Martin Van Breems, my old boss and owner of Dutchman (boom brakes, sail flaking systems, track systems) and Sound Sailing Center, is planning an on the water demonstration to protest the Russian imprisonment of Greenpeace captain Peter Willcox and 29 others. The following is a notice sent out by Martin. If any of you in the area want to participate, contact Martin at the links at the bottom.

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Local Sailors stage a Nov 2nd - 3rd Protest Flotilla around NYC

The sailors are protesting the unjust imprisonment of the "Arctic 30", the Captain, 27 Crew and 2 freelance photojournalist who have been held in desolate prison cells inside the Arctic circle, in Murmansk, Russia.

Saturday afternoon, November 2nd at 4pm, a press conference will be held at Norwalk Cove Marina, just before the flotilla departs. On Sunday morning, November 3rd the flotilla of boats will sail down the East River and up the Hudson River, with another press conference and vigil at North Cove in lower New York City at 3pm.

Russian agents boarded and seized the Greenpeace Ship while in international waters at gunpoint on September 19, 2013. All 30 were formally arrested on September 26, 2013. The Greenpeace Ship "Arctic Sunrise" was repeated a peaceful protest Greenpeace undertook last year, which consisted of hanging of a banner on the first Russian offshore oil rig in the Arctic circle.

2 of the Arctic 30 were freelance photojournalists, whom Russia also refuses to release, even thought they were only documenting what happened, and had no part in running the ship or the action.

The oil platform, controlled by Gazprom, is in International waters, thus Russia's domestic laws do not apply. Nevertheless, the Russians have refused to appear before the Sea Court in Hamburg Germany, which has handled other ship seizures for Russia.

The imprisoned crew hails from a diverse group of 18 countries around the world, sailing aboard a Dutch Ship, with an American, Peter Willcox, as the Captain. Peter is a native of Norwalk CT, and after school worked on the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. Next, he worked his way up the ranks on the first Greenpeace ship, Rainbow Warrior. He was Captain when the ship was bombed by the French Government.

The flotilla departs from Norwalk Cove Marina at 5pm, after the 4pm Press Conference and will spend the night at City Island. The faces of the Arctic 30, locked up for over 40 days now in isolated prisons inside the Arctic circle, will gaze out from the flotilla of vessels as they circle New York.

The first stop is planned for 11am at the UN Building. The flotilla will circle in front of the UN Building to honor each crew member, and will broadcast their names, background, and a plea for their release. The flotilla will continue heading south, round the tip of Manhattan, and will circle the Statue of Liberty. The flotilla will head up the Hudson, cross over to the NJ side and head back down. After crossing the Hudson, they will dock at the North Cove Marina between Vesey & Liberty Streets in front of the World Financial Center for a 3pm Press Conference, with the sails and faces of the crew forming the backdrop.

The protest is headed by Martin van Breems, who owns a product development company and a sailing school, Sound Sailing Center, in Norwalk CT, where Peter Willcox has taught at in the past.

According to Martin " As a sailor who raced across the Atlantic singlehanded through numerous storms and around the icebergs of the Labrador Current in a collision damaged boat, I have some understanding of what it takes to run and repair a vessel offshore in cold temperatures. To say such work is brutally difficult is an understatement, and I crossed the Atlantic in the summer, with good light. Working on oil rig machinery in one of the numerous winter storms, with sub zero temperatures in the darkness, accidents leading to major spills are inevitable."

"US based corporations are heavily invested in developing the Russian Arctic oil fields. Exxon has already committed $200 million. However, questions about what happens when something goes wrong remain unanswered. The Russian oil industry already spills about 5 million tons of oil into the environment every year, due to old or poorly maintained equipment, combined with human error."

"Polluting your own backyard is one thing, but polluting a river effects your neighbors downstream. The ocean is a series of rivers. Russia's impending offshore oil spill disaster, which in all likelihood will be impossible to clean up, will spread and end much of the life in the Arctic. The desperate Russian legal approach towards the Greenpeace Arctic 30 is no surprise, as they only represent legitimate doubts and concerns. I wish our flotilla was headed to the Gazprom platform, but of course, there will be many such Flotilla's next year.

The outline of the Deepwater disaster of the Arctic is clear. More awareness of the danger, more actions, and more pressure on Russia's international partners in offshore Arctic drilling is the only hope to free the Arctic 30 and halt offshore Arctic drilling."

Address for the first Press Conference or for more information, please contact;

Martin van Breems
www.soundsailingcenter.com (info posted on this site)
dutchman_mvb@hotmail.com
54 Calf Pasture Beach Road, Norwalk CT 06855
tel 203 838 0375 cell 203 981 3590