From: SV Rainbow Warrior http://www.greenpeace.org
Date: MON 14-AUG-95
Subject: Internet update from Alice Lenney on board the Rainbow Warrior

Back to sea - finally. Heading to Moruroa, by way of Tahiti. Suva in Fiji was good to us -- very good, and we were sad to leave all our friends, new and old, on the dockside; but their powerful farewell gave us strength and courage for the weeks ahead.

The time in Suva has been busy: repairs to the Rainbow Warrior from the ramming by the French naval tug on July 10; reprovisioning stores and fuel; much of the crew has changed -- only seven of the originals remain; and your humble correspondent has had his own mission to fulfill, that of re-equipping the ship with inflatable boats as the French military seized all but one of the ship's complement after the Moruroa action. The following tale illustrates the depth of support for the protest against nuclear testing in New Zealand.

Arriving in Auckland from Rarotonga on a Saturday, by Sunday morning I had a volunteer assistant who was already supplied with a list of tasks. On Monday it became clear that in order to ship boats and engines to Suva in a container before the Rainbow Warrior set sail, we had to catch a ship that left on Thursday. Last day for accepting freight was Tuesday! By pleading with the shipping company, we got an extension till Wednesday morning 10am for freight acceptance. So, working flat out until 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, we loaded and tied down three inflatable boats, five outboard engines, a dozen fuel tanks, safety equipment for all those boats and various other items. This was all done in a friend's back yard, where the container was delivered midday Tuesday. Some of it was equipment requisitioned from Greenpeace New Zealand, including two old outboard engines that were part of the original Rainbow Warrior's eqipment and were rescued from the bombed Rainbow Warrior I. One engine was donated by a local outboard shop: built out of parts and 20 years old, they worked until 8pm Tuesday night to get it ready. It has since proved to be a very fine machine. One inflatable boat was purchased second hand, and also a second hand engine, to give the Rainbow Warrior a full -- if rather varied -- complement of boats again.

People were marvellous, helpful at every possible opportunity. Also, because Greenpeace ships are run from Amsterdam, and everything happened so fast, the container was packed and sent off before money arrived from the Amsterdam office (they are 12 hours behind NZ time, so Tuesday daytime is Monday night in Europe). Things were given to us on credit, so that it wasn't until later in that week that I could go around and settle the accounts! But in New Zealand, and elsewhere in the South Pacific, this isn't a problem when working on the issue of French nuclear testing. Business and private individuals alike are totally enthusiastic in their support.

On returning to the ship (after picking up loose ends and gettinng together the things that didn't make it into the container) early the next week, we set about the task of hanging motors on boats and breathing life into a bunch of old outboards, ranging from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s. In spite of their age, they are as gutsy as any we had on board before, so we feel well prepared for the voyage to Moruroa.

More as we make our way there -- Alice on board the Rainbow Warrior.