, you guys proved that with some dedication and courage one can make a difference even as a volunteer.
Goodbye to all of you, and thanks again for the good work you have all done!
Posted by: Tom | February 4, 2008 11:49 AM
I noted that one of your previous contributors asked why you didn't use unpaid volunteers. Well, by answer, I am an unpaid volunteer - I have been roughed up by police, abused by the public, ranted at by nutters. I am proud to give my free time as a Greenpeace volunteer. Oh and for the record, for any other organisation, I bill my services at about £750 per day.
Thanks Greenpeace - well done Espy, keep it up.
Posted by: Richard | February 4, 2008 12:38 PM
Thank you Iréne, and you all, both on the Esperanza, in offices, and those in the blogs here who care enough to try and make a change.
I'll miss you all, but you all will never be far from my heart. Through all the criticism and hardship, your Love and courage has made this the most successful campaign ever. Never before in history has the call from within been so strong in their homeland, and it is Love that has touched their hearts, and what will ultimately bring an end to this cruelty. God bless you all and keep you safe my friends, ...now let's all stay the moment so that this does not become a distant memory, ...but rather a new and determined beginning, conceived of Love, to ending whaling forever. Now is our time to act and to support Greenpeace more than ever. My Love and gratitude to you all, ...GC
Posted by: Grateful Child | February 4, 2008 1:24 PM
Well done y'all. Thanks so much again for everything you did out there this year... Best of luck now in all your future endeavours.
And to all at Greenpeace - you know you can count on us for ongoing support.. let us know whenever there is anything we can do to help the whales.
Happy Avocado eating and forest walking Irene. Thanks for doing such a fab job:)
Adios amigos!
x
Jenni
Posted by: Jenni | February 4, 2008 4:02 PM