Uneventful

Don't have a lot to say, but I was spurred to update anyway by this e-mail from someone who shall remained unnamed (but whose initials are TGS.)

HOLY CRAP, YOU'RE UPDATING YOUR BLOG.

I've been out of the galley for a couple of days, as another cook is coming aboard. So I did a couple of watch shifts, last night from midnight to 4am, and then again today from noon to 4pm. It can be a little bit of a challenge to stay awake, but otherwise doing watch is really quite pleasant. It's slow, especially at night, and i burned CDs to listen to in the galley, and read (War and Remembrance, by Herman Wouk) and went for little walks, and watched the occasional random drunk wander by.

Today's big news is that I got to drive (pilot) a Zodiac, a small boat (seats six safely.) I really only put-putted around Melbourne harbour, but it was fun nevertheless. And climbing down and up the side of the ship with a rope to get to and from the little boat is kind of fun as well.

The vegan sorbet I made the other night is sitting back at the ship softening as we speak. I think I might have to throw it back in the food processor to get it back to appropriate consistency.

And the really big news: while sitting here, I downloaded Maelstrom for the PC! With a half full bottle of wine that needs to be drank, big times tonight on ship, no doubt about it.

It's a sailor's life for me, yo ho ho.

Well, sort of, except not, since we're in port, and not actually out on the oceans.

For three days now, I've been in the galley (kitchen) which is next to the skullery (dishroom), cooking for people to sit and eat in the mess (dining room.) I'm really enjoying it. It's definitely a lot of work (the crew is now up above 20) but so far it's all been with another cook, and when it's not, I won't be cooking for so many. The nicest thing is probably the regular schedule: I work from 7:15am to 8pm, give or take, and then I'm done for the day. I can usually take an hour or two between lunch and dinner, unless I'm preparing something fairly complicated. After doing one gangplank watch from midnight to 4am, and then again from noon to four, I'm perfectly happy to not do that again anytime soon.

Some specifics on the food: for each of the last two mornings, I've made fresh juice in a donated (new) juicer: mixed fruit, and apple, the first morning, and this morning watermelon and apple/watermelon. For yesterday's dinner, I made an apple pie. But not just any apple pie: a vegan apple pie approximately twenty inches in diameter, and four inches deep. It took, beginning to end, about three hours. It was well worth it in the end, as it was well received. I considered making fruit sorbet for tonight, but don't have access to an ice cream maker. Possibly chocolate chip cookies.

Being in port, it's really quite pleasant living. Sure, I'm physically living on a ship, but have easy access to hot showers, gyms, high speed internet connections, and we have a lot of wonderful food donations come in, meaning a pretty constant flow of fresh fruits, veggies, bread, and other fresh stuff that is not the stuff of most high seas diets.

I'll continue to try to post, and try to get some pictures up. As I fall into a routine, though, I sort of wonder whether it's all that interesting to just write about the day to day stuff...

And thank you, for your support!

Just a quick note before I have to run (sprint, practically) back to the ship for dinner. Thanks so much to all of you who have e-mailed me with kind notes and wishes and encouragement and light and beauty. I expect to have somewhat limited internet time, so if I don't get a chance to write back individually, I apologize in advance. I'll definitely try to keep this blog updated.

Massive and heartfelt thanks also go out to those who have told me you plan to donate to Sea Shepherd. My brilliant and talented sister, E, has told me it's possible to designate an "honoree" when you donate online at seashepherd.org . You certainly don't have to donate, but if you want to, that would be awfully cool. The whales and seals and and sharks and dolphins (and due to the interconnected nature of the marine ecosystem, pretty much every other form of marine life, and every other form of life on earth) also thank you!

Love, justice, and struggle!
d

aboard the Robert Hunter!

I arrived Sunday afternoon (Australia dating...) and am well and happy and becoming ensconsed in life aboard ship. We're docked at the Melbourne Docklands, a short walk from central Melbourne, so in many ways it's pretty easy ship life, compared to what it could be (on the high seas, that is.)

The ship is operating with a relatively small crew, so I have my own cabin, something I didn't expect. It's a fairly new vessel (build mid-70s) so the facilities are in good shape, and plenty livable even for me at 6'4".

It seems that I'll be the ship's cook very soon, when the current, extraorindarily taleneted cook, leaves the ship for another campaign. The ship's diet is entirely vegan, which is exciting. It does present a few challenges to come up with three meals a day with sufficient protein and other nourishment, but I'm looking forward to it.

The crew of both the Robert Hunter, and the Sea Shepherd's flagship vessel docked nearby, the Farley Mowat, are to a one extraordinary people. Kind, talented, and deeply commited to the cause of saving the oceans and the life of the oceans. It sounds, even to me, like a cliched fundraising pitch or promo for Sea Shepherd, but I mean every word of it. This is a truly amazing bunch of people, doing truly fantastic work. It's entirely selfless: every single person, from the founder, Captain Paul Watson, on down, is a volunteer. People have a great variety of routes, experiences, stories, and convictions that have led them to Sea Shepherd. Across the board, however, people believe in the mission and the work, and comprise an extraorindary team.

Melbourne's generousity is also extraordinary. Being in dock, we have excellent access to facilities that wouldn't normaly be available aboard ship. The very nearby YMCA allows us free access to their gym, pool, and perhaps most importantly, showers. A bit further afield, and not always with regular hours, the Seafarer's Mission provides free internet access, as well as a pool table, library, and a place to relax for free. We have fantastic donations from local and worldwide individuals, groups, and businesses, everything from food, to matériel, to the random supplies that keep a venture like Sea Shepherd running are donated, or purchased from cash donations. I won't explicitly pester anyone reading my blog to donate, but I sure do think it's a great cause!

So as of now, a lot of my work in port will consist of cooking, leading tours, standing watch at the gangplank to the ship, and generally talking about Sea Shepherd. I'll try to keep updating this page semi-regularly.

Sea Shepherd!

I know it's been a long while since I posted. I suspect that a number of you who are checking out my blog (likely for the first time) are doing so because I e-mailed about my imminent departure for Melbourne, Australia. In about 24 hours, I'll be joining the crew of the Sea Shepherd Conversation Society vessel Robert Hunter, in Melbourne.

I'm sorry for the repeat/paste of the below, and hope to have more of substance posted soon.

For those of you who don't know about Sea Shepherd, it's a radical environmental group that does direct action in support of marine life and marine ecosystems, consistent with and in support of international law and conventions, especially the UN World Charter on Nature (1973.) I would really, really encourage you to check out www.seashepherd.org . Those of you who know me from Hampshire might recall that my Div III [senior thesis] was written about radical environmental groups, and that Sea Shepherd was one of the two groups I particularly focused on.

I'll be on the Robert Hunter, based in port in Melbourne, Australia, for two months. There is a real possibility and hope that I'll re-join the crew of Sea Shepherd for future high-seas, direct action campaigns, including the next Antarctic Whale Defense campaign.

While this genuinely isn't a fundraising message, if you have the means and interest, I'd strongly encourage you to Sea Shepherd to support their extraordinary work: even $5 helps, really.

Be well friends. For now, I am for the oceans.
d

zymurgy update!

homebrew:
PLANNING: a big move

DRINKING: imperial stout (50% Carafa II); tripel; cherry barleywine; wee heavy; gluten free cocoa beer

PRIMARY:

SECONDARY: Supertuscan; late harvest vidal; port;

BOTTLE CONDITIONING: orange blossom mead; 100% simcoe ryePA; double-double DIPA (& second runnings); Hugefoot barleywine [Bigfoot clone but with WLP007]; Midas Tickle (Hugefoot's second runnings, honey, grapes, & candi sugar); Petit Sirah/Zinfandel (Estate Ltd Ed 2005); Pliny The Red-Headed Stepchild

KEGGED: orange blossom mead; simcoe ryePA

SAVING/RETIRED: Gale Force DIPA; Ellen's IPA; winter wheat wine; orphan imperial stout; super strong bitter (~9.5%); vanilla stout; honey porter; saison; Wet Diaper (100% wet hopped IPA); etc.