Infinity is a fully equipped 36-meter sailing expedition vessel and was involved in the east cape flotilla which successfully confronted Petrobras in 2011. Currently on her way to Antarctica, Infinity is travelling via the east coast of the South Island to bear witness to the exploratory actions of Texan oil giant Anadarko which threaten our oil free seas.
Late Tuesday evening Infinity’s anchor slipped so we picked up and sailed off into the strong winds. The wind was howling, waves spraying the helmsman but we were all glad to be out at sea again!
The drama never ceases, at 2am Wednesday morning our headsail quite literally exploded! With the clue being ripped clean off by the strong winds, the sail was an old one but its always a bit sad to loose one. The crew successfully managed to wrestle the flapping sail down in the dead of night and we carried on sailing through the night.
Upon waking in the morning we had beautiful blue skies and light winds enabling us to sail in style. At 1300 we saw a large ship turn towards us and then thundering at high speeds it closed in on us. Radio silence on channel 16 as the crew looked out at the vessel.
MV Wellington, a New Zealand warship is an imposing sight!
It came close and passed our stern obviously checking us out before making radio contact. According to them they were conducting a “routine check”, which we are highly dubious of, since our involvement in the Anadarko protest is now widely known and with the experience of Navy participation in our last campaign against Petrobas around 3 years ago. They asked us a few questions about the crew and our next port of call, we complied fully and were left unimpeded and carried on our merry way with this beautiful weather. There is no such thing as a boring day on Infinity!
A new update on the Duke revealed that yet again they delayed their departure from Wellington, signifying that they lost a highly important piece of gear in the storm some 3 days ago. We are currently coasting along at a calm pace awaiting the Duke to head out of port so we can meet up with them again.
Moral is high on this lovely summers day in the Pegasus Basin…