Great podcast. Just a fact check for you on this episode. I sailed with Peter Wilcox, captain of the Rainbow Warrior that was bombed by the French secret service in Auckland. I’m pretty sure the story goes that the crew was on deck having a party for a crew member’s bday. Two bombs had been set on the hull under the water line. First bomb went off and (because part of what GP does is bear witness to environmental atrocities and publicize it to the world through video and photographs), the photographer went below to get his camera just when the second bomb went off. That’s how I remember Peter telling it. Not sure if the guy who told Heller the story was present in NZ when the bombing took place. Sounds like he was crew for Sea Shepherd. I’ll confirm with Peter.
Update: “ Martini Gotje went down below to check that Hanne Sorensen was not in her cabin. Fernando Pereira went down to his cabin to retrieve his camera equipment.
Hey Daniela! Sorry for the late reply, I’m still figuring out the ins and outs of Substack. You’re totally right. Heller’s comments reflected the specific story he was told on deck (which we double-checked with what he reported in his book that was published shortly after the events described). However, looking at it again, it’s so obvious how most listeners would assume that’s what actually happened on the Rainbow Warrior. I’ll try to figure out the best way to issue a clarification for that. And thank you again!
Thank YOU, Arshy. You took the time to look into this. Putting that work in honours the man that lost his life to a terrorist attack because he was trying to do his job - documenting it. I know that strikes a chord with every journalist out there.
i just started listening to this podcast last episode and it has quickly skyrocketed up my list. this episode was probably one of the best podcasts i have ever listened to. the emotion and the storytelling all through a canadian perspective was awe-inspiring and changed my worldview. i have recommended it to all my friends and family! thanks again :)
Peter Heller's absolute joy and glee in retelling his adventure with Patrick Watson was amazing. Presenting authentic feelings in recalling an epic story such as this really raised the bar. Great story. Great podcast.
I couldn’t agree more. When we finished our interview with Peter Heller, I knew instantly that we had an incredible episode on our hands. Alongside being an incredible journalist, Heller is also an acclaimed novelist and poet, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that he’s so evocative!
Meeting Peter and getting to sail with him changed my life. He is also one of the pioneers of the environmental activism movement. Meeting him was a fluke while I was dive mastering in Koh PhiPhi, Thailand. He was skippering a private vessel on his off months from GP. The cook wanted off so I was invited on. I had xo-led a cave dive with the crew, which is how I met Peter. I had never sailed before. I sailed across the Indian Ocean to Mombasa. He taught me how to celestial navigate with the sextant that had been catapulted onto shore as a result of the explosion. In Auckland. Some kind soul gathered it up and returned it to him. I learned so much on that voyage, not the least of which was that I was one of those rare types that get a gleam in their eye when a storm is coming. Peter inspired me to get my credentials hen I was back in Canada. I was later hired by GP. I was a deckhand on their smallest boat, the Moby Dick. We had been invited by the Heiltsuk and Haida Nations to help draw attention to the importance of one of the last remaining, relatively in tact temperate rainforests on the planet. It is now known as The Great Bear Rain Forest. We helped stop the world’s largest self propelled log barge, the Haida Brave. Epic. My daughter is Heiltsuk. Remember the oil spill in 2016 (2017?) when that tug pulling an empty oil barge ran aground? That’s Heiltsuk territory. As someone who understands marine refs a bit, normally you are required to hire a marine pilot to navigate those waters because they are dangerous. But, as usual, corps can apply for exemptions. There was no marine pilot with that tug. One ver simple fix that the Feds could make is to change those refs so corporations can’t get an exemption like that. Start fucking first, am I right? Would be fascinating to know how many exemptions the gov gives on this stuff. How many millions the corporations don’t have to pay to travel those waters.
Another story: Heiltsuk Resilience. The nation has been instrumental in creating a world class marine emergency response centre on the central coast. They’ve been warning the Feds/province for a long time about the dangers of tanker traffic through there. It took gov entities over 24 hours to respond. The community was on site within a couple of hours containing the spill. The coastal nations are not waiting to negotiate for help from the feds. They’re doing what they’ve always done - getting shit done on their own. That nation has achieved incredible things. If you want to talk to folks there about things (like the first enviro impact study of its kind that blends western science with traditional knowledge to be accepted by the courts), I can probably connect you with some people...
Great podcast. Just a fact check for you on this episode. I sailed with Peter Wilcox, captain of the Rainbow Warrior that was bombed by the French secret service in Auckland. I’m pretty sure the story goes that the crew was on deck having a party for a crew member’s bday. Two bombs had been set on the hull under the water line. First bomb went off and (because part of what GP does is bear witness to environmental atrocities and publicize it to the world through video and photographs), the photographer went below to get his camera just when the second bomb went off. That’s how I remember Peter telling it. Not sure if the guy who told Heller the story was present in NZ when the bombing took place. Sounds like he was crew for Sea Shepherd. I’ll confirm with Peter.
Update: “ Martini Gotje went down below to check that Hanne Sorensen was not in her cabin. Fernando Pereira went down to his cabin to retrieve his camera equipment.
Then, there was a second explosion.” https://www.greenpeace.org.au/learn/bombing-of-the-rainbow-warrior/
Hey Daniela! Sorry for the late reply, I’m still figuring out the ins and outs of Substack. You’re totally right. Heller’s comments reflected the specific story he was told on deck (which we double-checked with what he reported in his book that was published shortly after the events described). However, looking at it again, it’s so obvious how most listeners would assume that’s what actually happened on the Rainbow Warrior. I’ll try to figure out the best way to issue a clarification for that. And thank you again!
Also it’s pretty amazing that you sailed with Captain Wilcox! I’m sure you’ve got some fascinating stories to tell yourself.
Thank YOU, Arshy. You took the time to look into this. Putting that work in honours the man that lost his life to a terrorist attack because he was trying to do his job - documenting it. I know that strikes a chord with every journalist out there.
i just started listening to this podcast last episode and it has quickly skyrocketed up my list. this episode was probably one of the best podcasts i have ever listened to. the emotion and the storytelling all through a canadian perspective was awe-inspiring and changed my worldview. i have recommended it to all my friends and family! thanks again :)
This is an incredible endorsement, thank you so much Jyssica!
This is the episode that convinced me to get a paid subscription.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and thank you so much for supporting us Alexey!
Peter Heller's absolute joy and glee in retelling his adventure with Patrick Watson was amazing. Presenting authentic feelings in recalling an epic story such as this really raised the bar. Great story. Great podcast.
I couldn’t agree more. When we finished our interview with Peter Heller, I knew instantly that we had an incredible episode on our hands. Alongside being an incredible journalist, Heller is also an acclaimed novelist and poet, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that he’s so evocative!
Meeting Peter and getting to sail with him changed my life. He is also one of the pioneers of the environmental activism movement. Meeting him was a fluke while I was dive mastering in Koh PhiPhi, Thailand. He was skippering a private vessel on his off months from GP. The cook wanted off so I was invited on. I had xo-led a cave dive with the crew, which is how I met Peter. I had never sailed before. I sailed across the Indian Ocean to Mombasa. He taught me how to celestial navigate with the sextant that had been catapulted onto shore as a result of the explosion. In Auckland. Some kind soul gathered it up and returned it to him. I learned so much on that voyage, not the least of which was that I was one of those rare types that get a gleam in their eye when a storm is coming. Peter inspired me to get my credentials hen I was back in Canada. I was later hired by GP. I was a deckhand on their smallest boat, the Moby Dick. We had been invited by the Heiltsuk and Haida Nations to help draw attention to the importance of one of the last remaining, relatively in tact temperate rainforests on the planet. It is now known as The Great Bear Rain Forest. We helped stop the world’s largest self propelled log barge, the Haida Brave. Epic. My daughter is Heiltsuk. Remember the oil spill in 2016 (2017?) when that tug pulling an empty oil barge ran aground? That’s Heiltsuk territory. As someone who understands marine refs a bit, normally you are required to hire a marine pilot to navigate those waters because they are dangerous. But, as usual, corps can apply for exemptions. There was no marine pilot with that tug. One ver simple fix that the Feds could make is to change those refs so corporations can’t get an exemption like that. Start fucking first, am I right? Would be fascinating to know how many exemptions the gov gives on this stuff. How many millions the corporations don’t have to pay to travel those waters.
Another story: Heiltsuk Resilience. The nation has been instrumental in creating a world class marine emergency response centre on the central coast. They’ve been warning the Feds/province for a long time about the dangers of tanker traffic through there. It took gov entities over 24 hours to respond. The community was on site within a couple of hours containing the spill. The coastal nations are not waiting to negotiate for help from the feds. They’re doing what they’ve always done - getting shit done on their own. That nation has achieved incredible things. If you want to talk to folks there about things (like the first enviro impact study of its kind that blends western science with traditional knowledge to be accepted by the courts), I can probably connect you with some people...