The East Coast Odyssey

Recently I had the pleasure to sail for half day on a beautiful sailing boat called the Yukon from Eden. The Yukon is calling for people passionate about seabirds, sailing and the impacts of plastic in our oceans. The Yukon (originally known as Elly) was built in 1930 in Fredrikshavn north of Jutland. She was a Danish fishing trawler until 1974 where she was renamed Yukon and became a pleasure sailing boat. Current owners are David and Ea Nash and she is based in Tasmania.

We saw loads of Australian Gannets and Common Dolphins who were frantically feeding on a school of fish, they were joined by New Zealand Fur Seals, Shy Albatross, Yellow -nosed Albatross, Diving Petrels, Brown Skua and a Wedge tailed-shearwater. And of course we trawled for plastic which we snagged very little of, however it depends on the currents and wind. We did manage to catch lots of jellies, phytoplankton and zooplankton which is attracting a lot of interest from our marine species.

The Yukon is part of the East Coast Odyssey’s whose mission, under the supervision of Monash University’s Jennifer Lavers is to collect data on the millions of multi-coloured plastic remnants killing marine wildlife off Australia’s spectacular east coast. The impacts are unknown and this is the first time this type of work has been undertaken. 

The East Coast Odyssey is working in partnership with the Two Hands Project, who are running lands-based community events throughout the expedition. Two Hands embodies the spirit of the huge national/international clean up days but asks what you can do with your two hands, in 30 minutes, at a location near you. Two Hands takes it back to grass roots, looking at what you can do to care for where you live.

Links to Two Hands Project www.twohandsproject.org

And East Coast Odyssey http://eastcoastodyssey.wildiaries.com/

Penny 

Photo courtesy of the East Coast Odyssey

Photo courtesy of the East Coast Odyssey

Photo courtesy of the East Coast Odyssey

Photo courtesy of the East Coast Odyssey

Photo courtesy of the East Coast Odyssey

Shy Albatross

How’s this for handsome! These magnificent big birds spend their life at sea - even to sleep and only come to land to breed.

Unfortunately this big boy has injured himself somehow (perhaps a collision with a ship or worse still a horrible encounter with a cranky fisho). He’s then been barrelled in the big sea and found himself on a beach just north of Wollongong when Australian Seabird Rescue got the call.

With the local avian vet unavailable an SOS was sent out to Lindsay of Southern Oceans Seabird Study Association (S.O.S.S.A.) who knows all there is to know about our seafaring friends. So off we went for Lindsay to check him over. He seemed waterlogged and had a bruise to the chest, so Lindsay helped me set him up for overnight care and to be taken to Taronga Zoo in the morning.

7am Lindsay was back to check him then off we went to the best facilities available – Taronga Zoo hospital.

With immediate attention at the hospital, blood was taken, wings, feet and legs checked, it appears this big boy was just exhausted with the only apparent injury the bruise on his chest. Further checks and tests will be done after he settles from the car trip.

So knowing he was in the best possible hands Leonie and I headed off on the long trip home. A great big thank you to the staff at Taronga hospital, and to Lindsay.

Mr Albatross is due to be released in a few days.

Betty