Pursuing the Sun Laurel

Michael Beasley
Deckhand, Bob Barker

Here we are, one-and-a-half months into Operation No Compromise and after a series of adrenaline-charged confrontations with the kill ships, we on the Bob now find ourselves in yet another commanding position. Sitting in close pursuit of the Sun Laurel, the whalers are now forced to watch on as we push their vital fuel stores further out of their reach, and out of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

A couple of days ago, a storm roughly the size of Australia showed up on our radar screen. Not even our new monitors had a hue of red to match its severity and it appeared the Sun Laurel was trying to shake us by heading straight into it. Despite experiencing 7-meter waves (the type that throw random objects and crew around the mess) the Bob and her crew remain undaunted.

Trailing the Sun Laurel has allowed the deck team to rejuvenate with some much needed rest and relaxation time, but the issues that have brought us to Sea Shepherd are never far from our minds. We've spent much of our time in the lounge gaining inspiration through nature documentaries and incredibly moving films like Earthlings, Pirate for the Sea, and Home. I couldn't imagine a more passionate, determined, caring, and altogether incredible bunch of individuals to be sharing this journey with. It is little wonder that this campaign has been such a huge success so far.

I would like to thank all the Sea Shepherd volunteers and supporters back home and around the globe. Every victory we experience is also your victory. We couldn't do this without you, so please let logic and compassion be your guide and keep up the good fight!  There's still so much we need to do to restore the natural balance of our planet but I can assure you, this is one battle for the oceans we are going to win.