Greenpeace´s Naidoo: "We´re not going there and having fun on these ships"

Greenpeace International boss Kumi Naidoo has again been boasting about how tough and dangerous it is to be an activist on board a Greenpeace ship:

"We're not going there and having fun on these ships," he said. "We're going and putting our lives on the line. For myself, as a person coming from Africa, you cannot believe how far the Arctic was for me . . . It was no joke trying to go and occupy an oil rig in the middle of the Arctic. To be honest I was scared, terrified, the waves are very rough and so on. So we're not doing this for fun."

Well, one can doubt the danger level of Naidoo´s activities in  the Arctic. Anyway, the Danish police in Greenland last year did a good job by arresting and deporting Naidoo, so he will not have another chance to break the law over there at least.

Meanwhile, let´s have a reality check regarding Naidoo´s claim that "we are not going there and having fun on these ships".

Here are just a few picks from recent reports by activists who have participated in the continuing "launch tour" of the new Greenpeace luxury yacht Rainbow Warrior III:

Activist Markku reports:

The temperature is now 22 degrees Celsius. Dolphins are jumping happily in the Rainbow Warrior's bow waves. The entire crew is smiling and joking. We are in the middle of the Strait of Gibraltar on the way to Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea. This situation is rather different from the last 6 day's experiences.
Last night, sailing the Mediterranean, lit up by the full moon, I looked back again up the sails and rigging. I almost get a tear in the eye when admiring this amazing example of sailing engineering. This is an incredible ship, and a real work of art in many ways. It occasionally is good to recall how lucky and privileged I am to get to sail on this ship with all these incredibly wonderful people.

In a few days I will be back in Helsinki, the darkness, and slush.

Yes I agree, sure sailing in Mediterranean waters, "lit up by the full moon" beats the darkness and sluss in Helsinki anytime!

And when the yacht reached the port of Barcelona, another treat was awaiting the activists - a luxurious dinner prepared by the famed Michelin star chef Diego Guerrero.

No wonder that the activist Tracy was more than impressed by the dinner menu:

We sat down with Ramon, musicians from the band Maez, el Pais blogger Mikel López Iturriaga and our Spanish colleagues to the first course called Mini Babybell which has won Diego national awards for pinchos and tapas. It’s a camembert and truffle creation that looked like, obviously, a mini babybell cheese.
Next up Vieira – the scallops.

Then sukiyaki – a miso soup that looked like a cocktail, or a cappuccino?

Then an egg dish dumpling…

And the beautiful Gilthead bream - with orange and chocolate.

Breaking open the egg I discovered a gooey centre of mango surrounded by coconut cream the colour and consistency of a soft boiled egg. The shell was chocolate. Diego later told me the dish is called “This is not an egg”

Earlier on, when the weather was still fine in more northern waters, another activist enthused over the yacht´s arrival in Stockholm:

The Rainbow Warrior's fourth stop on her launch tour brought us to the capital of Sweden. She came in on a beautiful morning, with water as smooth as a mirror reflecting a low-hanging November sun.

PS

There is no information about where the Rainbow Warrior "launch tour" will be heading now, but the Caribbean would probably be a good bet - that´s where most luxury yachts and their owners spend the winter months. Who knows, maybe even the big boss will join them over there - if he is ready to put his "life on the line"? Gourmet dinners are not necessarily good for one´s health ...