Brigitte Bardot Crew Safe and Sound

This morning Sea Shepherd announced that the crew of the Brigitte Bardot is now safe and sound. They and their vessel are being shepherded (I can use puns if I want to) back to port where they will work feverishly to repair the hull which was damaged by a rogue wave.

Sea Shepherd is going to lose some ground monitoring Japanese whalers with two ships out of commission. However, the good news is that the Bob Barker is in direct pursuit of the whalers they discovered early in their campaign. What’s more, the Bob Barker is Sea Shepherd’s ice-class vessel, meaning they can confidently chase whalers into growler-infested waters if necessary.

Brigitte Bardot Severely Damaged, Sends Distress Call

While in pursuit of Japanese whalers the Sea Shepherd vessel Brigitte Bardot was severely damaged by a rogue wave which cracked its hull. It has been taking on water while the storm continues to bombard it with waves, and the Steve Irwin is racing 240 miles toward the ship and its crew in response to their distress call.

Brigitte Bardot captain Jonathan Miles Renecle is confident the ship will stay afloat until the Steve Irwin arrives. However, based on the photographs they posted of the tied up hull I think there is cause for alarm. The entire crew of ten would certainly perish if left in the water for even a short period of time.

What’s more, what does this mean for the campaign? Can Operation Divine Wind meet its objectives without the Brigitte Bardot? Can it be quickly repaired and put back into this campaign?

This is a huge blow to the campaign. But most importantly, I hope for the best for the stranded crew. Here’s to a speedy rescue via the Steve Irwin. Hang on, folks!

Laurens de Groot Hearts Brigitte Bardot

No, not the actress. Well maybe the actress. But I’m specifically talking about the Sea Shepherd interceptor vessel.

Laurens posted a stream of tweets yesterday upon the Brigitte Bardot’s arrival to Amsterdam. I think it’s lovely how excited he was about the whole thing. Like a kid in a candy store.

Love Thy Enemy

One of the things I love about Sea Shepherd is their overall sense of compassion. Everything they do is about compassion for animals, and for the human race who can not survive without them.

When it comes time to get dirty Sea Shepherd does not hold back. They are as aggressive as necessary with people who murder animals for pleasure or industry. Yet they have no hatred for these people, which is an important factor that many fail to acknowledge. While Sea Shepherd recognizes these offenders must be stopped at any cost, they do not curse them into the depths of hell.

Two cases in point:

1. Just last week, while protecting Bluefin tuna in militarily-hostile waters off the Libyan coast, Sea Shepherd saved the life of one of the very fisherman they were hunting down. He had severely severed his wrist and was treated by Megan Jolley, the medic aboard the Brigitte Bardot. Then he was returned to his fishing vessel and advised that he must seek hospitalization to avoid a life-threatening evolution of his wound.
2. Back in 2009 Japanese whaler Hajime Shiraskai reportedly fell off the Kyoshin Maru No. 2 and a distress call was issued. Captain Paul Watson offered to help search for Hajime and assured the whalers they would not harass them during their search, even though the Yushin Maru 3 said they “would not accept help from an eco-terrorist organization.” They even deployed their helicopter to aid in the search.

However aggressive Sea Shepherd seems, their actions are in the name of compassion. They “love thy enemy” even as they exhaust all of their efforts and resources to stop them. How many activist organizations can say that?

Gojira Becomes Brigitte Bardot

Apparently the owners of the Godzilla copyright were less than amused at their name/character appearing on a Sea Shepherd vessel. So they served papers to Sea Shepherd, demanding that they remove the character.

The new name of Gojira is Brigitte Bardot, named after the starlet who has a long and active history in animal rights and a standing relationship with Sea Shepherd in particular. And apparently she is in love with the idea:

Dear Paul,
“Captain of my heart.” I’m moved, overwhelmed and infinitely grateful that this wonderful “savior of the seas” will wear my name to fight against those who allow themselves to butcher what is most precious in the oceans. Thank to you Paul for this magical idea that fulfills me with pride. Together we will win! You are the strength and the courage, I’m the love and determination. May the Brigitte Bardot led by Paul Watson be a symbol of victory.
I love you.
Brigitte

While I absolutely loved the name Gojira, it was out of sync with the names of their other vessels which are named after activists Steve Irwin and Bob Barker. Moreover, the name Gojira was really suited specifically for the Japanese given the context of the name. It is less humorous chasing Icelandic whalers.

And with that, Gojira is now Brigitte Bardot.

Brigitte Bardot Appeals to Denmark to Stop the Grind

As more attention is drawn to the sadistic genocide of Pilot Whales in the Faeroe Islands, many ethics-conscious celebrities are likely to join the fight to against it. Brigitte Bardot has added her name to the list of opposition, pleading to Denmark to fulfill their obligations to take action against these entertainment hunters.

As a protectorate of the Faeroe Islands, Denmark is liable for their actions. Consequently, in accordance with Chapter III, Article 6 of the Bern Convention, the Faeroe Islands are in violation of Denmark’s bind to that agreement.