Captains Log Two Bays 2010 Launch


The whole crowd get involved with the weedy sea dragon puppets at the Two Bays 2010 launch in Melbourne's Docklands.

Jan 9 1700 hrs
The Two Bays 2010 project launch was a friendly gathering of supporters at Waterfront City in MelbourneÕs Victoria Harbour. The giant Weedy Sea dragon puppets stole the show. Weedy has performed solo for the last four launches but this year he found a mate and together they performed the Ômirror courtship ritualÕ for the first time.. The giant puppets were manipulated by the participants through a landscape of waving seagrass created by large banners. The ritual involved the entire crowd who afterwards squeezed back aboard Pelican 1 for a trip around the harbour. Earlier they had crammed into PelicanÕs central deck for a welcome to country by Aunty Carolyn on behalf of the Boonwurrung traditional owners and talks by Janet Bolitho Melbourne City council, Michael Norris from the Association of Bayside Municipalities, Stefan Howe from Parks Vic, and our own Natalie Davey who has worked so hard with the many project partners to make the 2010 Two Bays an exciting project.


The crowd squeeze aboard Pelican 1 for a cruise around the harbour.

Jan 10 0700 hrs
We depart Vic Dock for the Marine Sanctuary at Ricketts Point (Beaumaris). Along the way we pick up participants from the jetty at Half Moon Bay in Black Rock. With 40 people aboard, in perfect conditions and clear water we snorkel at two locations within and just north of the marine sanctuary. The sanctuary has been a resounding success and having grown up nearby and dived there all my life I can say with some authority that conditions, marine life and biodiversity have improved markedly since the establishment of the sanctuary. The smiles on peopleÕs faces as they emerge from the water are testament to the quality of the experience. Later the same afternoon many of the participating snorkelers will be attending the opening of the Ricketts point marine sanctuary display centre, which has been established within the Ricketts Point Life Saving Club on the foreshore. Also on board sharing knowledge with participants was Aunty Carolyn Briggs (Boonwurrung Elder) and Aunty Pam Pederson (Yorta Yorta Elder).

Meanwhile Stefan Howe from Parks Vic, Jan Carey, Marine ecologist from University of Melb and Kim Millers Phd student work with Raf (PelicanÕs 1st mate) from the zodiac to make observations of invasive species (plant and animal) along a couple of transects that they establish within the marine sanctuary. One technique, the manta tow, involves a submerged board, towed behind a dinghy enabling a diver or snorkeler to dive or rise to the surface as they are being towed. This allows the diver to observe a much larger area than if they are swimming. During the afternoon our team take samples of a plant of which they can not make a definitive ID. They will take it back to the lab to establish wether it is an invasive or a native species.

The water monitoring team are also hard at work throughout the day. Associate Professor Ian McKelvie, Peter Ellis (research fellow), Brady Gentle and Peter Faber (Phd students) from Monash UniversityÕs Water Study Centre in the School of Chemistry have set up a tangle of complex, wet chemistry, data collection equipment, on board. This equipment, developed by them, represents the cutting edge of technology to detect levels of phosphates, total phosphorous, and nitrate in the water. Micro fluidic online analysers establish the potential for phyto plankton growth (algal blooms), generating data which enables the team to evaluate the impacts of various farm, industrial or domestic runoff and drainage outlets that may impact water quality along AustraliaÕs coastline.


Brady Gentle and Professor Ian McKelvie at work in Pelican's lab.

In addition The EPA as part of their collaboration with MonashÕs Water Study Centre have provided equipment which measures temperature, conductivity, salinity, turbidity, chlorophyll and fluorescence. This equipment has been combined by EPA into a package that is relatively low maintenance and can be operated by anyone with minimal training. It is being installed on a range of commercial vessels as part of the IMOS (Integrated Marine Observing System) program in order to provide water quality data on a regular basis in a diverse range of coastal and ocean locations. It has been refined by EPA scientists aboard Pelican as part of previous Two Bays projects and we are hoping to secure a permanent installation aboard Pelican which will allow us to participate in the IMOS monitoring program and ultimately to provide this kind of data in the public domain about the specific areas in which we are working. Online systems such as these enable collection of water quality data with much greater frequency than is possible with conventional, fixed point sampling and analysis techniques. Using position, time and concentration data, chemical maps can be created providing clear and accessible water quality information for resource managers, industry and the general public.

On the way back to Victoria Harbour at the end of the day, volunteers from Birds Australia record observations at each navigational mark. Parks Victoria are conducting a survey to establish wether many of Port Phillips navigational aides are being used by marine bird species for nesting or perching purposes. If it is determined that they provide a valuable support for the birds, Parks Vic may be able to institute design modifications which make them more useful to the birds without compromising their navigational function.

Jan 11 0830 hrs
Depart Vic Dock for Rye Pier on the Mornington Peninsula. Alice and Heather are todayÕs volunteers from Birds Australia and are stationed on the bow recording the use or otherwise of the BayÕs navigational marks by various species of marine birds. Pelican follows the coast just outside the 2 meter line down the eastern side of the bay. The team of scientists from Monash continue their vigil over the equipment that collects the water quality data as we steam in almost still conditions. Every couple of hours we stop and dive into the water for a few minutes to get relief from the sweltering heat.


Alice and Heather volunteers from Birds Australia

At Rye pier we are inviting the general public aboard to talk about water quality issues and provide information about how people can contribute towards a sustainable use of our marine and water catchment resources. Pelican is set up with a range of display materials and reps from Monash Water Study Centre, Parks Vic and CoastAction/CoastCare are on hand to interface with interested members of the general public.

With temperatures soaring into the mid 40Õs few people are thinking of anything other than cooling off. At Rye pier several hundred bather-clad youngsters are hanging out, swimming and parading. Mostly young men are performing feats of acrobatic skill as they somersault, bomb and tumble for the crowd or just for the pleasure of it, into the water. One particularly intrepid young man climbs to the top of a light pole on the pier and performs a back somersault into the water 20 ft below. The young women seem to know just what to do in response. This social scene has been repeated endlessly, everywhere. The fashions and the technology change but the fascination for parading bodies and beachside performance rituals never do.


Rye Pier

Sadly Rye pier also appears to be a Mecca for testosterone fuelled jet ski maniacs whose howling, roaring machines provide an endless backdrop of harsh noise on what would otherwise be a pleasant beachside summer holiday. It is remarkable that no one has yet been killed here by these powerful machines that are endlessly manoeuvred at insane speeds in close proximity to swimmers, piers, boats and each other.

Happy Sailing

Garry Mckechnie