From: Greenpeace Vessel SV Rainbow Warrior -( http://www.greenpeace.org )
Date: Friday 25th August 1995
Subject:Diary update

A superb morning: calm seas, clear skies and the sun waiting to rise in the east. Scanning the horizon for the exact place where the sun would rise from the ocean, we beheld a precious and rare thing: for half a second an intense blue then green point of light; a moment later the orange sun rose out of the sea. This is the legendary green flash. A very fortunate morning to decide to check the bearing of sunrise.

This afternoon, boat training again. A chance too, for some of our new shipmates (the ship's complement has swelled from 19 to 37) to experience the Rainbow Warrior sailing on the ocean. And a glorious sight it is too, especially on such a lovely day as this. A more incongruous setting than the South Pacific as a place to develop bombs to kill millions at the push of a button would be hard to find.

Alice (Richard) Leney.

From: From Stephanie Mills aboard Greenpeace Vessel SV Rainbow Warrior
Date:Thursday 25th August 1995
Subject: Campaign update

The Solomon Islands, Western Samoa and Australia formally supported the New Zealand Government's case against French testing to the International Court of Justice in the Hague this week. Greenpeace applauded their decision to support the case, saying it was turning protest into legal action, and urged Japan and Peru to follow suit.

Meanwhile, members of the European Commission have met with French authorities to discuss whether France's programme of testing at Moruroa breaches their obligations under the European nuclear treaty, Euratom. The Treaty requires environmental impact assessements and monitoring of particularly dangerous activities by the Commission: France has not previously submitted detailed information about whether or not it complies with the Treaty to the Commission.

Meanwhile, a French military vessel today visited the NZ Government vessel Tui to give them a copy of the decree suspending the right of innocent passage within the 12 mile zone around Moruroa and Fangataufa. Vessels of the peace fleet may also be delivered copies of the decree as they arrive, and the Rainbow Warrior was also given a decree banning air flights over the exclusion zone to an unlimited height before leaving Papeete.

The Cook Islands traditional voyaging canoe arrived in Papeete yesterday along with its government support vessel. A New Zealand vessel, Aquila d'Oro is expected to arrive in Papeete tomorrow, and another flotilla craft, the New Zealand catamaran Triptych will be at the 12 mile zone by early next week.