Once Were Warriors

So, the Rainbow Warrior III was christened and set sail today. A momentous occasion for the world as a whole, and one with particular resonance for me; I was brought up on a healthy diet of home-baked wholemeal bread, chickpea curry and Greenpeace walks. I'm also due to depart for the part of the world - The Antipodes - in which the original Rainbow Warrior was sunk, pretty soon. Concurrently, it happens to be the place where my Step-Uncle lives, who was once to be seen ramming dinghies up the harpooning ramps of whaling ships, back in his more environmentally active youth.

The first ship was scuppered by French politicians who, acting under the influence of fear and environmental loathing, ordered their agents to blow the vessel apart using limpet mines so she couldn't continue her mission to interfere with their lovely nuclear tests in Moruroa, French Polynesia. However, this only served to consolidate support for the actions of Greenpeace, and harden their resolve to build a better one.

The origins of the boat's name come from the Indigenous nations of the North American Indians. It is their prophecy that the white man would ultimately fuck stuff up (so far, not so good) through his greed and that the keepers of the legend, stories, myths and ancient customs, would have to step in to show him the way to truth, love, enlightenment and the healing of the world. These people were called the 'Warriors of the Rainbow'.

This particularly lovely lady, Melina Laboucan-Massimo, is one such warrior, from the Cree First Nation of Northern Alberta, Canada. She is the Godmother of the ship.

Images copyright Greenpeace International

As you'd expect, the Rainbow Warrior runs mainly on sun and wind power, with the option to switch over to some snazzy eco-friendly diesel/electric power when things go tits on the weather front. In true Greenpeace style, there's an open invite to join the crew aboard the ship and become part of history, in what will certainly be a greener future.

Love and respect to everyone that helped to make this happen through their donations.

Peace.