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UNEASY FEELING


Today was a busy day and it wasn't until this evening that NAUTICAL LOG got a chance to open the Press Release folder and see if there was anything interesting. Those of us who have spend our lives at sea, no doubt the same goes for many other professions, sometimes get an uneasy feeling. We start checking around the ship starting usually on the Bridge to make sure our position is known, recently updated and correct. Once that is done we contact the Engine Room and continue throughout the vessel to try and find out what, if anything, is wrong.

In following this so called "Operation No Compromise" NAUTICAL LOG has had that uneasy feeling since SSCS sailed for The Southern Ocean, something about the whole affair this year is not right. The PR's from 'Wats-his-name' seem to lack the usual fire, while there have been occasional bursts of the dramatic bombastic style mostly it has been morose and introspective - at least it seems that way to NAUTICAL LOG. The strategy is poor and the tactics make no sense at all one wonders has 'Wats-his-name' lost his touch.

Now today comes news that having finally found the JWF factory ship MS Nisshin Maru the SSCS cult leader announces that he his breaking off to refuel the MS Steve Irwin in New Zealand. In addition the new port-of-call will be Wellington on the south coast of the North Island and not Lyttleton Harbour, the Port for Christchurch, on the east coast of the South Island. Why this sudden change? Could it be that, as NAUTICAL LOG previously mentioned, the SSCS are not quite as welcome there as they thought they were? during their last visit to Wellington the New Zealand Prime Minister was a visitor to the MS Steve Irwin and of course Wellington is the Capital City of New Zealand. Perhaps that gives the SSCS a degree of protection, no doubt we shall find out.

To quote from the PR of January 27, 2011:

"The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin has no alternative but to disengage from further pursuit of the Nisshin Maru. The Steve Irwin will now head for Wellington, New Zealand to refuel and then will return to The Southern Ocean".

Now this round trip passage will take at least a month and in addition there will be the time in port which at present is unknown but could be as long as a week. This means that the MS Steve Irwin will not return until March when the whaling season is ending. Does this make any sense at all because it certainly does not to NAUTICAL LOG.

A further quote says:

"I am confident that the crews of the Bob Barker and the Gojira can keep the pressure on the whalers while we refuel and resupply".

Rubbish!! The MS Bob Barker cannot deal with the factory ship and three catcher vessels alone, as for the MS Gojira she was in Hobart, Tasmania with fuel pump and perhaps crew problems. Even if she does return she cannot really do very much as the catcher vessels will be delighted to ram and sink her. Her captain Locky MacLean is far too smart a seafarer to put his ship in harms way and particularly since 'Wats-his-name' in Steve Irwin has run away to New Zealand. Take note that Australian Ports seem to be out of favour just now for 'Wats-his-name'.

So it appears that the JWF will continue whaling with little or no interference quite able to deal with the SSCS repetitious tactics. Today's SSCS PR ends with a pathetic nonsensical statement which y'all can read for yourselves.

Truly "Operation No Compromise" is "Operation No Commonsense".

Good Watch.

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