What to say about today… we could start with the sunrise, but I was still in bed after a little too many belly-laughs with the crew last night. We could also tell you about the steam from New Harbour to Louisa River. The sea which had calmed itself after the heavy swell, the pods of dolphins as we cruised around the south-west and the rock faces which left us awe-struck. But best we get back to the business at hand; cleaning rubbish and counting trash.
We pulled into a calm anchorage at Louisa Bay and hopped the dinghies into the beach to hunt for rubbish. And hunt we did. After beaches filled with micro plastics, tangles of rope and rotting fish nets, it was a treat to find Louisa Beach clean as a whistle. After a long stroll through the sand dunes and across the wide beach, we arrived at the camp spot to find a nice pile of trash. With the rubbish piled into bags and offloaded from the beach aboard the dinghies, it was time for a team swim.
All that was left to do was to enjoy the rest of the day. We decided to cruise towards home and stopped at Osmiridium Beach to enjoy the hot sun from the water. Some chose to ‘froth’ on the beautiful break and others explored the hole and the amazing rocks at the end of the beach. There were a few intrepid travellers who timed the set and cruised the ‘tinny’ into the shallow entrance of New River Lagoon. The waters were filled with fish and soon opened into an expansive lagoon, with Precipitous Bluff hovering in the background. One of the most pristine and beautiful parts of this wild land.
After everyone was ‘frothed’ out, we returned to our boats and started the homeward steam to Recherche Bay for the final count. The crews arrived in high-spirits and knocked off the rubbish count as the sun set. Hands were washed and party shirts donned as Masaaki whipped-up a fresh sashimi platter and miso for the crew. The sun now also sets on one hell-of-a trip. Hard work, cut feet, sore backs and sunburnt necks are just part of the story. To be part of such an amazing trip, to witness and help protect this beautiful environment, is a real blessing. Although today’s count from Louisa Bay was low at 971, the total rubbish count for the trip came in at 50,167. All those bits of trash cleaned and counted and on its way to its next life; to be recycled or re-purposed for art and other uses.
The South-West Marine Debris Cleanup has now picked up a total 761,222 pieces of rubbish and debris from these wild waters.
Words by Jimmy.
Team photo by Oscy via clever timing and tripod devices.
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