The work is frustrating. The pay: less than peanuts. Apply now!
Environmentalism’s maverick ops team is looking for volunteer crew to join what will officially be The World’s Most Badass Tactical Conservation Vessel. If your application is successful, there’s a fair chance you’ll regret it.
You’ll spend your days on Earthrace’s 45 m (138 ft) ex-WW2 US Navy tug, the Modoc, working on a refit that’s at times as chaotic as it is extensive. Dust, welding sparks, the buzz, shriek and roar of power tools, and expletives in numerous languages fill the air. You’ll jump from carpentry to cooking, plumbing to painting, engine stripping to entertaining NGO and government personnel from various parts of Latin America and the occasional VIP donor.
You’ll be proficient in some of those skills; even so, you’ll often be frustrated by situational factors beyond your control. If you have an ego, you’ll find yourself embarrassed by missteps in workplace territory you’d never otherwise venture into. In that, you’ll be in good company; Captain Pete Bethune and the rest of the crew have superlative skills in particular, specialist areas, and lurch haphazardly through others. Fortunately you’ll be immersed in a team environment that’s uniquely supportive — everyone on board understands the insecurity that comes of life outside the comfort zone. Everyone on board provides encouragement and mentorship in those fields in which they excel. Everyone on board displays her or his own version of collaboration, openness, inclusivity, empathy and courage, and embraces his/her team-mates’ version of those values.
Mistakes will become your friend. Demonstrating a persistent refusal to learn from them will earn you a one-way ride to the nearest dock.
At night you’ll retire to communal crew quarters too tired to care about snores from the next bunk.
Stick around once the Modoc is operational, and you’ll be lumped with graveyard shifts in the bridge, water, power and internet restrictions, and disturbing scenes of environmental despoilment, as Earthrace deploys its various assets to aid in the protection of marine reserves (in some spectacular locations: Socorro, Malpelo, Galapagos, Easter Island, Tahiti, anyone?). It’s not all patrols and the occasional thrill of apprehending illegal foreign fishing vessels; the Modoc’s capacity and mobility enables a degree of opportunism for retrieval of discarded plastics, fishing nets and lines, and other debris from local waters — often, in the process, saving beleaguered animals. And some of Earthrace’s partners seek additional services, such as training or assistance with other illegal activities such as wildlife smuggling or destructive activities on terrestrial reserves.
Often your personal safety will be at risk. If you think the paycheck might make it all worthwhile, think again. All crew-members are volunteers. Accommodation, food and working passage to all corners of the globe are included. So is a cool T-shirt. Financial recompense is not.
Is there an upside? Depends on your world view. Are the oceans worth saving? Is your comfort right now more important than a liveable future for future generations? Has it been a while — forever? — since you felt the exhilaration of throwing yourself into something you really believe in, that might literally be life-or-death? Could hanging out after an honest day’s work in an exotic location with a diversity of smart and motivated individuals from far-flung nations be more stimulating and inspiring than tonight’s Netflix and chill?
