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14 year old Hamish Renwicks South-West Journal 2007

Day 1
I’m stuck with people I cannot describe because they will read this and And punish me.    That’s how it started……

So I woke up and got picked up by my two new found friends, Their names are Rachel and Mad, my two companions and two main torturers down to Dover.

The drive to Dover I must say was the most uneventful drive known to man kind We eventually arrived at the jetty we met the crew, Dave’ the pirate’ Wyatt, Zak and Simon, we got supplies and a set sail.

We started to motor, motor and motor we encountered some penguins .Pretty funny as we ran over them, no squeals so we were pretty sure they were alive.

We past First Lookout and South East Cape we past Lion Rock, then we past a hell hardcore left hand reef break about 8 to 10 foot but still to small. Then we found Prion Beach, sick fun left and right peaks about six foot to eight foot.

We had a surf and the swell was building DID NOT want to get caught on the inside, Finished the surf and set the cray pots then slept and slept and slept.
Davey Sunset

Day 2
Woke up at a new found location (for me that is) Spain Bay in the guts of Port Davey.  Headed out to collect the cray pots on the way back from the pots vomited my guts up and then felt better.

Zac At Spain Bay
 
We started our first clean up on Spain Beach pretty clean for the crew’s standards. Then we hit the other side of the beach and then we were stunned, a complete and utter cess pit full of plastic bait bands and plastic bags, bait savers , bottles and rope. We went on up the beach and to a little creek…. it was just like up the Beach except wet.

We finished the beach and the celebration of Rachel’s Birthday had began. With the little reef at Spain Bay looking like it was working but are froth was unused as we went without a surf. Instead we decided to get fat on Mad’s spinach and feta, salmon and ricotta pastries.
 
I met the other crew members there was crazy man Spikey, Kent, Nathan (as gullible  as he is)was waiting for Jennifer Hawkins to arrive the next day. They lie, they lie right to your face.
Ramstein Stefan was blaring, singing ‘Heart Of Gold’on the mike (must have been a Neil Young fan). Legend Pat who seemed to know everything about boating until he lost the dinghy which was not tied up properly, completing the crew were surfer Brad and Skipper Rod.

Dave and Stefan started jamming so I decided to blast their ears with death metal.Then, Zak the lounger, who was slowly passing out with a glass of chateau de’cardboard in his crotch thought of a name for his new tv series Zak: The Loungers War On Nothing.
I Slept.

Day 3
Do not, I repeat do not party when you have craypot’s in the water and you have a hangover as Matt found out at six o’clock in the morning. After the party half of the crew including me didn’t surface until 10 o’clock.

We had pretty much arrived at North Point Bay and were looking in to a perfect 4 foot right. Went for a surf got pitted. It was bouncing off the bommie out the back and warped round and hit the reef.

After the surf, we had baked potatoes for lunch mmmmmmmmm then started to clean up on the micaceous schist rock, which is a type of metamorphic rock around North Point Bay.

It wasn’t as bad as the corner in Spain Bay but still bad we took our time then I saw it, it was probably the funnest looking reef break, left and right. So I ran and collected as much rubbish as fast I could and then went for a surf.  I got some crackin’ tubes then had dinner and then slept. 

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Day 4
Today my mind has started to slowly descend into insanity after being stuck on a boat for four days. I surfaced at nine to greeted by a beautiful day with the sun shining and the wind not blowing (Yes) but it was a pearler, the most humane day of the trip so far.


Rubbish Sorting 
So we had a delicious bacon and egg muffin made by Mad, and then we hit The North Point Bay beachie. It looked fun but ended up being crap so had a muck about then walked the beach. I had lasagna for lunch and did hardly any work until we hit the river. We thought it would be not that bad until we hit the sand dune. Bad but not as bad as Spain Bay, but took a while then came back and then had a Barbie. I Slept.

Day 5
What a sensational day, cranking waves, the sun was shining, offshore wind and 4 foot at Low Rocky Point what more could you want? 32 dog crays out of 13 pots pretty good job by Matt and Maddy and the skipper Dave. I hadn’t surfaced yet so if I get this description wrong Blame Zak.
                                           
So as I got up, I was greeted by stupendously good waves at Low Rocky beachie. A good right hander,I quickly finished brekkie and got out there good fun.Came in.


North Point Bay With Velocity  

Waited around as Rachel and Zak prepared a delicious cray fish mornay with pasta. Then that complete legend, international man of leisure, highly desired genius and dickhead, Spikey filmed me pulling fully sick moves(oh yeah) on the waves.

Meanwhile Zac the slacker was soaking up the heater and sinking a coupla cold cans of cascade. Then I ate Spikey’s chocolate (hehehe) and then they got out more. I ate his share again (sucker).

In the arvo we returned to beach, I tried to make a immobile wave in the Creek but I was unsuccessful. I am now watching the boys bring the crays in and then dindin then bed. Cake and crays were the order of the day thanks to mad mother Mad.

Day 6
These are crazy, zany and any other ‘any’ people on the boat with me. And its starting to scare me, Rachel is a teletubbie and lemon tart (hahaha sucker) and Zacs a front porch lounger (but he can still sink rail), and Spikeys a rabbit whos paw can find the record button (no offence).

So I surfaced at 8:30 with a noticing of entering a new bay, Button Bay. As we arrived we saw some okay waves. I wasn’t amped, so they went surfing without me. I sat on the boat getting fat then finally I went out.

It was funner then it looked and I swapped boards cupala times and had fun. Finally Brad came out and crowded the place out (fool). I came in and had a well cooked brunch of BLTs with sausages yum then it was rubbish.

                             
                                             Me Pitted At Low Rocky Point

The beach was relatively clean in the scheme of things just lots of small bits of rubbish very annoying , ran a cupla sand dunes fun, then surfed. The surf was a bit better then before but more crowded thanks to Brad, the ab divers turned up and spoilt it just like Brad.

So roast for dinner made by delightful Simon and sleep.   

Day 7 
Today we said goodbye to Spikey and Mad as they started the trek from Cox’s Bight to Melaleuca, we had left the Button Bay and pulled the pots in style.

We had beautiful day again, as we steamed South Coast bound, accompanied by  Buller’s, Black-browed and Shy albatross ,we tried fishing but with no success so it was vege and crayfish pizza.

We arrived at Waterfall Bay decided there was no waves and sailed to New Harbour
And cleaned the beachie .

We went back to Waterfall Bay and went for a surf, very fun and way better then Cliffy had dinner slept.

Day 8
We returned to Dover (Yay) and unloaded 4 large wet stinky bags of rubbish.


2002 Innuagural Coastal Custodians Award media release


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MEDIA RELEASE

DR DAVID KEMP, MP

Minister for the Environment and Heritage

K235 1 December 2002

MARINE DEBRIS CAMPAIGN AWARDED INAUGURAL MINISTER'S AWARD FOR COASTAL CUSTODIANS

A grassroots collaboration between members of the fishing industry and surfers to remove marine debris from Tasmania's South West World Heritage Area coastline has been recognised with a new national award.

The inaugural Minister's Coastal Custodian Award was awarded today to organisers of the Tasmanian Marine Debris Campaign, a partnership between volunteers from the Australian Surfrider Foundation and fishers.

The award is in recognition of the effort of the volunteers who make biannual trips to the remote and uninhabited south-west coast of Tasmania to remove tonnes of marine debris, washed up from the vast Southern Ocean.

Minister for the Environment and Heritage Dr David Kemp said that it was time the campaign volunteers received recognition for their efforts. He made available a cheque for $3,500 to cover the cost of the next Campaign planned for February next year.

"A custodian is a keeper or guardian, and the volunteers of the Marine Debris Campaign have taken custodial responsibility for a valuable piece of Australian coast," Dr Kemp said.

"The cooperation shown in this case between members of the fishing industry and surfers is an example of what can be achieved when different ocean users work together in the development of regional marine plans around the country as part of Australia's Oceans Policy."

The Marine Debris Campaign was taking place within the South-east Marine Region, the first area to undergo regional marine planning in Australia, taking in the waters surrounding Tasmania, Victoria, eastern South Australia, southern New South Wales and south to Macquarie Island.

The first ever comprehensive management system for Australia's waters is a key Commonwealth initiative under Australia's Oceans Policy, announced in the International Year of the Ocean, 1998. Under the policy, the 15 million square kilometres of ocean under Australia's jurisdiction has been separated into large areas, based on their ecosystem characteristics. Regional management plans are being developed for each of these areas with the assistance of all ocean users including industry, recreational groups, Indigenous Australians, community and environmental organisations.

The South-east Regional Marine Plan, developed with the advice of the National Oceans Office, is due to be released in 2003.

"Whether the ocean is an income source, a place for recreation or a way of life, all users have a responsibility to keep it in good health," Dr Kemp said.

The Minister's Coastal Custodian Award will be presented annually to coincide with Coast Care

Environment and Heritage to an organisation, group or individual deemed to have made an outstanding contribution to the coastal environment.

The Summer 2003 Marine Debris Campaign will involve more than 10 volunteers, some of whom will be transported by fishing boats from Hobart to Port Davey and others who will arrive in light planes at Melaleuca (pronounced Me-la-loo-ka). During the previous Campaign in the summer of 2001, local rock lobster fishermen transported more than two tonnes of rubbish back to Hobart, comprising a total of 6300 items of rubbish. This summer's Campaign will be the fourth.

The president of Surfrider Tasmania, a chapter of Surfrider Foundation, Australia, Mr Brad Mashman, said that the Marine Debris Campaign was helping to convey the message that it is not responsible behavior to dispose of rubbish into the ocean.

"The fact that members of the fishing industry are helping with this campaign is evidence of a change of attitude against the wanton disposal of marine debris," Mr Mashman said.

During the Campaign all rubbish collected is recorded along with unusual or foreign objects. Mr Mashman said that the Campaign had a strong educative flavour and six Tasmanian schools were already acting as custodians for their local beaches by collecting rubbish and forming a data base of their debris' origin.

Media contact (Dr Kemp): Catherine Job (02) 6277 7640 or 0408 648400 Media contact (National Oceans Office): Richard Wilson 0419 699 682