DIARY UPDATE FROM THE CREW OF THE RAINBOW WARRIOR:

Thursday 27th June

With the deep blue of the Pacific gently undulating beneath us and a bright sun beating down on hot decks, what else can you do at three in the afternoon but have a swim stop? With a little time up our sleeves before our arrival in Papeete, the captain is easily persuaded. It is an extraordinary sensation, to swim in 4000 metres of water, the nearest land hundreds of miles away. When you dive off the ship, as you head downward into the abyss, you can touch infinity; just like star gazing on a clear night, except in this instance you are totally enveloped. Always good for crew morale, a swim stop!

Dinner time, and we are treated to spaghetti as it should be, courtesy of our Italian second engineer...

Alice on board the rainbow signing off for now....

From: Greenpeace Vessel SV Rainbow Warrior
Date: Tuesday 27-JUN-95
Subject: Campaign update

We are hearing of more and more protests and demonstrations around the world. Yesterday, Greenpeace Japan's protests outside the French Embassy ran front page in Japanese newspapers; more than 1000 people marched in Auckland, New Zealand, on Monday, and today France's Defence Minister Charles Millon had to run the gauntlet of protestors when he visited his British counterpart in London. In Sweden, Greenpeace supporters picketing the airport are urging travellers to France to wear a badge expressing their opposition to testing.

Even more cheering, an e-mail letter from French scientists and researchers protesting at testing has been sent to us. The group says they regard nuclear testing as dangerous from an ecological point of view, from the point of view of contributing to the arms race, and because the decision "exhibits an inadmissible contempt for the people of the Pacific area".

There is still no word from the French authorities about our entry into Papeete. We are hoping that there will be no trouble: the Rainbow Warrior heard again from journalists in Tahiti today that huge crowds are expected to welcome the ship in on Thursday.

Signing off,
Steph on board the Rainbow Warrior