Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Wave of Love peace gathering

Dressed in white, harnessing our whale tails and placards stating positive messages of hope we made our way to liberation square in St. Helier, the capital of Jersey.

Although we had permission from Jersey states we still weren’t sure what our reception would be but amazingly enough there were already plenty of locals waiting for us, also dressed in white.

Once we’d set the signs to inform passers by of our objectives we all joined as a group to take part in a silent demonstration for the whales and the best possible outcome for them during the impending IWC meeting set to start at 10am.

Cordelia led a beautiful and poignant meditation, and with the sound of the fountain drowning out the Monday morning hustle and bustle, the whole group was clearly moved by the experience.

We then set off to join the protest outside the Hotel de France; our moments of quiet contemplation and intention pocketed in time, we began to raise the tempo through the streets with the help of Nori’ Portuguese hooter!

We joined many Sea Shepherd volunteers, including Captain Paul Watson, Surfers for Cetaceans and local animal rights groups for a very peaceful yet vocal demonstration.

Natalie attempted to enter the meeting to report for Surfers Path magazine but was banned and told to relinquish her press pass due to her connection with Sea Shepherd (Faroes campaign ’10)  

Mid morning activists stormed the hotel entrance, making a loud commotion and repeating the mantra “Whale Freedom!”.  The police arrived and everyone moved back down to the road, instead engaging the passing traffic and asking them to “honk for whales”!

After a long day we headed to our open mic event (and W4W goddess Cordelia’s birthday bash) at the Blue Note Bar to let off some steam.  Activists and locals take to the stage, fronted by the talented Rick Jones, everyone uniting to the cries of “Whale Freedom!” once again.












Monday, 19 September 2011

Watching the magic of whales

Kids Art Competition
What a wonderful sight to be greeted with..it brought tears to our eyes.This colourful artwork was displayed in Jersey and the children's message is clear. Whales should be celebrated..not slaughtered! Artists Howie Cooke and Chris Del moro from Surfers for Cetaceans judged the work and presented the prizes. They  spoke on behalf of our ocean kin and inspired young ocean defenders.

We screened a touching movie called ´´Where the whales sing´´. Elsa the 9 year old narrator couldn´t join us in person but instead,she sent a special message for us all:

“Whales are part of nature. Without whales I would feel sad. Whales are not food. They are just like us. They have families, friends, and even their own song. What would it feel like if you were stabbed by a hard harpoon and dragged on a boat and get killed? It would not feel good. Whales are the gentle giants of the sea. Whales and dolphins should have the right to be free- not killed or stuck in captivity. I hope you listen to my voice and stick up for the whales. Love Elsa.”
In her own words, unedited.


Watching Whales Film Day
In the evening we screened the inspirational movie ´´A life Among Whales´´ told by renowned whale biologist and activist Dr.Roger Payne delving deeply into the unique relationship between humans and whales.This was followed by a Question &Answer session with international cetacean experts as they discussed, with audience participation, the many controversial issues of the IWC helping us all gain a better understanding of the layers within this conference.

Cheryl McCormick (American Cetacean Society), Mark Simmons(WDCS), Mick Macintye (Whales Alive) and Nicole Mclaghan (Biologist and Cove Guardian) ensured an informative and positive evening. We rolled into bed that night, provided by another of our ´´whale angels´´ and dreamt of waves, whales and white whale tails....

Links:

Sunday, 4 September 2011

Whale of a time!

 St Ouens Bay is a huge, great beach and how wonderful it was to hang out there for our special Surf Day kicking off the International Whale Celebration in Jersey, back in July.  Big thanks go to B&Q, paperclix and Laneez for donating all the art supplies enabling us to get creative and covered paint.  More thanks for go to Watersplash for the space and Quiksilver surf school for use of boards.
We were so stoked to be joined by Surfers for Cetaceans, supportive locals and all the lovely people in town for the IWC meeting - Nicole and Nao especially.  A beautiful collabrative mural was created and surfers joined forces for a paddle out in honour of our ocean kin.  It was the perfect start to the celebration; surfing, art and solidarity for the whales and dolphins!