Follow the crew of the Arctic Sunrise on their campaign for Marine Reserves in our North Sea Tour blog
So, what is it like floating in the North Sea in the path of a fishing vessel? Wet. And salty. No, really. I was so concerned with making sure the photographer could see my 'STOP - Cod in Crisis' sign, and trying not to swallow too much seawater, that I forgot all about the fishing boat with its big steel cables towing its huge trawl net behind me. I'd stopped being scared - all the fear came beforehand.
The night before, as I was laying out my warm gear and survival suit (a warm waterproof suit designed to keep people alive if they have to abandon ship into freezing waters), I went over all the things that could go wrong and what I could do to avoid them. If I can choose the way I leave this life it sure as hell won't be by drowning in the North Sea. Even lower on my list would be being caught in a fishing net with the cod I'm trying to save!
I barely slept - I never sleep well before an action, so I was almost relieved when our 6am wake-up call came. I was too nervous to eat and didn't want to drink as, once I was zipped in my suit, a toilet trip was out of the question. I tried everything to reassure myself - I reminded myself that Greenpeace had done similar things before, and that the boat teams were trained, experienced and ready to pluck me from the water if things got dangerous. It didn't do much to calm my nerves.
Once we were in the RIBs (rigid inflatable boats) and heading towards the Endurance and her fishing net, I asked myself again, "What on earth am I doing here?" It was just more nerves, and I knew the answer. I've done a lot of actions with Greenpeace, but this one was particularly close to my heart.
I've spent years working with supermarkets to try to get them to buy their fish from sustainable sources, I've talked to fishermen and politicians about better ways to manage our fisheries, and I've even stopped eating fish. I just want to make sure I have done everything I can to ensure our future includes healthy oceans full of a vast array of marine life and healthy fisheries around the world.
Getting cold, wet and scared is worth it, if it means we can save what's left of the North Sea cod.
