From the Captain Garry McKechnie 03/04/06 - 08/04/06

April 3
Our stay in Cooktown is short and sweet. Re provisioning, engine room checks, washing and saying goodbye to new friends . Today Garret, David and Fergus have left us. It was great to have them aboard among the many faces that have passed through Pelican on this expedition, each person bringing their own special energy and skills to the project. Paul and Gill are back and Katrina Gouldkamp joins us for the first time as part of the GBRMPA team. In Addition Sandy Scheltema an old Pelican hand and Steve Couchi join us on behalf of The Age. Paul, Sandy and Steve will get off at Lizard Island in a few days time.

Hope Island

April 4
Regular rain squalls have been washing Pelican’s decks every few hours as we sit at the wharf in Cooktown. The wet season has been relentless here with as much as 400 mm of rain in 4 days. The Endeavour River has been throwing logs out into the Coral Sea which frequently become hazards to navigation. The outlook however for the next week is good with mild conditions and light NE winds. We depart Cooktown at 0300 and set a course for North Direction Island just SE of Lizard. We complete our first survey of the northern section by 1100 and move to the second site outside the lagoon on the southern side of Lizard. The conditions are near perfect for the first time since we started in Bundaberg. The water is clear and there appears to be little evidence of bleaching in this region. That afternoon we anchor on the western side of Lizard near the research Station and everyone takes the opportunity to go snorkeling on the fringing reef of Palfrey Island nearby. The variety of fish on this protected section of reef is impressive and I feel very fortunate to be here.

Back aboard Pelican the Boys are amusing themselves by performing a variety of backflips, somersaults and silly dives. I join in and with much urging overcome my fears sufficiently to perform my first shaky backflip. I am admitted to the company of Pelican 1 back-flippers which now numbers about 8 souls.

April 5
Paul, Sandy and Lwayne stay behind at Lizard with the zodiac to take some photos for The Age article while the rest of us head off to MacGillivray Reef on the eastern side of Lizard to complete another survey. In the afternoon the research station have kindly offered to give the boys a tour of their facility and brief them on what work is being done there. Sandy climbs to Cook’s Lookout at the islands summit for another photo opportunity with the boys.

April 6
We raise anchor at 0600 and set a course for Carter, Yonge and no name Reefs on the outer edge of the GBR about 12 miles NE of Lizard. The conditions are the best we have had. The water is a clear turquoise blue with about 25 metre visibility. The swell is coming straight off the Coral Sea but in the light NE winds is less than half a metre. We have set ourselves the task of completing three survey sites, a long day for everyone. We are in the water at Carter by 0830. Carter Reef has been closed to the general public and to fishing of any kind for some years. It enjoys the highest protection status as a preservation zone so we anticipate a relatively pristine reef with plenty of fish. (see scientists logs for details)

Sandy takes photos for the age

These are the kind of conditions that we often imagine we will encounter but rarely do. I take turns with Colin and the boys to supervise Pelican so that we all have opportunities to get into the water. The boys are now beginning to assist the scientists directly with the work. As fully accredited open water divers with more than a dozen ocean dives under their belts they are becoming very confident in the water. Marina still hovers nearby but her role in now one of observer.

We work our way steadily through the three sites and encounter similar conditions all day. An unforgettable days diving. After completing the final dive we go in search of an anchorage before it gets too dark to see the coral. We are intending to get in one more dive tomorrow at the famed Cod Hole nearby and intend to stay overnight. We manage to find a mooring a couple of miles from the Cod Hole in the shelter of some reef. Not wishing to blindly trust an unofficial mooring, Colin and I dive down on snorkel to check its condition. It looks to be fine so we settle in for the night hoping that its owner does not arrive in the early hours to kick us off.

April 7
Another perfect day. Unlike the people in the Qld tourism advertisements we only had to wait five weeks to get conditions like this. The Cod Hole is a GBR icon. You may have seen the photos of people patting the giant potato cod as they cruise slowly around their patch waiting for divers to come and feed them. We have the entire site to ourselves. I suspect that in the tourist season this would be a rare event. A number of large fore and aft moorings are evidence that large tourist vessels position themselves directly over the prime spots so that their patrons can see the fish with a minimum of effort. I find myself shadowed by a number of large fish including the potato cod (which look almost large enough to swallow me), maori wrasse, and a large school of red bass. They completely surround me clearly expecting to be fed. For my part I can’t help seeing some of the fish as a meals particularly the large coral trout floating under an overhang and the fine sand bass keeping him company. The red bass, despite their excellent table qualities, are a species prone to ciguatera, a disease which makes them dangerous to eat. The fish are numerous and quite friendly and despite the slightly artificial situation I cant help but be enthralled by the experience of swimming with them. The fish however get no satisfaction from us as we bring them no food. The boys are photographed lounging with the cod, patting them but stop short of putting their heads in their mouths.

Pedar and potato cod

We steam back to Lizard to drop Sandy and Steve off for their flight to Melbourne. We anchor in Watson’s bay. Last time we were here (see Captains Log Sept 2005) we shared the anchorage with about 50 other vessels. Today we have it to ourselves. We have a rare afternoon off to catch up on odd jobs, go for a swim or even take a snooze.

April 8
Depart Watson's Bay and Lizard Island early to complete the first of our coral bleaching surveys for the day at Martin Reef which lies between lizard and the mainland at Cape Flattery. The water on the centre shelf reef is far less clear than that of the previous day. We continue on to our second site at Linnet Reef, business as usual, and make our way late afternoon to to Decapolis Reef the site of our last survey for this section. We anchor in the lee of Decapolis but get limited shelter due to the depth of the reef. The NW wind with a decent fetch blows straight over the top of the reef and rocks us to sleep. During the night a rain squall cleans the decks and sends several deck sleepers scurrying to their cabins. Our final survey is approached with caution by some members of our dive team. Ewan initially says he wont be diving. Its too close to the coast. Too many crocs he reckons. Later I notice him gearing up and look at him with a question. I’m getting my dive time up he says in response. What about the crocs I say. Well I’ve got my dive knife with me ! , general laughter.

Pedar, Matty, Lwayne and Ewan at home in the water.

We finish the survey at Decapolis without incident and turn Pelican’s bows southward. We will pick up a film crew in Cooktown. They have been sent to document the last few days of the expedition as we head back to Cairns. Spirits are high on board as we steam southwards for the first time. Matty has been counting down the days and says cheerfully “Only three days to go now Garry”. This will be the longest that most of these boys have been away from home. They have worked hard with barely a day off in 5 weeks. They have all passed their open water dive certificates and served the equivalent of two months sea time towards their coxswains certificate. They can each identify a variety of corals and habitats and have a good understanding of a scientific approach to this kind of marine research. They have interacted with scientists, the media, and Pelican’s diverse crew with confidence. They can now sail, navigate, anchor, moor and generally manage Pelican with a minimum of supervision. They have been good company and as they have grown in confidence they have become the life of the expedition. We hope the experience will stand them in good stead for whatever they choose to do in the future.

Happy Sailing
Garry McKechnie