TOXIC FREE ASIA TOUR
The SV Rainbow Warrior Tour in Asia

TOUR LOGBOOK

12 April 2000 - Adapting to life in office that floats

My name is Frank and for me this is the first time I have lived, worked and relaxed onboard a Greenpeace ship. It is strange to realise that it does mean a different kind of life although the ship has not even left the harbour yet. Still, it is a different life to the one I usually lead. Normally I live in Amsterdam and work in the Greenpeace International office which is a bike ride across the city from my own house. Now "the office" is only a couple of meters away from my bed!

At home I'm quite used to my normal routine. Well, compared to life on the Rainbow Warrior that is just nothing. It is amazing to realise how many details one must know, take care of, repair, maintain and check on board of ship to keep her in a running order. There are just so many things that it is sometimes amazing to find out that it really does fit into one person's brain, and that is of course the captain! Peter has been captain of this ship many times before and it is safe to say that he knows the ship like the back of his hand, and perhaps even better than that.

Yesterday for example the crew and deckhands were busy chipping away the rust on the hull. This is a crucial thing to do as paint protects the ship from rusting away instantly. A constant beating by sea water, wind and sun results in a constant battle with rust. Then the steering house needed to be cleaned of excess oil which had been collected there over the long journey from Thailand to Hiroshima. Then there are the day and night watches which are taken up by all members of the crew.

Eating is also completely different. I'm used to coming home at different times in the evening and still being able to go to the shop for some groceries or to get myself a "take away". There is no way in which you can do 'emergency shopping' when you are in transit. So the cook and his team have to plan what we eat in advance, and when they shop in a harbour they shop for a lot. Twice a day Rien, the "chef" on board, prepares a hot meal. On this trip he is assisted in this by Saeko from Japan and Anna from Spain, and that's good because we have nearly 30 people on board. The warm meals are always served precisely on the dot of 12 o'clock in the afternoon, and equally precise at 6pm in the evening. Breakfast is something we all take care of ourselves, some take a cup of coffee, some fry up a couple of eggs, others just sit and wake up slowly.

There are a number of other important people on the ship without whom it would be impossible to even think about campaigning with the Rainbow Warrior around the Seto sea in Japan, or for that matter any other sea in the world. As time goes on we will keep you informed about who they are and what their roles are on board.




14 April - Action in the Seto Sea