July 2nd, 2014

Back in hvalvik today, this time with lovely Tarah and Kylie. It has been raining at this point for days, with very little change. The fog has been so thick that you can't tell what time it is, where you are, if there's sheep running in front of you, or anything so patrols have been even more stressful. The worst part is, it may be foggy on land but in the ocean completely clear, so whales could be spotted at any time and we're losing our advantage.

Tracy Chapman's tape managed to end up in Bertha the van, so anytime you're with Tarah you are blasting Revolution over and over, and still to this day it has a way of sneaking in.

So us ladies spent the day talking about travel and singing Tracy, enjoying the day patrolling, there's even a few pictures before it started raining again.

Life started to get a bit intense that night, after a few weeks on the island you start going a little bat crazy, and i just wanted to lock myself up and get some time alone. But that's not really possible when you live with a group of people...


So Lucas took me out for a drive and just to focus on things besides the Faroes for just a tiny bit. We blasted queen and talked about things back home like his band and just silly things, because when things are this intense all the time you just need a release. I leave in just a few days and right now I can't tell if i'm ready to go home or not, but the thought of my friends and family is enough for me to board that plane.

July 1st, 2014

Teamed up with my bestie Sarah again, adventure time! Where shall we go today?

So, there's a whale bone area..... with real whale meat processing. Is it a factory? Is it a dump zone? We aren't sure. But Rupert and Richard found it once before and Sarah and I decided to find it as well.

But we have to wait til after patrol. And it is raining..... All day....... Sarah did a fun bit where she was a weather girl out giving the forcast, "They say its good weather for ducks but were the only idiots out here"

She is too funny.

Snacks are a key part of any patrol. We've been known to eat fries, ice cream, peanut butter, trail mix, and of course oreos.









After patrolling we went to checkout the bone area, just driving into the town was enough to make you bug out and make you want to turn around. Remember the vibes I had told you about, this entire town felt that way. The people were nasty and aggressive, the town was filled with stray dogs, and there was buildings being patrolled by the people. Whatever was going on in this town they didn't want Sea Shepherd anywhere near- which means we had to go back with cameras and see what was going on.

So that night we got together and talked and decided on a night patrol that week we would venture to the town of heebie jeebies and see what they were up to, and what they were trying to keep so secret.

But that is a story for another time.

A Day in the Life....

A video from Sarah and I on patrol...

June 30th, 2014

Somedays are just great. Even in the Faroe Islands. Today was one of those days. It had been raining for the past few days, and still is on some parts of the island, but Mathew and I got stationed in Tournajvik and it's known for having better weather, and today was no different.

We arrived and the beach was filled with people just enjoying the warmth. Little kids and puppies ran in the water. Parents watched nearby from the beach. Teenagers painted the fences. Life was normal and nobody treated us as barbarians invading their territory.

It's crazy how much you can need something and not realize you need it, what we needed was fresh air and a non-stress day. The constant fear of getting attacked is hard to bear, and can really take a toll on you. As the days drag on, the stress grows and so do the dark circles under the eyes from lack of sleep. Although an actual grind hasn't happened up to this point, we had fake grind calls, and constant pods or animal sightings which leads to anti-grind formation from us each time. Night patrols became needed, and attacks on us became more aggressive. The ability to walk around for just a few hours without worrying about our lives, and just enjoying the sun.

Matt and I walked along the beach, even walked in the water a little bit. The Atlantic ocean is freezing, who would've guess. I actually attempted to get into the water, but kept my boots on and I could still feel the temperature of the water through them. We played in the sand, and just enjoyed not being kept in a car. After we played cards and just enjoyed each others company, i'm slowly growing homesick but it's easier to be away on good days like this.

 We explored the nearby cemetery including the graves of 12 vikings! We had been having hauntings at that beach for a few weeks and I had a feeling that there were ancestors unhappy with our presence and chances are I was right.

June 29th, 2014

Last night Dan taught me how to drive a manual, the automatic cars are getting sent to a different island and I need to know how to drive around now that most of our drivers are leaving as well. So we hit the parking lot, Rachel Dan and I, and learned how to work that clutch. Needless to say I had been meaning to learn but wasn't exactly thrilled to learn in this situation. Driving out here is key, you drive for patrols, you drive away in danger, and you need to be able to get up and down the cliffs. So i have to learn how to drive a stick, and grasp it quick because there isn't a lot of room for error.

Dan's last day is tomorrow :(


I'm sad to see him go, but he's heading home to work which I will be doing before I know it too. Today is dark and gloomy, the skies are pouring down as if they know we needed a day without stress before he goes. But out here even rain doesn't stop the possibility of a grind, but it does help minimize it.

Heiko has joined the squad. He's from Germany and has served in Taiji on the Cove Guardian campaign. He's fun and enjoys card games as well. He should fit in with the crew. Although seeing another German join in, makes me miss the German's who already left. It's like everyone is always coming and going out here, too bad life makes it hard to stay. I'll be gone before I know it as well, but will I be ready? Or will I be wanting to miss my flight like Sarah did.

So tonight we're making a grand feast in Dan's honor. He really enjoys those dinners, so we're making sure to have one more big one before he goes. Also Kylie just arrived and she's a hoot! So tonight should be grand.

June 27th, 2014

Back in Boar/Vagar today, super excited. I'm partnered with Dan and Rachel today and Rachel wants to show us some of her Aussie Hip Hop.

We've heard there's special stray dogs hiding in the small town of Boar. So we bought meatless doggie treats and went down to visit and spend the day on the beach. These poor dogs are just starving for attention and food, i've never seen dogs react to human attention the way these two did. They just loved us, they want fetch, they want to be pet, they just want you to love them unconditionally and its hard not to. Just look at that face.

 dan and rachel talking about bird watching...

 there's so much graffiti on the island, but what does it say??

 treats please.... 

So Dan loves to tease me about birds, because I have an awful bird phobia and this island is full of birds, in fact there's even a bird watching poster in our hostel. And he knows the different sounds and types of birds. Each time we go on patrol he discusses the different types of birds and gets his binoculars, and much as I hate birds, I really love getting to know Dan and him teasing me about my bird phobia.

He teaches me about birds I wish to not know about, and I teach him card games.

As we were out patrolling I spotted the boat crew at one of our nearby beaches so we popped in to say hello and meet the crew. They were so wonderfully friendly. Inviting us in to their RV that they live in, asking if we were hungry, sharing with us stories. It was truly a pleasure just to get to meet them.

We then went up by Trollfinger again for patrolling and found the rest of the boat crew. Jesse who I've seen on other campaigns was there and I got to ask her about her previous campaigns and everything. It was so much fun patrolling with them, and hearing how they do their patrols.

June 26th, 2014

Stationed nearby the hostel today, with Mathew from England. He's a great card player which means today will go by quickly, and with many hands of gin rummy and crazy eight.

I'm glad to be stationed so close to home with how tense everything is beginning to get. The threats towards Sea Shepherd grow, as the people become more hostile as the idea of not having a grind.

An unmarked police car even approached us today while on patrol to get our information. Scott believes its the Danish authorities moving in, we've seen a lot more movement of the Danish Navy ship as well. Starting to wonder what other Danish authorities we will start to see.

We started doing group dinners, which has been great for the evenings. Helps boost morale and we can share food which helps with the funds which are slowly dwindling in our bank accounts. We each take turns cooking, doing dishes, and coming up with ideas. It's been a fun way to spend the evenings.

Patrol. Dinner, Tea, Cards. Night Patrol. Bed.

That's how we do.