This morning, kayaktivists are getting ready to form a flotilla to protest against Shell Oil, call attention to Seattles role in helping the $234 billion company drill in the Arctic this summer, and demand real action on climate change.
Today on Elliott Bay, a flotilla of kayaktivists will protest against Shell Oil, call attention to Seattle’s role in helping the $234 billion company drill in the Arctic this summer, and demand real action on climate change. Alex Garland

10:17 am: What may be a large flotilla of kayaks, tribal canoes, sailboats, and—who knows—maybe a few yachts is getting ready to launch this morning. Follow @strangerslog, @sydbrownstone, @heidigroover, @ansel, @brendankiley, and @elijsanders as we cover it all. (With Sydney, Heidi, and Ansel in kayaks; Brendan on a bicycle; and, hopefully, Eli on a WiFi-equipped ferry!)

The morning began at the Duwamish longhouse, where Sydney talked to a tribal elder making biscuits for the protesters.

Word at the longhouse is that Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant—one of three council members joining today’s protests—will be getting in a Duwamish canoe. (Mike O’Brien‘s going to be out there in a kayak and Sally Bagshaw will arrive in her sailboat.)

And, as the Seattle Times points out, Shell’s Polar Pioneer isn’t the first giant drilling rig to use Seattle as a staging ground. Check out these photos going back to the 1970s of Alaska-bound rigs hanging out in Elliott Bay.

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