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Diary entry by Catherine, Campaigner
North of the Pribilov Islands the sea calmed and the sun came out for the first time in days. Puffins, murres and gulls were our only company, although we did spot a whale "footprint" mid-afternoon but only caught the motion on the surface as it dived again. The water is crystal clear and jellyfish are visible over the side. We're bound for St. Lawrence Island, south of the Bering Strait. The island lies 31 miles east of the Russian coast, 124 miles west of mainland Alaska. The people are Siberian Yupik natives and settled here some 2,300 years ago. St. Lawrence Island stands alone in the icy Bering Sea, isolated and windswept. At midnight, with the sun shining brightly, we approached the Northeast cape and rounded the corner towards the village of Savoonga.The sun lit patches of snow on the hilltops and streaked the dark green moss and lichen that cling to the rocky slopes. The hills are treeless and sombre, bare rock and low brush exposed to the north wind. The Alaska Greenpeace team has arrived in advance of the ship and will arrange a formal meeting with elders and village leaders that we'll attend tomorrow night. During the day tomorrow, Friday, we'll be anchored offshore and hold an open boat for the villagers. The beach landing, surf, and rope ladder up to the Sunrise pilot door could prove too difficult for elders, so Paula has agreed to have Tweety (the helicopter) ready to ferry a few people out to the ship. Open boats in isolated native communities are a far cry from city days. Instead of hundreds of people moving through the ship in organized tours, we can expect a few dozen coming for a few hours each. In preparation for offering hospitality, Lynda (the head cook) and I stayed up until after midnight baking cookies and cakes. One by one the crew dropped by the galley, lured by the enticing smells. We were inundated with offers to taste-test cookies, conduct "product safety analyses", and even help scrub mixing bowls in exchange for samples.
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