A Southern Christmas 2001 - Day 17 (NYE and unwelcome visitors)

Greetings and a happy and healthy New Year to everyone who has stuck with this so far

When last we left the 2001 (soon to be 2002) journal we were on our way to Prydz Bay where Polar Bird had been beset for the past couple of weeks or more. It's coming up to New Year's Eve and we're still a couple of days away when we had one of our first encounters with unwelcome visitors.

Tuesday 1st January 2002

at sea

It begins quietly. At 1800 we have our New Year’s Eve barbecue on the Trawl Deck. We are almost feeling like we should be in short sleeves. There is brilliant sunshine and  majestic icebergs are drifting by us to regular oohs and aahs and the rhythmic click of camera shutters. 

At 2000 hrs (four hours behind Sydney time) anyone who has access to, or is able to borrow one of the on board satellite phones uses it to call a loved one and share a "Happy New Year, I miss you" message.

Soon it is time for the Beauty and the Beast Party on F Deck where the music is thumping and the most imaginative costumes are on display. It's quite amazing what people can do with a shower curtain or a few plastic garbage bags. At midnight we all hug, agree what a great bunch of people we are and drink toasts to our loved ones.

An hour later the drama starts. But first, let me go back 24 hours to a VHF call Aurora received from Greenpeace anti-whaling vessel Arctic Sunrise who at that time was in the area about 20 miles north of us. She called to wish Happy New Year and mentioned that we should keep a look out for Japanese whalers who they believed were illegally fishing in the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). 

So it is that about an hour after midnight on the first day of 2002, we are greeted with the sight of a small grey-hulled vessel, red below the waterline with a huge harpoon on her fo’c’sle. She has Japanese markings, is hove to and drifting as we come close to her. Captain Tony Hansen hails her: 

“Japanese vessel, this is Aurora Australis, we believe you are engaged in illegal activities, please state your reasons for being 39 nautical miles inside the Australian EEZ.”

There is a long silence and Tony repeats his message. After a further wait we get their response: 

“Aurora Australis, this is research vessel Kyo Maru No 1, please advise your course and position.”

Tony radios our position and course and confirms his opinion that the vessel is acting illegally within the Australian EEZ. He tells them that the Australian Government has been informed and requests the vessel to leave Australian territorial waters immediately. 

After what seems like a period of indecision, Kyo Maru No 1 heads west which is the direction we are going anyway, so we follow her. It isn’t long before looming out of the mist we come across another much larger vessel - the mother ship.

As she comes into view, it is clear she is a large factory processing ship. Water is pouring from her scuppers into the open sea in what we can only guess is the result of attempts to wash down her decks to conceal evidence of her activities. Captain Tony calls her. She identifies as Nisshin Maru and asks us to keep our distance. Captain Hansen repeats his request: 

“This is Aurora Australis, we have reason to believe you are engaged in illegal whaling activities 39 nautical miles inside the Australian exclusive economic zone and we ask you to depart this zone immediately.” After several minutes silence Nisshin Maru repeats her requirement that we remain at a safe distance – other than that she ignores us.

Through binoculars we see she has a banner draped over her stern, “Whales are not endangered…” it says, “…Greenpeace misleads the world.”

Having made our point and reported our position and the situation to the AAD and the Australian Government we go on our way - and no doubt the Japanese mother ship, and how ever many whalers are in her fleet, go theirs.

I didn’t expect to get passionate about this, and maybe it was the disdainful response to Aurora’s challenge, but for a while that night I wasn’t they only one who wished our hull was grey instead of orange and that we might have a small cannon to fire across their bow.

In closing let me also emphatically deny any knowledge of mooning expeditioners. This is nothing more than scurrilous reporting.

Now let's get on with finding and helping Polar Bird...