It's the final day of the tour. As I start to ready the Witness for her journey back to Washington D.C., I can't help but think back over her many stops throughout this tour. As first mate, I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a part of such a beautiful vessel and such a successful tour. The Witness is the newest and smallest addition to the Greenpeace fleet. She is also the only vessel under the American flag, which I believe has carved out a very unique niche for her within the organization.

Greenpeace vessels are no strangers to the waters of the Eastern seaboard, however, the shallow draft of the Witness allowed the campaign to come into smaller ports of call, ones that previously would have been less accessible with a ship drawing 16ft. By being able to tie up at local town docks it allowed the campaign to establish a more direct dialogue with the local communities that are most effected by projects such as Cape Wind.

The opportunity to use the Witness as a platform to conduct grassroots campaigns and public education outreach was very evident throughout this tour. Also evident was the need for such tours. I must have given close to one hundred tours of the ship everyday and while not everyone was in agreement on the project itself, all were eager to learn more and anxious to open dialogue that more often than not led to the dispelling of myths and missinformation about the turbines. Provincetown, was a great place to end this tour, the people here are socially responsible, progressive, and understand the immediate threat global warming posses to their precious Nantucket sound.

I am confident that I will sail the Witness through the sound once again, however, next time I know it will be to give the citizens of the Cape a first hand look at their beautiful and productive wind farm, the true keeper of the sound.

- Heath
First Mate
Witness