A big Ahoj to all!
This is my first post which I have promised to many of you once I'd be settled on board the MY Esperanza, the Greenpeace ship heading to the Southern Oceans and Antarctica this winter. For those of you who I haven't had a chance to speak to and say goodbye, I am now at sea for the next 4 months, photographing the Southern Oceans Defending Whales campaign against Japanese whaling for Greenpeace International.
We have left Masan port in South Korea today and are now at sea - time on board ticks slower than what I am used to from my hectic life in London, but nothing stays still on the ship. I see the wine in my glass slowly moving from side to side, a gentle roll that will no doubt rock me into a deep sleep once I finish writing this email. We watched a beautiful sunset over the northern Pacific Ocean, followed by bright lights on the horizon of the fishing boats catching squids and fluorescent foam on the bow wave, apparently a common feature in the Pacific.
Behind me are seven days in Masan, a south Korean port city of no great interest, rather bland high-rise buildings, spotless shopping malls, friendly people and a delicious grill for yesterday's last supper on terra firma. During the week, I had time to get over the jetlag (we are now 9 hours ahead of the UK), unpack and set up my equipment on board, and obviously shoot the first set of pictures of the crew and Masan's surrounding hills. We climbed a mountain about 750 metres high, a sweaty day trip up a rocky path, on the way down my knee decided that it had enough of the weight of my camera gear so I had to take it easy the next few days. I have now also recovered from very drunken nights in dodgy harbour bars while getting to know the crew, a team straight from the UN General Assembly - we have 20 nationalities on board from 4 continents - a great mix of friendly characters some of whom will no doubt become good friends over the next few months at sea.
I am very positive about leaving port and facing the challenging tasks ahead - to put you into the picture, we are now a greater distance away from New Zealand than the UK, and New Zealand is only our likely refuelling point on the way to the Antarctic ice. Between now and February, we will travel more than 10,000 nautical miles across the Pacific and Southern Oceans, endure heavy seas once we head south of Australia and hopefully prevent the Japanese whaling fleet from killing Humpback and Minke whales for their dubious 'research' purposes. Working in those conditions is tough, flights in the doorless heli are at -25 degrees Celsius and any prolonged soaks in the icy waters down south are potentially lethal. This assignment is not a walk in the park, but I have faith in the skills and expertise of our crew who drive the inflatables and fly the helicopter - although my commissioning editor warned me that should I chose to take this job, I'd never want to do it again...
Enough scaremongering! We have internet on board, very very slow internet via a permanent V-Sat link, but at least we're connected. That means that any messages you chose to write back will be gratefully received. In the coming weeks, we will be preparing for action, undergoing safety drills, boat training and test flights with Tweety, our rusty but trusty helicopter. The weather is good, the sea calm, and we are hoping for stable conditions for the next few weeks. Summer is beginning in the Southern Hemisphere, so I am hoping for a suntan and a few relaxing weeks on board while not much will be happening. I have taken plenty of stuff to work on, read and watch and I intend to make the most of it in the coming weeks. Only once we get south will we be either busy or the weather will be rough so that working becomes impossible. So wish me luck, take care, and let me know how you are from time to time.
This is my first post which I have promised to many of you once I'd be settled on board the MY Esperanza, the Greenpeace ship heading to the Southern Oceans and Antarctica this winter. For those of you who I haven't had a chance to speak to and say goodbye, I am now at sea for the next 4 months, photographing the Southern Oceans Defending Whales campaign against Japanese whaling for Greenpeace International.
We have left Masan port in South Korea today and are now at sea - time on board ticks slower than what I am used to from my hectic life in London, but nothing stays still on the ship. I see the wine in my glass slowly moving from side to side, a gentle roll that will no doubt rock me into a deep sleep once I finish writing this email. We watched a beautiful sunset over the northern Pacific Ocean, followed by bright lights on the horizon of the fishing boats catching squids and fluorescent foam on the bow wave, apparently a common feature in the Pacific.
Behind me are seven days in Masan, a south Korean port city of no great interest, rather bland high-rise buildings, spotless shopping malls, friendly people and a delicious grill for yesterday's last supper on terra firma. During the week, I had time to get over the jetlag (we are now 9 hours ahead of the UK), unpack and set up my equipment on board, and obviously shoot the first set of pictures of the crew and Masan's surrounding hills. We climbed a mountain about 750 metres high, a sweaty day trip up a rocky path, on the way down my knee decided that it had enough of the weight of my camera gear so I had to take it easy the next few days. I have now also recovered from very drunken nights in dodgy harbour bars while getting to know the crew, a team straight from the UN General Assembly - we have 20 nationalities on board from 4 continents - a great mix of friendly characters some of whom will no doubt become good friends over the next few months at sea.
I am very positive about leaving port and facing the challenging tasks ahead - to put you into the picture, we are now a greater distance away from New Zealand than the UK, and New Zealand is only our likely refuelling point on the way to the Antarctic ice. Between now and February, we will travel more than 10,000 nautical miles across the Pacific and Southern Oceans, endure heavy seas once we head south of Australia and hopefully prevent the Japanese whaling fleet from killing Humpback and Minke whales for their dubious 'research' purposes. Working in those conditions is tough, flights in the doorless heli are at -25 degrees Celsius and any prolonged soaks in the icy waters down south are potentially lethal. This assignment is not a walk in the park, but I have faith in the skills and expertise of our crew who drive the inflatables and fly the helicopter - although my commissioning editor warned me that should I chose to take this job, I'd never want to do it again...
Enough scaremongering! We have internet on board, very very slow internet via a permanent V-Sat link, but at least we're connected. That means that any messages you chose to write back will be gratefully received. In the coming weeks, we will be preparing for action, undergoing safety drills, boat training and test flights with Tweety, our rusty but trusty helicopter. The weather is good, the sea calm, and we are hoping for stable conditions for the next few weeks. Summer is beginning in the Southern Hemisphere, so I am hoping for a suntan and a few relaxing weeks on board while not much will be happening. I have taken plenty of stuff to work on, read and watch and I intend to make the most of it in the coming weeks. Only once we get south will we be either busy or the weather will be rough so that working becomes impossible. So wish me luck, take care, and let me know how you are from time to time.
