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The message is spreading
2007-02-01 11:20:01
Posted by Sakyo, on the Esperanza It's been six days since we left Auckland. The waves are getting rougher and rougher. Back in New Zealand, I was very surprised that so many people came to the Open Boat. At one point, I even joined the ship's tour with other visitors. When a volunteer guide talked about about how "most Japanese people don't really eat whale meat" and "two thirds of the people don't support their Government's whaling in the high seas", I could hear/feel that people around me were really interested in hearing this.
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Black and white dolphins
2007-02-01 05:19:05
Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza Southern rightwhale dolphin © Greenpeace/Newman I don't know how many times I've seen dolphins while at sea. Really, I don't know. The time I was on the Esperanza, off the coast of West Africa, it seemed that every afternoon, Nadia, the 2nd mate, would shout out "crazy jumping dolphins" - and we'd be out on deck, watching the spinner dolphins pirouetting through the air.
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Life on a floating roller coaster
2007-01-31 17:18:03
Posted by Melanie, on the Esperanza Sloping horizon © Greenpeace/Walsh The seas have picked up significantly since yesterday and the ship is rolling about 20 degrees to port and starboard, sometimes more. I'm psyched that I haven't had to take any seasickness medicine at all, and while I have a constant lowgrade headache and a tinge of nausea, I'm certainly nowhere close to how sick I've been on past expeditions on the Arctic Sunrise. This ship is so much more stable than the Sunrise, and I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to make it through the entire expedition with my stomach contents intact.
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Emilie: 4th Mate
2007-01-31 17:18:03
© Greenpeace/Beltra Emilie - 4th Mate Netherlands Here we are again. For the third time down south and every time I get back to land, I say to myself; I won't go down there again. And yet here I am again. The weather makes it a bit like hell on the way down and back up, but the beauty near all that ice, the albatrosses and above all the whales is incredible. We said last year that we would finish the job, for once and for all. But then the sad news arrived, that in the International Whaling Commission, the Japanese government was able to buy a lot of votes. With the votes of the countries to whom they gave development money, they hope to break open the sanctuary regulations so then they could go back to commercial whaling. So in the last IWC meeting the amount of counties voting against whaling were losing ground to the pro whaling side! So we have to go back and create more awareness on what's happening. This time we have to be able to that! And I'm here to my litt...

So, why are we going to the Southern Ocean?
2007-01-31 17:18:03
Posted by Karli, on the Esperanza From the bridge wing of the Esperanza © Greenpeace/Walsh For some people, it's self-evident why we are returning the South ern Ocean - to try and put an end, to whaling there. For others, I pestered Karli to write this 'mission statement' to explain why we're going - Dave. For the past 14 months we've been running a campaign called Defending Our Oceans. During that time we have highlighted many key threats to the world's oceans, from whaling in the icy reaches of the Southern Ocean, to illegal pirate fishing and rampant over-fishing, and to toxic and plastic marine pollution. But like the name of our ship - Esperanza - the voyage is also about giving hope for the future: hope in the form of a global network of marine reserves. We started the expedition by going to the Southern Ocean to confront the Japanese government's whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, and we have come full circle: we will finish by returning to the ...
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Hypocrisy on the high seas?
2007-01-31 17:18:03
Posted by Sara, on the Esperanza One of the key demands of this campaign is that governments act at the highest level to stop whaling. The Japanese government has been hugely effective in pouring millions of yen and government hours into doing the opposite - advancing their position through diplomatic and economic channels year on year. But it seems that despite their rhetoric, some governments might be too concerned with appeasing a trading partner than they are about defending the whales. Only a few weeks ago it was reported that the Japanese government had intervened to ensure three countries, the UK, Belize and Canada de-register the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's ship, Farley Mowat. Today we heard they had succeeded in putting pressure on the UK once again and the British Registry of Ships has now de-flagged their second ship, Robert Hunter. Both ships are now sailing as stateless, pirate vessels.
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Hernán - video
2007-01-31 17:18:03
© Greenpeace/Beltra Hern án - video Argentina My name is Hernán, I do documentaries. I've been collaborating with Greenpeace for ten years now. During this time I've had the chance to work and mature as a professional and take part in such a noble task which I adhere to, which is the protection of the environment. Thanks to Greenpeace I've got to know infinite amount of places, people and cultures. Not always these images where pleasant. My job, above all other, is to show, via my camera, the destruction of the planet and the injustices human beings commit. This pain and desolation is my motivation to keep on fighting in order to change this reality. I'm a witness and I point out our responsiblities. I spread the word. This is what I do every time I put my camera on my shoulder. Knowing that you are there, sharing the same ideal and willing to participate, encourages me to keep on with the hard work. Alone, we are only a drop of water, but together we ar...
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Laith - Aircraft Engineer
2007-01-31 17:18:03
© Greenpeace/Beltra Laith - Aircraft Engine er New Zealand Hi my name is Laith and I am a Helicopter Technician and Pilot, I've always loved helicopters and when asked if I would join an expedition to Antarctica to look after one I didn't have to think too hard about it. I have a background in the NZ Air Force, but not long after I joined they stopped operating helicopters on the ice, which was disappointing as I had always wanted to see the Southern Ocean. I am a keen diver and have spent much of my spare time appreciating the ocean and its offerings which is why I am only too happy to take on this first time experience, if I can help by doing what I love then as far as I am concerned I am the one gaining the most benefit. I realise that the helicopter plays a very important role on this expedition but that role can not be fulfilled without the people who make it possible, I hope to do my best beside those people in the hope that we can make difference. - Laith
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Scrimzy: the anti-whaling alien
2007-01-30 05:16:05
Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza whales.greenpeace.org »
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Ocean Defenders TV: Safe sailing Esperanza
2007-01-30 05:16:05
Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza The Esperanza leaving Auckland - the crowds wave goodbye Auckland says goodbye to the Greenpeace ship Esperanza and her crew as they set off to the Southern Ocean to defend the whales. Watch Ocean Defender s TV »
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Joe - Boat Driver
2007-01-30 05:16:05
© Greenpeace/Beltra Joe - Boat driver Austria My name is Erich Boehm. But everybody calls me Joe. I was born in 1954 in Bruck/Mur, that's in Austria. After my time in school, I've learned a job as a carpenter but pretty soon, I wanted to see the world, so I started a job as an engineer on a ship and traveled for 5 years around the world. After my time as a seaman, I worked for a few years in Russia and met my wife. Now we have two sons and live on a farm more than 1000m above sea level in the mountains. It was 10 years ago when Greenpeace Austria was looking for somebody in the warehouse, and lucky me, I got the job! In the last few years I spent more time in some of the east European countries than at home. Two years ago, I started to work in our oceans campaign and when I heard about the the plans of the Southern Ocean tour, I thought, one of us must go onto the Esperanza to join the expedition! And well, what can I say? I was chosen by our team, so last year down t...
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Gavin - Video
2007-01-30 05:16:05
© Greenpeace/Beltra Gavin - Video UK Unlike a surprisingly large number of people that I meet on Greenpeace boats, I'm not multicultural and don't speak two or three languages fluently. I'm the typical Englishman. Born in London, always lived in England and only speak one language, English! I first worked with Greenpeace 13 years ago when they were looking for an underwater cameraman and photographer to dive on Driftnets at 3am. A mutual friend suggested he might know someone mad enough to do that and so my Greenpeace life began. Since then I've dived on every kind of fishing net you can think of, taken samples from undersea nuclear pipelines, camped on the arctic sea ice, swam with whales and been shot at by fishermen. Life as a Greenpeace cameraman can be unpredictable but rarely dull. I specialise in underwater and underground filming and photography, equally happy behind a video or stills camera. When I'm not working with Greenpeace I spend my time either b...

Respect for the cooks!
2007-01-29 23:15:02
Posted by Karli, on the Esperanza Making Sushi on the Esperanza © Greenpeace/Beltra Yesterday, the three campaigners onboard the Esperanza took on a different challenge. Being fiends for Japanese food (especially sushi and inari) we offered to cook a Japanese meal for the entire crew. Realising that 38 people means a lot of sushi-rolling, and in a slight last-minute moment of doubt, we also recruited kiwi volunteer Logi, who we heard on good authority had a fantastic Japanese-style eggplant recipe up his sleeve (he did).
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We love Japan, but not high seas whaling
2007-01-29 23:15:02
Posted by Melanie, on the Esperanza Making Sushi on the Esperanza © Greenpeace/Beltra Yesterday was Sunday, and traditionally, someone offers to cook dinner so the cooks can have at least half a day off. Last night the campaigners on board (me from the US office, Karli from Greenpeace International and Sakyo from Greenpeace Japan ) cooked a Japanese dinner for the crew. We started at 1pm and it took the entire five hours to get all of the food ready for the crew by 6pm. We had a pretty ambitious menu: nori maki (seaweed wrapped rolls of sushi rice and vegetables), onigiri (triangular-shaped rice balls with a pickled umeboshi plum in the middle and a seaweed wrapper), miso soup and two kinds of shiratame (sticky rice balls) for dessert: one with sweet adzuki beans called oshiruko, the second served with soybean powder called kinako. We had a lot of fun, and of course the best was learning from Sakyo how to make rice, the nori maki sushi rolls, miso soup and shiratame. I love J...
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Ask Denmark not to attend Japan's Commercial Whaling Meeting
2007-01-29 11:14:02
Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza This February, the Japan ese Government will be hosting a meeting in Tokyo to discuss the future of the whaling industry. They will be inviting other governments in attempt to create an illusion of widespread support for an end to the moratorium on commercial whaling by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). We?re asking Denmark not to go to this meeting. Denmark is a swing country at the IWC. IT takes a strong pro-whaling line because its delegation is dominated by the wishes of Greenland and the Faroe islands. But a majority of its population opposes whaling, and Denmark has supported many positive initiatives to protect whales and maintain transparency at the IWC. Write to the Foreign Minister of Denmark and ask him NOT to support a return to whaling and not to participate in Japan?s attempt to undermine the moratorium »
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Tweety - Helicopter
2007-01-29 11:14:02
--> Tweet y - Helicopter New Zealand Hi. My name is Tweety , and I am the Greenpeace helicopter. I thought that you might like to know some things about me, and the role I play. Like any respectable lady, I will not disclose my age. I have a lot of experience, yet have retained my youth due to a lot of tender loving care. My family breeding designates me as an MD 369, or Hughes 500 D. We were originally based in Vietnam with the military, but then moved out into civilian life, where I was born. Here, I became very popular owing to my sleek performance and good looks. I have many cousins who crave after my refinement and abilities, but alas I remain unique, and very popular with pilots. My performance is generated from a powerful Alison 250B jet turbine engine. This is coupled to a gearbox driving 5 main rotor blades that give me the smooth performance that my lesser two-bladed cousins lack. When I am coming you will hear me humming as I get close, where as my two-bladed c...

Serkan - Deckhand
2007-01-29 11:14:02
© Greenpeace/Beltra Serkan - Deck hand Turkey Merhaba, Serkan, coming from Middle East, Turkey, Istanbul and heading to south to meet with the whales and protect them from harpoons - so that they aren't inside 250 gram or half kilo meat product package for human consumption. Two thirds of the whole population of Japan do not support whaling in high seas for so called scientific research, which this year will more than thousand of whales... marketing science products... nice try... right now in Antarctic icy waters... Almost six years working on the Greenpeace Ships; the Rainbow Warrior, Esperanza and Arctic Sunrise, and on the land in Turkish office, a part of the Greenpeace Mediterranean with Lebanon , Israel and Malta. Beside this, making flying effects for the videos and movies with a climbing team called Vertigo in Istanbul. Here on Esperanza, I am at the ultimate point of dreaming, feeling, thinking and acting. The inspiring mood on board coming from the people, the ...
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Jetske - Boat Driver
2007-01-29 11:14:02
© Greenpeace/Beltra Jets ke - Boat Drive r Netherlands Greenpeace has taken me to many beautiful places in the past 8.5 years, from ancient forests in Finland, to the Dogger Bank in the North Sea and now for the second time to the Southern Ocean. My start with Greenpeace was a desk job at the international office in Amsterdam. Not long after that I became a volunteer for the Dutch action team, where I learned to drive the inflatable boats and took part in many different actions. They showed me how much you can accomplish when you stand up for the things you believe in. I've changed my jobs, worked both in and outside of Greenpeace, but always stayed a volunteer for the action team. The sea and all the life in it has a special place in my heart. Maybe this is because of living close to the sea when I grew up. Or maybe because the underwater animals and plants keep surprising me with their beauty and characteristics when I go diving. There is still so much we can learn...
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Sara's Challenge
2007-01-29 11:14:02
I've been a journalist for many years and my brain is the repository for more useless information than you can begin to image - very handy for impressing at dinner parties - very boring on long train journeys (at least for my fellow travellers). But in my crew profile I did promise more amazing facts on whales. Did You Know...?
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A whale's tale in the sky
2007-01-27 17:11:07
Posted by Dave, on the EsperanzaWhale tale cloud formation © Greenpeace/Walsh I was out on the bridge wing tonight, talking to Emelie, the 4th mate, who was on watch. We were chatting away, talking about the landscapes of New Zealand and Ireland. I must have seemed a little rude - I suddenly said "excuse me", and darted away. Seconds later I was back with my camera.
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Departure and the first 24 hours at sea
2007-01-27 17:11:07
Posted by Melanie, on the EsperanzaBBQ on the Esperanza! © Greenpeace/Beltra We've now been at sea for a little over 24 hours. We departed Auckland yesterday and it was quite emotional. My eyes welled up with tears and I was a bit embarrassed by it, but then I looked around and realized I wasn't the only one without dry eyes. We had quite the nice crowd on the dock to wave us off, including the folks from the Greenpeace office in Auckland and some folks from the land-based campaign team who have been working hard to get the on-board campaign team prepared and ready for the expedition.
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The day before departure
2007-01-27 05:11:01
Written last night, and posted by Melanie, on the Esperanza Greetings from the Esperanza in Auckland, New Zealand. It's 8pm on Thursday night and we were supposed to be underway today at noon, but our departure was delayed due to something in the engine room and some epoxy that needs to dry before we can go. The epoxy is pretty important since from what I have heard (and don't quote me on this since I'm anything but an engineer) is that it is fixing a crack in the engine block. Sounds pretty serious. Definitely worth waiting for. But I've been on board the ship for a week and after a week of preparation, I'm ready to get out of here and head south toward the Southern Ocean and get on with the campaign.
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It's a sign!
2007-01-27 05:11:01
Posted by Sara, on the EsperanzaJohn, the Sign man! © Greenpeace/Walsh Goodbyes are always emotional. Sailing out of port, leaving good friends behind and the anticipation of what is ahead always leaves me a little misty eyed and soppy. You expect your friends to wave you off. But, I am always amazed by the number of people that come to wave off a gang of virtual strangers simply because they are on board a Greenpeace ship. There was the elderly lady that I met for a matter of minutes at an open day a couple of weeks ago, who turned up today all dressed up and blowing kisses. But I was most struck by one person who has already been nicknamed "Sign Man".

First night at sea
2007-01-27 05:11:01
Posted by Dave, on the EsperanzaThe Esperanza leaving Auckland © Greenpeace/Beltra So, we're off. With a mixture of relief, anticipation and emotion, the mooring lines dropped into the water, and the thrusters pushed the Esperanza away from Prince's Wharf. Dozens of people were on quayside to see us off, including, as Sara has written about - John, the man with the sign. We're off to intercept the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean - and to hinder their attempts to kill hundreds of whales.
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New Zealand Air Force spots Japanese whaling ships!
2007-01-27 05:11:01
Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza Mindblowing news - a New Zealand Air Force Orion aircraft on a surveillance mission against illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean has sighted Japan ese whaling vessels operating in the Ross Sea! Not only that, the Airforce managed to film the fleet, and has made the footage available. ?New Zealand has been at the forefront of international efforts to prevent whaling, and expose the heavily contested scientific basis for lethal whale research. We regard the release of this footage today as part of that effort," said Chris Carter, NZ's Minister for Conservation. He also said that ?the Orion has taken footage of the Japanese fleet's activities. Three whaling vessels were observed harpooning, hauling and processing whales. Given the strong public interest in this issue, the government has decided to make the footage available to the media". "In doing so, we hope to allow the public to make up their own minds about Japan's whaling activities." Wa...
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Problems With Glue
2007-01-25 17:09:01
Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza Ok, so I jumped the gun a little last night - it wasn't our last night in port. We had planned it on tonight on being our first night at sea, but our departure has been delayed until 1200 midday on Friday, New Zealand time. This is because of work that needed to be done in the engine room - it involves waiting for some epoxy to dry. One New Zealand radio presenter had it sort of right, and sort of wrong when he reported - while talking to Junichi - that we were delayed due to a "problems with glue".
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Whale Love Wagon!
2007-01-25 17:09:01
What's this? A Whale Love Wagon ? What's it all about then? Spanish boy meets Japanese girl - they hit the road and tour Japan in the "Whale Love Wagon", in search of true love - for the planet, and for whales! Ivan and Yuki are ready for a whale of an adventure! ?I?ve loved Japanese culture since my childhood,? says Ivan, ?I want to learn more about whales and Japanese culture.? Yuki adds, ?I want to deepen my knowledge about whales and express my feelings in my art-work?. Follow Ivan and Yuki as they go to Shibuya to talk to people there »
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Regine: Boat Driver
2007-01-25 11:08:01
© Greenpeace/Beltra Regine - Boat driver Germany Last year I joined the Southern Ocean Tour on the Arctic Sunrise, a smaller ship, that was moving much more in the waves than the Esperanza... My name is Regine, I live in Germany and work for the German actions unit. I've been a Greenpeace boat trainer for six years, and I've also spent three years as part of the international trainer team. For nine years I've organising, whalewatching expeditions to the Arctic, in my free time. These animals fascinate me more I can say! I think whaling is not necessary. Nobody needs dead whales! Not for food, not for science! There are much more effective methods, to study these amazing animals. There are not many whales left! Even since the moratorium, the stocks have not recovered! Because of all this, and my personal feelings about our oceans and the animals in them, I'm here to help protect what the governments of all our countries can't, or don't. -Regine
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Sara - Media
2007-01-25 11:08:01
© Greenpeace/Beltra Sara - Media Amsterdam (but actually Irish) My little niece Mimi asked me if I would say hello to the polar bears when I go to the South Pole - I had to explain that there aren't any there. Penguins are south, polar bears are north. It has been my dream to see Antarctica and all that is there for some time, so I am very excited to be on this trip. The reason for going is not so appealing, though. All of the figures about the number of whales still being killed in the Southern Ocean - nearly 1,000 this year, including endangered species are too awful, but the figure that really sticks in my mind for last year was the number of pregnant and nursing whales that were killed. Of all the mature female whales that were killed last year - a nearly 94% were either pregnant or nursing, so leaving young whales to starve to death and unborn ones to die inside their mothers. And all of that, for an industry that doesn't make sense environmentally, scientific...

Sakyo - Campaigner
2007-01-24 23:07:01
© Greenpeace/Beltra Sakyo - Camp a ign er Japan My name is Sakyo, I was the action coordinator of Greenpeace Japan until last week but now I'm on the Esperanza as a Japanese campaigner. I feel really responsible for this campaign as a Japanese person. This whaling operation is run by the Japanese Government, which has been spreading propaganda about how the anti-whaling voice of foreign countries is all about 'being anti-Japanese' or 'Japan-bashing'. This has creates a nationalistic reaction internally, in Japan and portrays us (the people who try to save the whales, like you and me) as enemies. So my role on board the Esperanza will be to try and correct these misconceptions by letting the Japanese people know what the whaling fleet is actually doing in 'our Sanctuary' . Surprisingly, a recent poll shows that 92% of Japanese people don't know that the fleet hunts over 900 whales, including 10 endangered species, within the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. At t...