0700 We start hassling the gendarmes about our status, as
the garde a vue has technically expired. We demand communication
with our lawyer, Tahiti, our families. Finally, they say we're
"free", but as the ship is seized we cannot leave and cannot go
to the radio room, bridge or engine room, and cannot communicate
with the outside world.
0800 They've locked up the radio room door, but not very
effectively, and they are pretty loose now about guarding it. So
Tim gets the door open and passes me out bits of radio, which I
smuggle under the bedsheets in my cabin. We don't know whether
we've got enough or the right bits to set up communication but
its worth a try.
Derek makes peanut brownies. I'm bored. The Tahitian customs
officer gives us a few lessons in Tahitian -- We're going to Hao,
the food is good etc.
Around midday they tell us that we are now "under military
authority" and that they have had formal authorisation to use
force against us if necessary. Later in the afternoon they tell
us that we will be permitted a communication with our lawyer, but
only indirectly -- we must write a letter which will then be
transmitted via military radio to Moruroa and then to Papeete.
We write out a text:
8pm Radio reception is theoretically better at night, so
Tim has set up the radio in my bathroom, and we run an aerial
wire out the cabin window and along (via some gymnastics with a
broomstick) outside the ship to Derek's cabin. It all has rather
the flavour of a spy novel... I get rum and ice and we have a
small party as a "cover" for the radio operation.
Tim and I meanwhile crouch over the radio, trying to hear some
news. But its mainly crackle and pop, with some distant
unfocussed Dutch language news. At 9pm and 10.30pm, and then
later in the night, Tim tries to call Taupo and Kerikeri radio:
"This is Tim, this is Tim. We are being held incommunicado, we
have been held hostage for 60 hours. Any vessels hearing this
message please relay to Kerikeri radio."
We don't know whether anyone will hear it, but it seems worth a
try. The reception is so lousy we decide the port side of the
boat might be better, so we deconstruct the radio and smuggle it
bit by bit into Tim's cabin, do the same trick with the aerial
and broom stick and try it there. I'm suddenly exhausted, and
collapse asleep in my cabin with the emergency light still going,
fully clothed at about 11pm.
Sunday September 3
Sunday 3rd September 1430 Moruroa time. Without Prejudice.
To: Stanley Cross, Avocat
We, Jon Castle, Tim Gorter, Stephanie Mills, Derek Nicholls,
Philip Pupuka, Pierre-Emmanuel Neurohr and Rob willighagen, have
been held incommunicado for 55 hours since 0700 Friday 1st
September on board the SV Rainbow Warrior, which is not en route
to Hao, estimated time of arrival Monday morning 4th September.
We are under tow by the tug Centaure. The vessel will require
repair before she can proceed to sea under her own power.
We have been denied access to all ship's communications and
equipment, even though we are not longer under garde a vue. We
have been permitted this single communication to you via the
French military authorities. We urgently require legal
representation. Please advise us urgently if you can be present
at Hao when we arrive. Please also check with the Greenpeace
representatives in Papeete that our total crew are accounted for.
I am charged with (1) crossing the 12 mile limit (2) not obeying
navy orders, and there are possibly customs infractions.
Jon Castle, Master, SV Rainbow Warrior.