The crew woke up to some serious rocking and rolling this morning in Mulcahy Bay. Any early morning risers were rewarded by a pod of 100 dolphins at 6 am. We set off towards Wreck Beach where Harry, Ula and Gerhard managed to grab a beautiful little surf before the cleaning started. The overcast sky threatened rain, and the crew debated the state of the weather before we set off in the dingy. Halfway to the beach, the downpour started, leaving us soaked before we even set foot on the beach. Luckily, this first downpour of many for the day didn’t last too long.
The first section of beach was relatively clean, a welcome sight from previous days. As we worked our way further down, we occupied ourselves with the tedious job of collecting microplastics. Once we arrived at the first riverbed, we were met by a pile of our regular finds, with lots of nets and ropes to be pulled out of the sand.
As we made our way along the beach, the tide was low enough to show the top of the Svenor Shipwreck. The Svenor had caught fire in the Bass Straight, all crew abandoned ship, and it found its final resting place where it lies today. Pied oyster catchers scurrying along the beach were another gem along the way.
It wasn’t long before the rain started again, leaving us all soaked to the bone. As the weather turned, we hurried to finish our last stretch of beach before hiking back to our starting point for pickup. As we trekked back, we collected the piles of debris we had left along the way, including 3 tyres, the big find for today.
The crews boarded their respective boats and we set off towards Schooner Cove in Port Davey. The Celtic Rose spotted a trawl net on the way, which required a quick turnaround and all hands-on deck to pull out of the water. As we steamed closer to Port Davey we were met by the majestic scenery.
Once we were safely sheltered in Schooner Cove, we rafted all four boats together for our count and to be treated to some delicious food. On Velocity, Masaaki prepared sashimi for the crew, caught fresh on the first day. Next along the line of rafted boats, the Celtic Rose hosted our ever-evolving live-aboard band, ‘Miscellaneous Debris’, who serenaded us with some catchy tunes. Rumours cooked up some crayfish toasties with Masaaki’s special recipe as an appetizer. Last along the line was the Nena where some were found doing yoga.
We regrouped to help sort and count the debris. In total, we counted 6,821 pieces, approximately 80% of which was plastic.
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