Adventures Of Greenpeace Iii
p. 16 · Read in the full issue
Limping \along after a collision with a French naval vessel and taking in water at the rate of 100 gallons a day, “Greenpeace 111” the yacht carrying the French bomb test protest group, returned to Rarotonga on June 14, 55 days after leaving to mount a spectacular invasion of the French test area.
On board were owner-skipper David McTaggart, Nigel Ingram and Grant Davidson, bearded, sunburnt, fit, still annoyed with the French hut with an appreciation of French hospitality. After their yacht had been rammed by a French minesweeper, Admiral Clavier, in command of the test, entertained them to lunch.
The protest yacht managed to sail to about 16 miles from Mururoa before the French detected them. Skipper McTaggart’s argument was that according to international law, the ocean outside a 12-mile limit from the atoll was international waters and he had every right to sail there if he wished.
Once the French detected them they were kept under surveillance for 15 days and for another 17 days were harassed by warships, planes and helicopters in an apparent effort to frighten them away. For 32 days McTaggart kept the yacht between 12 and 30 miles away from the atoll which could not be seen by those on board. Strong winds and ocean currents had to be contended with. For six days, on and off, they saw a balloon in the sky and this scared them as they had been told that when they saw the balloon that was the time to get out — fast.
One windy day when the waves were about 10 feet high, a French minesweeper, about 120 feet long, came up very close to the ketch’s starboard quarter. The yacht, which had been sailing on a steady course, tried to swerve to port to avoid the vessel, but the minesweeper carried on and rammed “Greenpeace III” on the starboard quarter with its bow. The major damage was caused by the warship’s flagstaff tearing the yacht’s rigging, masts and hull fittings, and rendering it unsailable.
After two days of unsuccessful negotiations, the French towed “Greenpeace 111” to Mururoa for repairs. After repairs “Greenpeace III” was towed out of Mururoa and escorted by a French warship for 600 miles. Captain McTaggart asked to be escorted all the way to Rarotonga as the yacht was leaking, but the French refused.