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MV Greenpeace / PC 8023
Lat 25.05's Long 154.14'e 1100hrs
Day 9
05-24
All on board have slotted back into the sea routine.Since
departing Sydney we have been moving through the water
comfortably and averaging 12.5 nautical miles per hour.
Travelling on a ship you are constantly changing climates. Only a
couple of months ago I was bringing in my winter wood supply,then
in the space of a day had landed into the humid, tropical heat of
Tahit and within a couple of weeks was back in wintery N.Z.. Sailing to Austrlalia I put two blankets on my bed and now today, approx 300miles Nth. of Sydney everyone is back into
shortst.
Occasionally at sea we can be fortunate to observe some
forms of atmospheric phenomena.
One of these is the `Green Flash'. The controversy over this is
like discussing religion, there are the believers and the
disbelievers. Bob and Bora who do the 4-8 watch, saw the green flash.
It occurs as the last slice of sun, sets below the horizon and a
pale green burst appears where the sun just dropped.
There is quite a complicated scientific explanation for all this,
to do with the refraction of light.... but I won't bore you with that.
This afternoon I painted more of the poopdeck. Finally finished
the deckhead. Only the bollards, stantions and bulwarks to go.
Also, a sperm whale cruised by, only 5 metres off the portside,
probably hitching a ride on the strong current that runs down
this coast.
Later this afternoon we had our weekly fire drill. Just before dinner I sat out on the heli. deck, enjoying the last dusky shades of the evening, before night fall. Cape Byron the
most eastern point of the Australian mainland, a dark outline on
the horizon.
Tanya Popp
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