‘Kayaktivists’ paddle against Arctic drilling
SEATTLE — Hundreds of “kayaktivists” decked out in neoprene wetsuits and life jackets took to the waters of Elliott Bay on Saturday in kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and other vessels to send the message that Royal Dutch Shell should cancel its plan to drill in the Arctic Ocean.
The “Paddle in Seattle” — a daylong, family friendly festival in a West Seattle park and an on-the-water protest by “Shell No” kayaktivists — was held only blocks from where Shell’s Polar Pioneer drilling rig is docked at the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5.
Once out on the water, kayakers gathered in formation and hoisted signs and banners that read: “Climate Justice,” “Oil-Free Future,” “Shell No, Seattle Draws The Line,” and “We can’t burn all the oil on the planet and still live on it.” Many had posters or red scarfs that had the Shell logo with crossed kayak paddles underneath —resembling the skull-andcrossbones image.
Later in the afternoon, they paddled over to the base of the towering Polar Pioneer drilling rig and sang songs, chanted and displayed banners.
Eric Day, with the Swinomish Indian Tribe, was one of many American Indian paddlers who brought canoes to the event. Drilling in the Arctic would hurt those who live off the land, he said.
“This is our livelihood. We need to protect it for the crabbers, for the fishermen,” Day said. “We need to protect it for our children.”
Greg Huyler, a 51-year-old scuba diver from Yakima, Wash., stood on the sidewalk and shook his head in opposition to the event.
“It’s a bunch of crap,” he said. “The problem is, all of these kayaks are petroleum products, and they’re going to gripe about drilling for oil. And 90 percent of them drove here in cars that use petroleum products.”
At the center of the paddle protest was the “People’s Platform,” a 4,000-square-foot barge powered by renewable energy, said Jonathon Berman with the Sierra Club. The platform was used as a stage for speakers, a band and a tall screen that showed images of people expressing their opposition to Shell’s plans.
Just a quarter-mile away from the Seacrest Marine Park sits the 400-foot long, 300-foot tall Polar Pioneer, the first of two oil-drilling rigs that Royal Dutch Shell plans to use this summer as it explores for oil off Alaska’s northern coast. The second rig, the Noble Discoverer, arrived at the Port of Everett last week and is scheduled to join the Polar Pioneer at the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5 at a later date.