South West Marine Debris Cleanup

SW cleanup Benefit Gig

2011-12-12T18:02:00.000-08:00

The Bare Bones & Roots of Hip hop is a showcase of hip hop, soul, jazz, funk and blues by local DJ’s, producers, live instrumentalists and vocalists.

Come and see DJ VSP, ALTA, THE FUNK N SOUL BRASS BROTHERS, DJ DAMEZA and special guest vocalists perform their own take on soul, funk blues and jazz tunes which have paved the way for hip hop classics of today.

- THIS IS A BENEFIT GIG FOR THE ANNUAL SOUTH WEST COAST MARINE DEBRIS CLEAN UP.

Mobius is proud to donate $1 from every ticket to this great cause…

Spread the word and rally the troops. The last Wednesday at Mobius for 2011 will be large!

See below for more artist info.

// The Funk n Soul Brass Brothers //

After playing their debut gig at the Tasmanian Beerfest the boys are amped to be playing at Mobius. With the Falls Festival show fast approaching expect a new set, with a twist…

https://www.facebook.com/events/230681617003219/

// Alta //

Have currently been dominating Triple J’s unearthed ratings and recently supported Paris Wells on the Tasmanian leg of her National Tour.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alta/288372707854130

// DJ Dameza //

Mobius resident, DJ behind ACUMEN and Australian DMC finalist.
With too many supports to list, Dameza never disappoints.

https://www.facebook.com/djdameza

// DJ VSP// – all vinyl set

Real records, real music. No more explanation is needed!

Marion Bay Cleanup MKII - 11 December

2011-11-30T03:03:00.000-08:00

Every year thousands of tonnes of marine debris washes up on our coastlines as a result of poor waste management from both recreational and commercial fishing activities. Much of this rubbish also enters our waterways & oceans through the inconsiderate disposal of unwanted goods at our very doorstep – in our cities, and towns. Around Australia, 80% of our population is distributed within 50km of the coast - Testimony to our love of the beaches and oceans surrounding our Island homes. In order to preserve our coastal havens, we must act now, to preserve these areas for future generations.

When: 10.30am Sunday 11 December

Meet at: Marion Bay Car park

What to bring: Sunscreen, sunhat, rain jacket, snacks and something to keep you hydrated while we’re on the beach (we will provide bags for rubbish).

Afterwards: we will sort the rubbish, and record data.

After afterwards: we will head back into town for a debrief & a well-earned beer.

We hope that this will be the first of many clean-ups around the beaches surrounding Hobart, so if you have any suggestions on future sites to clean, please let us know.

Ninna's Cleanup 2011 video

2011-09-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

This short promo video was produced in conjuction with the Bookend Trust and Funded by the Southern Waste Strategy Authority. Thanks Ninna its great

Marine Debris Article - Examiner

2011-09-05T21:35:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Matt Maloney for the two articles above which were featured in the Sunday Examiner. Click on the images to view at full size.

Patagonia Promo Video Released

2011-05-31T03:34:00.000-07:00

South West Marine Debris Cleanup - Tasmania from Johnny Abegg Films on Vimeo.

Today Johnny Abegg, Patagonias representative on the 2011 cleanup released his web piece for the world too see. Johnny although a little seasick and tired to start with was an integral part of the team for cleanup 2011, helping on the beach during the day, filming and helping with the count of an evening. Our promise of epic waves didnt eventuate but as his movies and photos will attest the trip was well worthwhile. Checkout Johnny's Blogsite and movies on Vimeo. Cheers Johnny you are welcome back on the cleanup anytime.

Return Media Release

2011-05-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

MEDIA RELEASE – 2nd May 2011

The 2011 South West Coast Marine Debris Cleanup saw 23 volunteers embark to the West Coast of Tasmania on four commercial fishing vessels, the biggest contingent in the cleanup's history.

In total 18,357 items were collected off six beaches totalling around 3.5 tonnes. In material terms 93% of the rubbish was plastic comprised mainly of rope, bottles and miscellaneous plastic pieces and 4.5% was metal mainly as aluminium cans. Small pieces of plastic, caps and lids continue to be found in increased numbers and these along with small pieces of rope and bait box straps accounted for over 70% of the rubbish items collected.

The team recovered a staggering 11,317 items in just five hours off 1.5 kilometre length of coast, the vast majority off a 200m long stretch of beach. This is by far the largest haul of items from any one area of the coast and it was only after a tip off from one of the volunteer Crayboat skippers that we uncovered this wilderness tip-face.

This year we finally recovered 'temples de rope' - three huge rope balls between 200-400 kg each that we had observed over the last few years. Aptly named by the crew as all we could do was look at them in awe due to their size. This trip, the balls were finally moved as we had access to more people power and a boat with a Hiab to lift them from the water.

The more unusual items found on the shore this year included a Fridge, a Boogie Board, a cold full can of beer and an assortment of toys including a still inflated party balloon. Once again there was rubbish from all corners of the globe including numerous Japanese, Chinese and Korean oil and food containers, fishing buoys and trawl nets.

A selection of the rubbish haul has been put aside and will be on display at Salamanca Market of the 7th of May 2011.

A massive thankyou to all the sponsors and volunteers as without your generous donations of time effort and money we could not continue this work.

The cleanup has now been running for over ten years and we are looking forward to another successful cleanup in 2012.

Back Home

2011-04-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

The crew awoke on the last day of the trip under leaden skies but at least we didn't have to pick up anymore of someone else's rubbish. The Velocity and Odalisque rafted up and transferred all the Marine Debris onto the Odalisque for a quick trip up to Prince of Wales Bay in Hobart were the rubbish was to be unloaded. The Velocity headed for a quick last surf with Johnny before he headed back to warmer climes while the Miss Carmen docked in Dover to unload its crew before heading back to sea to continue fishing. The Chieftain G dropped its crew on the Odalisque and headed for a few days cruising the Channel.

In Hobart Alderman Bill Harvey turned up to check out our haul and collected a representative sample which we hope to display in the coming weeks. The total items collected on the trip was 18357 items, the biggest haul yet. It is a testament to hard work of the volunteer crew and skill of the fishermen who enabled us to access the beaches in difficult conditions. A detailed description of the items collected will be posted soon.

Wednesday 20th

2011-04-20T05:24:00.000-07:00

The day dawned at Louisa Bay. A couple of veterans got up to check the sky. Someone said we should get to Surprise Bay. After a couple of hot egg and bacon muffins the skipper shouted "anchor man, get up and do your job". So we weighed anchor towards South Cape. Surprise Bay unfortunatley held no surprises. The surf was not on. So we steamed around the South Cape towards the Rivulet. We anchored in the middle of the bay. A few of us thought we would jump in the icy water for a wash and surf. The surf was still not on, the rip was horrendous and the waves were 3-4 foot puss. A couple of the stalwarts stayed on the boat admiring the scenery. Dave 'the wave' Wyatt, came back in a flash and said "let's get on the road" Recherche Bay needs us. We steamed past Lion Rock, but the lion was roaring far too big and angry, so we steamed around South East Cape and into Recherche Bay. Three shore parties went into clean Lookout Point, with minimal marine debris found. So we started on the sip, and then a barbie started to roar, and the girls strapped up some delicious tucker, while Steve seared the sirlions. The night presses on, the boys are playing instruments on the Velocity, farewelling the evening and celebrating the last night of the cleanup.

Tuesday Blog

2011-04-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 19th

Morning refreshingly quiet after Monday's rain with a cool wind and an overcast sky but weather mild and fine. Our next destination was decided, Louisa Bay. Shy albatross, crested terns and fairy prion's kept Odalisque company on the water. The southern ranges to the north – Cox's Bluff and Red Pt dominant – and the sun striking Maatsuyker Island made this short passage visually stunning. The cleanup crews were dispatched starting with west Louisa Bay beach – usual rope, cans, plastic debris were found. Unusual items included a 20 ltr drum of used engine oil and a complete wet suit without a diver! Louisa Bay was quite clean after New Harbour with its 600 beer cans. Hunters and gatherers returned with abalone, crayfish and sea urchin. We had happy hour's on all boats with the main meal - to be Asian based - on the good ship Odalisque . No doubt reviews of today and plans for tomorrow will be discussed.

Monday's Blog

2011-04-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

The crew awoke to a red and grey haze at Port Davey. A brooding North-West wind was felt. The crew was anxious with thoughts of crossing SW Cape to the southern shore of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The Velocity left early in its sojourn across the gauntlet of SW Cape. Three to four meters of rising swell was in its wake, with an extra two meters of windy seas on top of a daunting ocean. The salty sea-dogs were hardened to such escapades but the 12 land-cats were not. The Velocity made its way towards Waterfall Bay where a boatfull of surfers dived into icy cold water for a two hour session of surfing - an absolute treat. Quite different for the Miss Carmen, towing a 1-tonne cray dinghy, whose journey around around the Cape was one of sideways scare tactics. Thoughts of calmer waters were on the crew's mind. The four boats eventually arrived. The cleanup was one of beercans, over 600 of them. A blisterly NW wind made life chilly with sand in eyes a constant hindrance. As we digest a lovely roast and vegies sipping Gillespies Giner Beer...we think of what's coming next.

Sunday Blog

2011-04-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

A wapping 10,274 items of rubbish collected - that's a lot of bending down! Waking up to white-water and pulling pots close to the rocky coast was challenging. Hats off to Deano who recovered all, with plenty of crayfish. Missed cleaning the beaches :{ amazed by the effort the other guys put in. Who would be anywhere else? Seven hours on the beach in two split teams, saw Matty and I trying to convince each other, via two-way radio, that we had more rubbish than either team... the on board evening sort showed that we were probably both right... WHAT A HAUL! Looking at the back of the boat carrying the rubbish tonight, the view resembles something similar to a whole seven days effort from previous trips... everyone has fingers crossed for a rest day????!!!... to be continued...

saturday blog

2011-04-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

After a starry moonlit night the crew started the day under thick clouds with a quick surf and brisk walk the length of Button Bay Beach. The full team had the beach clean before 4 o'clock except for a massive 300+ kilo rope. We unravelled a third of the rope and used it to tow the rest through the breakers in the Zodiac. We totalled 2361 pieces of rubbish for the day. Best item found by the crew was a cold full can of beer. Marcos unleashed his Brazilian black beans and Emma her chilli con carne on the crew at was a great way to end a long strenuous day.

Fridays Blog

2011-04-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

Today the south-easterly weather receded and the sunshine poked through the clouds as the SW marine debris flotilla made its way around the spectacular southern Tasmanian coastline.

The Odalisque crew cruised past South West Cape and were treated to sightings of schools of common dolphins as well as a couple of albatross hotspots. Meanwhile the Velocity crew started beachcombing around 10am after steaming all night.

After a good feed the boats rendezvoused at the Giblin, most for the first time. After a brief run-down on the craft of rubbish-collecting from Matt, team Marine Debris were digging out a 3m2 nest of tangled rope and after half an hour of frenzied digging and straining, the triumphant team hauled the 400kg coloured spaghetti mass to the water's edge where it was transferred to the Odalisque by zodiac.

The rest of the afternoon was punctuated by another mammoth dig and slow wandering along the sunny beach collecting more plastic and ropey treasures. The beach was clean with the removal of only 1881 items, less than half of last years total.

Loading Up

2011-04-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning has dawned and the wind has dropped a bit. Sill looks a bit to lumpy to load the Velocity at Southport so we will move the boat to Dover for load up. The Odalisque will depart from Prince of Wales Bay around 11 with a crew of 8. The Chieftan is departing from Margate at around 11. The Miss Carmen is waiting to load up at Dover. bWe will hang and wait for slop to ease before we head around the coast later this evening.

Provisioning

2011-04-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

Well we had a hectic couple of days getting the supplies together. Spikey and I helped out Sam with some bottling down at Gillespies at Bream Creak. Sam Generously donated 20 Cases of Ginger Beer to the trip.
Then it was off to the Wurtshaus wholesale shop out in Cambridge to pick up $1000 worth of gourmet meats and prepared meals.
Next stop was the supermarket for some serious shopping. With Help from Spikey, Madeline and Anais we managed to fill 5 trolleys to the brim. Hopefully we didnt forget anything.

Last stop was The Hill Street Grocer for some nice fresh fruit and veges. They looked after us with a good discount. All set now we just have to fit it all on the boats.

We depart in 3 Days

2011-04-11T05:48:00.001-07:00

Its three days until departure and the crew is getting ready for a dash to the West Coast of Tasmania. The weather looks favorable for a quick cleanup of the West Coast from Friday to Monday before the weather will force us to either shelter in Port Davey or head along the South Coast of Tasmania.

Tasmanian Boat Charters joins the cleanup effort

2011-03-30T02:49:00.000-07:00

Pieter Van Der Woude from Tasmanian Boat Charters has kindly offered the services of his 60 foot Boat the Odalisque for the cleanup this year. The addition of the Odalisque will ensure we can clean the beaches very efficiently this year. The list of volunteers for the 2011 trip has grown to 17 the biggest contingent we have taken down.

Fundraiser Success

2011-02-26T21:23:00.000-08:00

The Coastal Custodians fundraiser at the Brisbane Hotel was a fantastic evening with over 130 patrons turning out for the outstanding enertainment. Many Thanks to the Brisbane Hotel for hosting the vent and to all the bands for their generous donation of time, skill and sweat. Red Herring donated the stash of legropes that were give aways through the night. The proceeds from the evening will help pay for the food for the trip and hopefully cover some of the cost of chartering and extra boat so we can get some more volunteers around the coast. Look out for a bigger and better fundraiser next year. Thanks to all those who turned out on the night.

2011 Fundraiser - Friday 25th February

2011-01-30T01:36:00.001-08:00

The kind folks at the Brisbane Hotel have kindly donated a venue for a night of music and festivities on Friday the 25th of February. All door takings will go towards the 2011 cleanup costs.

Please come along and show your support who knows you might even pick up one of the lucky door prizes.

Cleanup 2011

2011-01-06T21:11:00.001-08:00

The dates have been set for the 2011 Cleanup trip. The trip will leave weather dependant on the 14th of April for a week aiming to be be back on or around Good Friday. This trip once again sees All last years boats and sponsors participating and hopefully a few new faces.Stay tuned for further updates and a chance to win a berth on one of the boats. Happy summer surfing! and please respect the beach.

Thanks Nick and Simon

2010-11-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to Nick and Simon who's generous donation of the door takings from the Newcastle and East Coast Tasmania Lucid showings have raised over $600 for the 2011 Cleanup effort. We wish the boys all the best with the Lucid release and look forward to making our own little movies with them on the cleanup. Red Herring also stepped up and donated some door takings from the State Cinema shows so thanks to all who contributed.

LUCID - Check it out

2010-10-27T03:43:00.000-07:00

Nick Damon and Simon Treweek have been kind enough to offer door takings from the Movie premiere's in Newcastle and on Tassies East Coast towards the Cleanup expenses. I caught the movie down in Hobart last week and it was awesome with a full house down at the second showing at the uni with a few of the stars in the audience. Door takings are gold coin donations so drop a few pennies in the jar. Total donations to this point $298.10. Yeow! Thanks again guys and best of luck with the rest of the shows.

Check out all the times and locations and the trailer at http://lucidthemovie.blogspot.com/

We are taking expressions of Interest for cleanup 2011

2010-10-20T01:04:00.001-07:00

Things are looking up in 2011. We have secured ongoing funding from Patagonia and the Tasmanian Government so we are looking for a few more boats with an aim to get 8 more people around to help us out. If you know of anyone who would be keen please drop me an email.
Look out in the coming weeks for the silent auction for a place on the trip.
Do the right thing and put your rubbish in the bin!

TV Interview when we got home

2010-05-12T23:12:00.000-07:00

Click the play button to play the news clip.

Art from Trash - Island Style

2010-05-06T05:14:00.000-07:00

My good buddy Jon Hizzard has been playing with some of the bouys we collect on the cleanup. Check out the photos below of his creations. The drums are great hear his sounds at his myspace page. http://www.myspace.com/chinobwa

Paper Mach'e Drum - Cast from fishing bouy

Funky Light from Fishing Bouy

Djembe from Fishing Bouy and recycled timbers

Floor Lamp from Fishing bouy, Dif casing and headlight

Statistics from the Trip

2010-04-12T02:13:00.000-07:00

Depending on which way you look at it this years trip was a outstanding success as we collected more rubbish than ever before or a dissapointing result in that people are still polluting this wonderfull planet. The statistics are the result of many hours of beachcombing and then painstaiking counting and tallying. The numbers provide insights into trends and likely sources of rubbish.

Below are two sets of graphs. The first are the 2010 graphs and below them are the 2001-2010 combined survey graphs. Click on the graphs to enlarge

The below graph shows the items collected for the Dirty Dozen between 2001-2010. Note that in 2009 the numbers are generally lower than other years. 2009 was the year we experienced the worst weather of any trip and spent the majority of the survey inside the protected waters of Port Davey. This meant we were unable to survey the west facing beaches that generally 'catch' most of the rubbish.

It is also worth noting that in 2007 we also surveyed 'Beercan Bay' and we see the same if somewhat smaller spike in Aluminium Cans.

More stats to follow in the coming weeks.

Home with a Record Haul

2010-04-09T22:27:00.001-07:00

Loading the bags onto Haydens Truck

More Rope than you can poke a stick at

Unloading the large ropes, drums, bouys and larger items.

The large sorted bags ready for removal from the boat.

The good ship Velocity returned to port late yesterday with the full compliment of volunteers after a very rolly trip down Tassies SW coast. We left the Cheiftan G and Miss Carmen at 6 am Friday morning to finish fishing along the south coast before the next patch of weather hits early next week.

With the addition of the rubbish from Ketcham Bay and New Harbour (Beercan Bay) our final tally for the week was 17714 items. This is a new record haul by nearly 3000 items and a testament to the hard work of the team throughout the week.

We were met at the Dover wharf by Hayden Abbott and Dave who loaded the 2 tonnes rubbish onto Haydens truck with the forklift so it could be transported to the Huonville tip/recycling centre.

A big thanks to Patagonia and Pennicott Wilderness Adventures for their financial support and the Wursthaus, Gillespies Ginger Beer and Cascade for the help provisioning the troops, who along with the help from National Parks and Wildcare the cleanup could never have taken place.

I am slowly updating all the blog entries with photos from the days collecting including the daily immunity items which granted a night off from the dreaded rubbish count.

Velocity is at Dover unloading the booty!

2010-04-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

Matt and the Crew have stepped off onto the Jetty at Dover and are busy clearing all the debris from the deck. They'll be back in the bright lights of Hobart this evening and no doubt be keen for a little celebration! So give them a call!

Matt will fill you all in on the totals and details of this years trip once he gets back to home base!

Thanks for following the blog, this is Jimmy signing out.

Last remote Blog from the Sou'West

2010-04-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

Part of the 599 cans collected at Beercan Bay

Dara removing rope from Ketcham Bay

Southwest cape in fairweather. 2008 Cleanup

Transcript Eight – Guest Bloggers Dara Penfold and Hamish Renwick. Sent 11 am April 9th 2010

“Dara Penfold and Hamish Renwick reporting here this very fine day Thursday the 8th. Woking up to skipper Harry pulling up the anchor and off we went at 7am. We started steaming from the beach in the lea of Low Rocky and four and a half hours later arrived at beautiful Ketchum Bay. It was a rolly trip, beating us back to bed for a morning siesta. Once at Ketchum, we got the day on the road with a strong coffee and off we went to the foreshore. It was a challenging up hill rope climb leading us to the true South West bush walking path to Ketchum Bay. We then ran into a bunch of bushwalkers that soon told us where the rubbish was, and off we went. At Ketchum Bay and new harbor we collected the most aluminum cans with 599 and roughly another 225 pieces, making a total of 824 for the two beaches. The day was ended with a mean Wursthaus lamb Lyonnaise on the BBQ with roasted carrots, potatoes, pumpkins and sweet potatoes. Oh and BBQ mushrooms and capsicum washed down with some Gillespies’s Ginger Beer. On behalf of myself and Hamish, we would like to thank Matt “the Gator” Dell for all his work, the 15 volunteers and also Davey Wyatt, Nic Harris and Dean from the lovely Miss Carmen. It has been an awesome experience, the lovely South West is amazing, and we recommend it to anyone that has the chance to see it by sea to latch on and take the ride!.”

“P.S.: When we weren’t emu bobbing the beaches, life was spent in the ocean or in the galley, underneath the spell of an ipod and creating “all-time-next-level-legit-dance-moves”: “the Sliding Palp”, “the Content Head-flip-bob”, “the Tanglefoot” to name a few. Life was fun!! Back to reality tomorrow though…. Siiick! [much laughter]”

Catching up on the remote Sat-phone blogs from the coast between Sandblow to Low Rocky Point

2010-04-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

Rest before the last haul to the dingy landing spot

Rope walk

A long drag at the end of a long day

Transcript Seven – Guest Blogger Dayna Trevaskis. Sent 1 pm April 8th 2010 detailing the activities of the 7th of April

“This morning’s wake up call came through from Dave at about quarter to six. He called for the crew swap over maneuver. Dara and I hauled ourselves out of bed [on velocity] and grabbed a couple of crumpets for the dinghy trip over to the Chieftain G for a spot of early morning Cray fishing with Captain Davey and Spikey, our mentor crayfish “hauler-upperer” and general “tell-ya-what-to-doer”. The day could almost not have started better with ‘bolt blue sky and albatross wheeling above and around the boat. We rocked the pots for a good couple of hours in our funky blue ad bright yellow wet weather overalls, while the rest of the crew were whisked into the beach and checked the Sandblow out for rubbish. By the time we’d thrown the pots back in and a few [red shelled] beastie boys below deck [in the cray well]. The remainder of the Cleanup fleet had moved north to the next beach [in the lea of Low Rocky] targeted for our surf/cleanup assault. The surf report was fun, but not perfect, which matched the beach rubbish situation. Today’s scrutineering was accompanied by our first touch of “shock horror” RAIN! Once the beach was clean we were all ferried back to the mothership Velocity by Captains Davey and Harry for an epic rubbish sort, followed by a few beers and an on board fry-up for dinner. Life is tough. Over and out”

Marine Debris collected:
The SandBlow = 632 items
Beach in the lea of Low rocky = 1640
Running total for the 2010 cleanup trip = 17 067 items

Hania's Blog revisited - a more complete version

2010-04-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

Photo Note: natural underwater treasures - and dinner!

Transcript Five (Repeat of Mondays blog)– Guest Blogger Hania Watt, reporting on what sounds to be an extra ordinary day. Resent via satellite phone at 1 pm 8th of April 2010

“Hi there! Today was another early rise at 5 am to check the craypots. I chose to take the offer to give Dave and the crew of the Chieftain G a hand with hauling the pots this morning and let the two young boys catch up on their beauty sleep. Sunrise revealed another glorious day on the west coast. We all enjoyed a relaxing morning with the team taking part in various leisure activities diving, surfing or fishing. We then shared a hearty baked bean breakfast before hitting Craypot Beach. We walked the length and breath of the beach and scaled the dunes. We found a bulk of the rubbish buried deep in the sand and concentrated up river among the tea tree. A few gnarly adventurers scaled the steep sand slopes to retrieve the rubbish deposited there by the prevailing westerly winds. Hamish took a spectacular tumble down the dunes in front of an attentive audience, including an intrigued sea eagle. We returned to the fleet to reset the pots and sort out our loot. "Miss Carmen” crew and volunteers were treated to a feast of fresh crayfish as a reward from the skipper. We scoffed it like kids after a sports carnival. Some reggae rhythms resonated around the our bay anchorage while the skies had us gazing up at a spectacular Aurora Australis. A delicious second dinner of fresh abs and crays from the days diving. Some live music from a few talented folk provided some enthusiasm for the late night sorting mission. So our work it seems is rewarded again like the precious days by the visions we experienced of nature smiling upon us. Thanks everyone for another happy, successful day."

Notes :
*The loss of information from today’s blog is possibly explained by the “rain” of charged particles in the upper atmosphere which cause the Aurora Australis to occur. It is plausible that these charged particles also interrupt the satellite communication required to send the blog.

In the lea of Low Rocky

2010-04-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

Day Seven – We haven’t received the remote blog today - Satellite phone reception is patchy on the wild west coast and with the team cleaning the most northern and western beach that they will visit, we have to assume they have found one of those patches. This isolation will only heightening their sense that they are, truly, a world away…
They would have spent their day at a beach that faces south west, and with the winds today being light from the north east, coupled with a 12 – 14 second sou’west swell, I can only imagine the fun they had during their dawn surf! They may have even squeezed in an afternoon session after a spending the day cleaning one of the remotest beaches in Australia. I can image Matt would have wanted to make the most of the still conditions before the winds began to strengthen and veer further to the northwest in front of the southwest change*, forecast to hit overnight. It is time for the boats to begin the steam back home with the weather at their backs. By now they will have rounded Southwest Cape under the moonlight.
Over the next couple days they will be stopping on the southern coast, possibly cleaning Cox’s Bight and, weather and time permitting, other remote beaches between South West and South East Cape before returning to Dover (and civilization) on Friday.

*Weather Link
Archive of the Low Rocky Point weather station

Groundhog day...

2010-04-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Leverage was often employed to remove ropes from under rocks and sand

Yum

Dune Blowout

Dispose of at sea?

The arvo session

Transcript Six – Guest Blogger Tim Cox, reporting on some tomfoolery, groundhogs and waves…. Sent via satellite phone at 10:15 pm 6th of April 2010

“Woke up at 8 am with the boat rising and falling to a new long period 4 meter swell, I was still wrapped in sleep from the previous nights Cray fisherman Jamboree: Blokes with guitars, laughter, abalone and avocado toast dominated last evenings hi-jinks.
Back to the sounds of the morning; Dara was talking about waves, Dave was talking about waves, Matt was talking about waves. Looking over the rail I see the bay exploding with white water. The conditions looked perfect. We surfed a left that boiled forth and barrelled over kelp covered reef, while Matt and Sam surfed a right-hander 350 meters to the south. We all had a 2 hour session, getting plenty of waves before returning to the good ship Velocity for a muffin and a coffee.”

“For the last five days my life has been like Bill Murray’s in the movie Groundhog day, except that I am trapped in a surfing playground surrounded by the most amazing untouched wilderness I will probably ever see. Untouched apart from the 14 799 pieces of marine debris we have already collected on this trip…”
“Following breakfast we jumped in the Zodiac and hit the beaches for the daily cleanup. Matt kept things rolling like a well oiled machine as usual, employing some carrot and stick techniques to keep things moving. Once the Zodiac dropped the rubbish back to the boats, and returned with treats warm clothes and shoes, antics then ensued. The day ended with a scenic dinghy glide up a river whose edges were bordered by temperate rainforests. A hard day ends…”

Photo Notes:
The top image shows what 14 799 items of marine debris might look like on the deck of Velocity.
The lower image depicts one of the many secret treasures of this wild coast.

A truly spectacular day!!

2010-04-05T05:32:00.000-07:00

Mega rope!

Pulling Craypots out of a medium other than water is difficult.

Dara's long drag

The Emu Bob spread out to cover the entire width of the beach.

Skipper Dave Wyatt dragging his improvised sled of debris from one end of the beach to the other.

In search of ropes up behind the dunes.

Transcript Five – Guest Blogger Hania Watt, reporting on what sounds to be an extra ordinary day. Sent via satellite phone at 10 pm 5th of April 2010

“Hi there! Today was another early rise at 5 am to check the craypots. I chose to take the offer to give Dave and the crew of the Chieftain G a hand with hauling the pots this morning and let the two young boys catch up on their beauty sleep. Sunrise revealed another glorious day on the west coast. We all enjoyed a relaxing morning with the team taking part in …[broken and garbled message]*…, surfing or fishing. We then shared a hearty baked bean breakfast before hitting. …..[extended static and broken garbled message]...... as I am sending this blog we have the Aurora Australis** lighting up these south western sky’s, while skippers Dave and Deano have the guitars out and are jamming live west coast fisherman rock!”

Notes :
* A completed blog entry will appear once the team are back in satellite communication. It really is the wilderness out there after all!
** The loss of information from today’s blog is possibly explained by the “rain” of charged particles in the upper atmosphere which cause the Aurora Australis. It is plausible that these charged particle also interrupt the satellite communication required to send the blog.

Spending Easter Sunday between Shipwreck Bay and Paradise

2010-04-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

Full Rancid Better Milk Carton

Tricky Beach Departure

The Crew of 2010 relaxing after a full morning's cleaning

Sam hauling back to the Zodiacs

Transcript Four – Guest blogger 13 year old Oscar Wyatt, reporting on the trip between “Shipwreck Beach” and “Paradise Bay”. Sent via satellite phone at 9 pm 4th April 2010 (Easter Sunday)

“Up at 5 am with the very loud sound of the chain coming from the seabed. Got into the cabin and had some Weetbix, then I realised that we had some Easter eggs in the cupboard! Hamish and I had some and then went and got our gear on to help pull the (cray)pots. Fishing was successful this morning getting a fish a pot. After that we went to clean “Shipwreck Beach”. All was good making it through the breakers, and cleaning the beach too, because there wasn’t much rubbish; which is a good sign, in a way. After cleaning the beach and having a look at the wreck, we steamed up to “Paradise Bay” the sun was getting low. The surf was alright, but the only thing that was working was the button reef. It was a bit chunky for me so I stayed back and chilled on the boat. When everybody got back, Harry and I decided to go for a “skurf” with our home-made ghetto tow rope. Back on board everybody was getting ready to sort some rubbish. We ended up collecting 3092 items for the day. Crayfish pizzas for dinner washed down with nice cold Gillespie’s Ginger beer, all to bed early again tonight with the sweet memories of a good day."

Grand Midden Beach

2010-04-03T05:09:00.000-07:00

This beach is usually the dirtiest of the trip it yeilded 3430 items this year

Hamish hauling and checking out the surf

4 ply rope. Great new tie-up ropes for the Velocity and cheiftan G
Rest after a long haul

Rubbish Run.

Transcript Three – North of Port Davey, amongst the middens. Report sent by Matt via satellite phone at 9 pm 3rd April 2010

“We had another big day! The crews of the Miss Carmen and Chieftain G all rose at 4:30 am to lift the craypots, with all hands on deck helping, in 3.5 meter seas and light winds. We then proceeded on to “Grand Midden” beach. After a tricky beach landing on the south end of the beach, we found the beach fouled with considerable amount of large plastic pieces, bottles, buoys, nets and ropes. In all we collected 3430 items. The debris collected today were generally larger items, much different to the plastic bottles and small items collected at Spain Bay. Once again the most numerous items were small pieces of rope followed by plastic pieces, bait strips and caps and lids. After a big day the crew cooled off with a late arvo surf. The waves were chest to head high punchy beach breaks. Coxy scored the wave of the day, air dropping into an inside dredger, to the hoots of all. Vege curry and chilli beans for dinner and another early night. … Hey Jim can you call us back with a swell forecast…?”

Long day at Spain Bay

2010-04-02T06:01:00.000-07:00

Transcript Two - Spain Bay has been cleaned. Report sent by Matt via satellite phone at 10 pm 2nd April 2010.

"It turned out the two kayakers decided to help the rest of our team clean Spain Bay, which was a bonus. Together we spent four and a half hours, cleaning the full length of the beach, collecting 3602 items. “Usual suspects”* were found: small rope pieces, plastic pieces, bait box straps and plastic caps and lids. The Miss Carmen and Chieftain G crew finished setting their gear** just as we finished at the eastern end of the beach. We were met at Whaler’s with a dolphin escort off the bow. Early night for all tonight..."

Harry and Sam Beachcombing. Cleanup 2010

Holiday Isle - Not for us! Heaps of rubbish to collect. Cleanup 2010
The First Nights sort. A slow long one for the first timers who have to work out what each item is. Cleanup 2010

Notes:
* Check the History and Statistics page of this Blog to see the typical breakdown of items found from past SW cleanups
** The owners/skippers of the Velocity, Chieftain G and the Miss Carmen have volunteered their time, expertise, diesel and bunk space to this years SW Cleanup. The personal cost of this undertaking gets increasingly expensive each year and they must mitigate this cost by continuing to fish for Australian Southern Rocklobster when opportunity and the weather allows.

First report from the South West

2010-04-02T04:49:00.000-07:00

Transcript of the first remote blog from Matt direct from Spain Bay* via the satellite phone 1030 am 2nd April 2010

“After seeing Velocity steam off from Constitution Dock, I did our fresh food shopping from the Hill Street store, before driving south to meet Jules, Hania and Jacinta at Huonville. Together we did a quick $1000 shop to stock up on dry food supplies and then continued to drive south. We all arrived at the Dover Wharf at 7 o’clock to meet the crews aboard the three boats: the Miss Carmen, the Chieftain G and the Velocity. We had a ‘mega-crew’ catch-up dinner on the Velocity with Wursthaus sausages and burgers, Deano and the crew from the Miss Carmen provided a fresh vege plate. Dinner was washed down with some non-alcoholic Gillespie’s Ginger Beer**. Once fed, we handed out the rest of the Patagonia T-shirts to the crew, and then returned to our allocated boats to prepare for departure. We left the wharf and headed south, with the Chieftain G leading the way, at 10 pm. It was a beautiful evening for steaming with light winds, low seas and a beautiful moonlit sky, averaging 10.3 knots (10.9 knots when the tide was with us). We made it all the way [west] to Spain Bay (inside the heads of Port Davey, within the boundaries of the SW wilderness area) arriving to drop anchor about 6 am. After a short siesta, a solid breakfast and delivering the two sea kayakers (who hitched a ride from Hobart for their Easter break paddling in Port Davey), we were all ferried on to the beach at Spain Bay via the dinghies and are currently cleaning the beach…talk to you again soon”

Notes:
* Spain Bay is one of the baseline beaches that we have monitored over the last decade.
** Ginger is thought to be a great natural remedy to prevent seasickness. May as well drink it as beer...

All Aboard! Velocity Steams South, then West....

2010-04-01T04:40:00.000-07:00

Velocity, the SW Marine Debris Cleanup's mothership, steamed south from Hobart this afternoon with an excited crew of volunteers. Sam, Dayna and Dara joined Nic, Jo and Hamish on board for the evening cruise down the d'Entrecastreaux Channel. They were all eager to meet the other two boats and crew in Dover before sunset, so that they could enjoy their first night at sea as they make their way past Tasmania's three Southern Capes, rounding Southwest Cape early on Good Friday morning. They'll all be waking up to be greeted by the splendid coast of the South West World Heritage Area.

Some photos for the Mercury and a few words to ABC before departure

2010-04-01T03:42:00.000-07:00

Just before leaving Hobart the SW Marine Debris Cleanup team were able to fit in a couple more media engagements. Lookout for the pictures and story in this weekends Mercury (Southern Tasmania's most read newspaper). Matt also provided a lengthy sound bite to the ABC which will air on local and national radio over the Easter break.

The top photos shows Matt talking with Jessica from ABC news. While the following shot features Jo Goldfinch, Nick Harris, Hamish Renwick and Matt posing for the Mercury Photographer in their new 100% organic cotton Patagonia T-shirts. I am sure they are all hoping for some more T-shirt weather as they head west this evening.

Bon Voyage!

2010-03-31T18:09:00.001-07:00

The 2010 SW cleanup’s mothership, the Velocity (skippered by Nick “Harry” Harris), leaves Constitution Dock this afternoon at 3 pm.

So if you have a chance, please get down to the wharf to see this years crew depart and wish them fair weather and good times! You may even make it onto the Blog!

Media Interview with Southern Cross News

2010-03-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

These last couple of days have been pretty manic. In between provisioning the boat and organising last minute Patagonia kit for all of the volleys on the trip, I have been zipping between media engagements! If you were watching Southern Cross News last night you may have seen Me chatting about this years cleanup. Keep an eye out in the local TV, print and web news sites for more coverage of this years trip in the coming week. And of course keep checking back here for more photos and their daily "tweet-style" updates.

Provisioning up the trip

2010-03-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

Our good friends at the Wursthaus have looked after us once again with a giant Esky load of fine produce. They have been supporting the SW Marine Debris Cleanup since 2001 and hopefully next year we'll be taking one of their chefs around the coast as part of the deal!

Sam Loney dropped by and unloaded 20 Cartons of his fine Gillespies Ginger Beer. Volunteer Jo Goldfinch helps unload the drinks.

MEDIA RELEASE

2010-03-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

MEDIA RELEASE – 31st March 2010

Easter Hunt: Marine Debris Cleanup of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, south west coast

This Easter three boat loads of passionate volunteers will scour the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area hand-collecting garbage from the beaches of the rugged south west coast. Marine debris causes massive levels of pollution on our beaches and the long and painful death of huge numbers of marine life.

The cleanup has been running since 1999 and is the longest remote area baseline marine debris survey in Australia. Since it began 12 years ago, over 50,000 items of rubbish have been collected and itemised. All rubbish is sorted into recyclables with the remainder sent to landfill. The collected data* provides information regarding changes in rubbish types and amounts. When this information is combined with oceanic circulation models it helps determine where the rubbish is coming from.

This year the cleanup is run as a WILDCARE special project. WILDCARE Inc is the largest and fastest growing incorporated environmental action group in Tasmania, with membership of around 3000 individuals.

This year's cleanup is also gratefully supported by Dave Wyatt of Southern Ocean Adventures as well as other local fishermen Kent Way and Dean Hulton and a volunteer crew of 12. The outdoor clothing company Patagonia and Pennicott Wilderness Journeys are the major sponsors providing generous financial support for fuel, boat charter, food and kitting out the team with appropriate clothing. The Wursthaus Kitchen, Cascade and Gillespies Ginger Beer are also giving support to keep the crew provisioned for the week-long trip.

Follow us on the Daily Blog at : http://wha-marinedebris.blogspot.com/

Further Enquiries:

Matt Dell
Email: mattdell@tpg.com.au
Mobile: 0419 922 887
Satellite phone: 0414 649 464 from Friday 2nd of April 2010

* Statistics and photos available on the blog

PENNICOTT WILDERNESS JOURNEYS jump on our boat

2010-03-27T03:40:00.000-07:00

Pennicott Wilderness Journeys continue their strong commitment to environmental causes in Tasmania as the second major sponsor for this years cleanup. Pennicott Wilderness Journeys will cover the costs of provisioning the boats.

Rob and his family along with WILDCARE have set up the Tasmanian Coast Conservation Fund to provide support to the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service in their work of managing the national parks, marine reserves and marine wildlife along the spectacular coastlines of Tasmania.

Rob's Multi Award winning Bruny Island and Tasman Peninsula Cruises give locals and visitors to Tasmania a taste of the wonderful wilderness experience possible on the Southern Tasmanian coastline. Their business mission statement is:

"To operate a business that reveals the splendour and wonders of this very special place we call home, Bruny Island, the Tasman Peninsula and Tasmania. We strive to educate and excite all who visit and to create a legacy of conservation to preserve the island we love for future generations. Through our success our ultimate aim is to use our financial success to reinvest into the local community and the environment that we live and work in."

Rob is well acquainted with the rugged South West Coast of Tasmania having spent many years at sea as a professional fisherman, and was lucky enough to be walking along what he noted was a very clean beach in Port Davey only days after we had cleaned it last year.

The skippers and volunteers thank Rob and his family for their generous donations.

PATAGONIA step up as major sponsor

2010-03-23T16:04:00.000-07:00

Patagonia Australia have today been announced as the major sponsor for the cleanup for the next two years. Patagonia will cover the costs of chartering the 'Velocity' as well as providing some of their high quality product to the participants.

Patagonia as a company have a long history of socially and environmentally aware products and practices stemming from its founder Yvon Chouinard's early life rock climbing and surfing in California. Patagonia has been donating 10% of global profits to environmental causes just like the Marine Debris Cleanup since 1986. Yvon along with Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies started 1% for the Planet in 2001, a group of over 1200 companies who also donate 1% of their sales to groups trying to save our planet.

Patagonia's Mission Statement best sums up the companies ethos "Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.".

The cleanup team thank Patagonia for their generous donations and hope to build this relationship into the future.

WILDCARE joins the team

2010-03-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

This year the South West Marine Debris Cleanup is being run under the Wildcare Tasmania banner. This association ensures that the ongoing Marine Debris cleanup effort in the South West World Heritage Area can continue into the future. The South West Marine Debris project becomes one of many Special Programs run under the WILDCARE umbrella. In future cleanups Wildcare will allocate a limited number of rewards based positions on the cleanup. Each year Wildcare runs a variety of events throughout the state, to see whats happening in your area check out the Calendar of Events.

WILDCARE Inc is the largest and fastest growing incorporated environmental action group in Tasmania, with membership of around 3000. Wildcare undertakes volunteer work (around 100,000 hours per year) supporting natural and cultural heritage conservation and reserve management throughout the State. Work is undertaken in reserves, on private land and even in offices, in close partnership with a number of government agencies who have responsibility for managing our environment. Wildcare provides around $40,000 each year, from its own funds, through a Small Project Grants Scheme to support the volunteer activity that members undertake.

Thanks WILDCARE without your support this trip would not be possible.

Crew is getting ready

2010-03-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

We now have three boats heading around the coast on the 1st of April. The Velocity skippered by Nick Harris will once again be the mothership. This 53 foot Westcoaster will be the main repository for all the rubbish collected during the trip as well as the restuarant each night and jamming space after dinner.

The Cheiftan G skippered by Dave Wyatt will be taking part in its 6th cleanup trip and will be the grommet boat with Dave son Oscar and young Hamish Renwick learning the ropes as deckhands to pay their way.

Deano Hulten skippering the Miss Carmen rejoins us this year his new boat will be a welcome addition to the fleet

Skippers Dave Wyatt, Kent Way, Rod Behrens and Stuart Atkins. Sponsor night Cleanup 2009

Now its just fingers crossed for a nice long calm Autumn.

2010 Cleanup Trip

2010-03-09T03:49:00.000-08:00

The team has been assembled and weather permitting we will be departing on the 2nd of April for a week of Beachcombing on the remote beaches of Tasmania's South-West World Heritage Area.

This year we welcome a new group of sponsors with Patagonia and Pennicott Wilderness Tours providing financial support and Wildcare, Cascade, The Wursthaus Kitchen and Gillespies Ginger Beer providing in kind support.