Satisfied the finicky wind forecast was holding good enough. Woke up to consistent rain at 0230, being our last element to hurdle the radar showing it moving out to sea and it did by 0500.
We met at Mackay Harbour 0630 got away by 0700. Ann, Paul & James a debutante to our group JetSki Tramps Mackay.
We got away on a flat sea with light lump close to land and flattening as we get out.
We arrive about 0830, we attempted to do a run inside the lagoon with poor visibility due to over cast so was pointless. Have not seen this many turtle tracks any were on the one island.
Anns Video
Beach anchored SE corner Paul & I put the drones up.
It was a bit different from previous visits as in I thought there was a palm tree missing and beach seemed different ?
Couple of us went for a walk to the hut inside the island and found a full size Coconut Tree chainsawed down and not to long ago.
Pisonia trees ( Cabbage Tree) are abundant that has a large sticky seed that stick to the birds that nest here. The seeds can overwhelm the fledglings with weight and cant fly. The link might explain it better. In video there is a research vessel anchored off Bushy, it belongs or has Planet Earth written on its super structure the link below has video supplied by them with David Attenborough narrating it. The Vessels name was different just cant remember.
https://www.sciencealert.com/this-tree-seems-to-kill-birds-just-for-the-heck-of-it
Good bye Bushy and head back on slightly different track via Skull Rock off Derwent Island.
Then Bailey Islet cruising home on not quite Glass all the way. We didn’t get wet at all and sea conditions were better than expected. Back at the Harbour before 1400
Disappointing overcast but cant complain was a great trip. Hard to ask for better sea conditions great day in good company.
Jet Ski North Queensland 