Posted by mariej on 10/24/2006 05:36 am

This morning we stood on the dock of Pier 9 in Honolulu and watched as the Esperanza appeared over the horizon. I was surprised by how excited I was to see her - this was my first time seeing a Greenpeace ship in person. As she got closer, we waved to the crew, and soon we were able to make out recognizable faces, including Bill Richardson, our Deputy Executive Director in the U.S. office.

Once the Espy pulled into port, I got to meet new faces of the crew, and everyone was so friendly. I also met some supporters who were just as excited to see a Greenpeace ship as I was.

Taking a tour with some of the outgoing crew was almost surreal - this is going to be my home for the next 3 weeks. 

By 2:00, the ship and her crew were welcomed by Hawai'i's Lt. Governor, James Aiona. He stressed the importance of marine protected areas like the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument, and thanked Greenpeace for our work defending the oceans.

But by the evening, we got to blow off some steam and get to know each other over dinner.  I think this is going to be an amazing experience, and I couldn't ask for a better group of people to share it with. I'm really looking forward to getting onboard tomorrow.