Mike Mate

The sun was low on the western horizon, the direction in which the two zodiacs approached the Playa de Alcudia – a ship supplying the island of Mallorca with coal from Tarragona, mainland Spain. The activists in orange suits where on board as nimbly as monkeys. There were shouts from the collier captain. Ranbow Warrior kept her position 10 miles ahead, matching the colliers speed, white sails billowing in her effort – a five-hour race to the pilot station. We rounded the NE tip of the island and came into a lee, I called out to strike the sails – the collier began closing her distance.

At the pilot station off Alcudia harbour, I turned to face my opponent and lowered two more zodiacs to the water (the blockers). Playa de Alcudia arrived half-an-hour after we’d taken up positions – I informed her captain we were blocking the port, and requested he go to anchor. He was furious. A pilot went out to fetch the ship, there were zodiacs zigzagging in the darkness their little green/red combined lanterns casting pretty glows on the still and inky black sea. The pilot got past them all, boarded the collier and – in a fair game – guided the ship to the jetty. The little zodiacs darted between him and the jetty – but he did not falter, ran his lines and heaved in. Our boats pulled out before being crushed, this was not an activity to loose tools on – or activists. Before the Guardia-civil could board the cargo ship we retrieved the activists and stole away into that black night.

It was a fair activity – probably won’t make many waves – but maybe it will tipple one person over, that one more person needed to tip the scales away from coal and in favour of the earth. Copenhagen is not looking good – all that can stop the Earth beings sold from under our feet is mass civil protest, unlike anything that has ever been. People we need to take to the streets.

In Sunny Spain (shorts and T-shirt stuff), with the wind we had last week, a milestone was reached. Renewable electricity supplied more than 50% of daily demand on Friday: 346GWh out of 683GWh. But there is an economic cloud that casts shadow on this. Spain now has an ‘overcapacity’ that has been brought about by a lower energy demand – through the economic crisis. Over recent years more renewable capacity has been built but no conventional capacity has been decommissioned. The government has thus created a registry for new renewable projects as a tool to cap the capacity that will be eligible for the feed-in tariff. They are servants to coal.

We’ve been stuffed into a corner of the commercial harbour – for a maritime fair has taken the high-profile berths at the bottom of the Ramblas in Barcelona. Across our way gigantic gantries stack container ship decks with boxes – all hours. The noise pollution is a sharp reminder of an ancient life left behind; two-tone alarms of truck-like machines in reverse, containers clanging into one-another, twist-locks shattering the night-air. The harbour tugs are in the same corner and Rainbow Warrior vibrates whenever one powers past.

Yesterday we said good bye to the trainers and trainees. We’d shared a team-building time together. Now they are gone our team is halved to 15. The only change to crew is Miguel, from Argentina, who has taken over the galley from Willy who returns to Philippines, to his pregnant wife for the birth of their first baby – and to assess the damage to his home from super-typhoons. Miguel has ordered provisions for two weeks but I am not certain how long we will be at sea (anything could happen). I hope to be back in Barcelona on the 02nd November, for the last UNFCCC meeting before Copenhagen – but we may not make it.

I’ve anchored in Baiha de Pollensa, on the NE tip of Mallorca, for sheltered campaign-training. Thirty people on board. The bay shelters us from high sea but not the wind – squalls gusting over 60 knots (force 11 – one short of hurricane force) – the rigging of the old lady shaking, her rollers oscillating. Rainbow Warrior heels onto her side, the anchor drags a little – I send the mate forward to pay-out more chain. This is my first week back at sea. The days are long, the nights are longer, and cool. Ahead of us lies the North Atlantic, the Bay of Biscay, Wintry Copenhagen and a rather important meeting of world leaders.