XIX - Night Rescues

The past few days/nights have been blurred together due to irregular sleep patterns and a series of sporadic events. The Refugee Rescue team, consisting of Jude (coordinator), Charlie (Skipper), and Ritchie & I (crew/swimmers), has responded successfully to incoming boats throughout the past 3 nights.

Jude is constantly monitoring different sources of information on refugee boat locations. There are "WhatsApp" groups where spotters relay information to crews, and other sources that share vital information with us. Jude filters through the constant flow of incoming information to deliver us with a clear, concise direction.

On my night table lies our group "alarm" phone. When Jude receives information that help is needed, she calls me. Via walkie talkie, I relay the information to Ritchie who is monitoring the VHF radio. Within minutes, we suit up and run down to the docks. In just a few nights, we have come across a spectrum of different experiences.

The sea is saturated with Coast Guard and Frontex presence during the day and at night. Sometimes it is obvious that they are there, as there boats are massive and well lit, and other times they sneak up on the rescue boats with lights turned off and a spotlight on us. We have been lucky not to be boarded or hassled. As we are not doing anything wrong, there should be nothing to fear. As we all know, certain "powers at be" choose to use their authority to inflict fear on others.

The other night, we were performing night drills. Pretending visibility was low, the captain looked only at his compass. Using our GPS, Ritchie and I guided him to specific points. We also began throwing objects off the boat as a man over board drill. Using a combination of lights and night vision we would spot the objects and bring them back in the boat.

While performing these exercises, we saw an extremely bright light in the distance. Looking through the night vision goggles, it seemed like there were multiple lights. Not wanting to unnecessarily get too close to a boat of authority, our team entered in a caucus, where Ritchie and Charlie concluded that it was impossible for a refugee to have such a strong light, as they are usually do not have means to buy real lifejackets; it was more likely that it was a police boat.

On the hill in the distance, a car rounded the corer with its lights on. It stopped dead in its tracks, as if it was also observing something. At this time, our radios began to scramble. A strange alien sound was coming out of them. A couple of minutes later, the car drove towards the beach. Charlie remarked, "Something fishy is going on here." We heard nothing on the radio or on the alarm phone (where we receive information). We called Korakas Lighthouse, where they have professional Thermal Imaging. They reported that they did not see any boat.

We continued our drill, although I was compelled to keep an eye on the boat. Sure enough, the bright light turned off and I could see the boat going towards the shore. With quick instincts, Charlie reacted and turned the boat around at lightening speed. Within 30 seconds we found ourselves behind a black dinghy full of refugees. As they landed, an entire team was waiting on the beach for them. We watched from the water as the refugees were loaded into a van and drove towards the IRC.

This series of events left us befuddled. As we began to play things over in our heads, it seemed obvious that the team waiting them on shore had inside information about the whereabouts of this boat. This information was not being shared, as no other teams received it. On top of it, our radios began to scramble as we approached the boat. Why would someone withhold this information from rescue boats and risk the lives of refugees crossing?

Last night we entered the water around 1:30 AM. SeaWatch rescue boat was guiding a "mock" speedboat in to shore, and Korakas spotted another dinghy. Working with spotters on the phone, we found the dinghy - as we approached, so did the Greek Coastguard. We backed off and watched through the dark night as refugees boarded the ship. The CG then proceeded to slash the front end of the inflatable dinghy and leave it for garbage.

Then the scene began to unfold. A Norwegian Frontex ship approached SeaWatch as they were within 100 meters or so of the harbor with the refugees. A conversation between the two teams broke out on the radio - Frontex demanding that SeaWatch let them take over and reroute the boat to another location. Meanwhile, the refugee boat was speeding out of control.

The Greek CG entered in the discussion and made it clear, using strong words and a loud tone, that they would be taking over. SeaWatch backed down and the CG led the refugee boat away from the harbor and landed them on a rocky beach where a volunteer landing team was waiting for them.

Meanwhile, we made our way to the pile of rubbish (lifejackets, inner tubes, clothes), picked up what we could, tied the half inflated dinghy to our boat and towed it in. When we reached the harbor, there was quite a ruckus going on. Apparently, the police believed that a smuggler was on board the speedboat. They tried arresting the man and his wife began crying uncontrollably. The rest of the passengers, around 15, refused to part from the man. Rather than letting the refugees receive dry clothes, tea and food from volunteers waiting, the police took them all in a police van.

Our team has also helped on shore to receive boats. Anais has found her groove on shore. She rises when I do, and makes her way to the two camps: Platanos and Lighthouse. There she helps incoming refugees receive clothes, tea and food. By they pictures I have seen, it is obvious that they take a likening to her - and how could they not? She walks with cheer in a state of joy. It is a true blessing to have her with me, as she is a strong support and makes delicious food! We have been keeping our spirits high, even though the small town we are living in is in a constant state of turmoil.







Thank you to all the supporters that have helped Anais and I get out here. Sat Nam Foundation is sponsoring us to be out here, and to provide the refugees with the care they need. Please support us at: http://satnamfoundation.org/index.php/campaign/lesbos/