The Sea Shepherd

We joined some fellow home schoolers for an outing and tour of the Steve Irwin last week.

I asked about their logo which is rather controversial and discovered that it is based on pirate lore.  It takes a pirate to catch a pirate.  The fork represents Neptune's Navy, the shepherds crook those who care for the oceans fauna and the skull is part of their aim to catch the pirate.

I have always been under the impression that Sea Shepherd were a part of Greenpeace.  I learn't that they parted ways in 1977 hence the 77 on their ships.  Their history makes for some interresting reading.

Our guide (whose name I can't remember) is a former ice road trucker was excellent.  He was engaging funny and relevant to the age of the students.

Sir N enjoying being at the helm

The ship is covered in amazing works of art. Most of the staff on board are volunteers.  A few of the professional staff are employed.

The diet on board is Vegan. All staff sign an indemnification when boarding.  They acknowledge that it could be dangerous and they could loose their lives while on board and in pursuit of a whaling ship.

When in the arctic zone all staff working outside have to wear the orange suit.  The orange is for visability. It helps them to stay warm and will protect them if they fall in the water.  The water is so cold that you would die within three minutes if you had no protection.

They have a chopper on board and have a policy to always help when asked for helicopter assistance.
The chopper is stored in a hange on the top deck.  It takes three crew 15 minutes to have her fully operational.

This particular ship was renamed the Steve Irwin with Terri Irwins blessing."Steve Irwin's life demonstrated how one person can make a significant difference in the world," said Watson. "Steve wanted to come to Antarctica with us to defend the whales and now he is able to join us in spirit with his name emblazoned on the fastest and most powerful whale protection ship in the world." - The Fleet

We had a wonderful morning on board and enjoyed the sight of Melbourne from the deck.  So if you are in Melbourne make some time to come down to the quay and have a look around you wont be dissappointed.


Blessings
Chareen

More on the web

• Sea Shepherd.org
• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
• Sea Shepherd Australia
• Sea Shepherd on Flicker
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Facebook

Sea Shepherd's Flagship the Steve Irwin.

The Steve Irwin is currently docked in Williamstown VIC, at Seaworks located on Williamstowns Waterfront, at Pier 82, Nelson Place.

Free tours and donation stall are on Saturdays and Sundays 10 AM to 5 PM.