Rainbow Warrior visits London

At 5.45 am on Saturday 12 November I found myself on the train leaving Lime Street Station for London.

There is very little that would get me out of bed that early on a Saturday morning , but a chance to see and go on board our new flagship Rainbow Warrior 111 visiting London on her maiden voyage was something I couldn't miss.

There were absolutely loads of people on the quayside when I got there - over 3000 people had a tour of the ship on Saturday alone. She is the most amazing sight with the huge A frames that carry the sails that will give her a speed of more than 12 knots . After some inspiring words from John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace in the UK,   and Joel Stewart , the captain of the Rainbow Warrior , we went on a tour of this wonderful ship. We were shown the heli deck , the ribs that will be used in actions in the future no doubt , the state of the art communications systems that allow live internet connections at all times , the bridge where the captain controls the ship and the mess room and crew lounge.

This is the first purpose built ship that Greenpeace has owned and she must surely be the world's most environmentally friendly ship. There is loads of information about the various features of the ship on the Greenpeace website - have a look if you get the chance. 

It was dark when we were leaving and the skyscrapers on Canary Wharf owned by big business , banks etc were blazing with lights. Yet in  the middle of all this there was a ship that carries a name that means so much to so many people. May she always sail with a fair wind !