From: Greenpeace ship MV Solo
Date: TUE 28-FEB-95 07:48:27 GMT -- Day 6
Solo's position at 0700 GMT was 33 degrees and 52 minutes North and 19 degrees and 53 minutes West. The Pacific Pintail entered the Portuguese Economic Exclusion Zone 200 miles North of Madeira at 1930 GMT yesterday evening at a course of 213 and a speed of 14 knots. At 0730 GMT the Pacific Pintail altered its course to 182 and will leave Madeira's EEZ at around 1800 GMT this afternoon if we maintain our current course of 182 degrees and our speed of 14 knots.
The Pintail's change of course may indicate she is going to take the South Africa route, but of course she could just be playing cat and mouse as happened in 1992 with the Japanese plutonium shipment. We'll watch what she does over the next 24.
The Portuguese Frigate "Oliveira E Carmo" is still sailing some 1 mile in from of our port bow shadowing the Pintail at a distance of some 2 miles and confirming that her secret route does not bring her closer than 100 miles from the Portuguese island of Madeira.
Today we will come as close as 100 miles west of Palma, the main island of the Canary Isles archipel (Spanish).
The weather conditions are good, wind NE 4 under a clear to slightly overcast sky. Today we will transmit some photo's of the Portuguese Frigate to Greenpeace Communications.
From: MV Solo
Date: TUE 28-FEB-95 16:36:57 GMT -- Day 6
The Solo's position at 1600 GMT was 32 degrees and 4 minutes North and 21 degrees and 13 minutes West, which puts us 250 miles northwest of Palma, one of the Canary Islands. We will pass the Canary Islands at a closest distance of 265 miles at 1930 GMT tonight. Our current speed is 14 knots and our course is heading southwest or 215 degrees on the compass.
At 1530 GMT we left the Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ) of 200 miles around Madeira and are again in international waters. The Portuguese Frigate "Oliveira E Carmo" is still sailing some 1 mile from of our port bow.
The weather conditions are good, wind is northeast 4/5. Photo's of the Portages frigate and of crew onboard the Solo are available from Greenpeace Communications.
From: MV Solo
Date: TUE 28-FEB-95 11:58:13 GMT -- Day 6
At 0830 GMT the Pacific Pintail changed its course back again to 213 degrees! Are these shadowy moves made to fool us or is she just not sure where she is going? We don't know, but she is back on her old course of 213 degrees again and her speed is almost 14 knots. At 1200 GMT our position will be 32 degrees and 53 minutes North and 20 degrees and 40 minutes West.
Best wishes from the Solo,
No Nukes!
Bas Bruyne