PORTLAND BOAT TRIP - 2 MAY 1999
GROUP: Mike Carter (leader), Chris Lester, Neil Macumber, Harry
Clarke, Ted Shimba, Brett Jarrett, Andy Silcox, Rob & Gail
Berry, Tim Murphy (QLD), Rob Layton (UK), Andreas
Christensen (Denmark).
VESSEL: Michael J IV.
SKIPPER: Howard Willoughby
OWNER/DECKY: Garry Roberts
WEATHER: Fine, mainly sunny but some high cloud patches; cool. Calm
inshore at first, rising to 15 to 20 knots as we got further
out, dropping off again to 10 knots as we came in, NW.
SEA: Rippled in harbour and bay. Increasingly choppy offshore,
waves to 1.5m pelagic. Low swell.
ACTIVITY: Sailed 06.55. Docked 15.35. Passed E of Lawrence Rocks @
07.20 and headed out @ 12 knots @218o. At 08.20, 38o 32.2?S
141o 29.2?E over 71 fathoms, 7.5 NM off Cape Nelson. By
09.00 @37?S 22?E 80 fathoms. Crossed shelf break @ 09.20 and
continued out to trawler. Stopped and berleyed @ 41.7?S
18.3?E in 240 fathoms from 09.40 till 11.15. Moved out to
43.1?S, 19.9?E and berleyed again. Headed in @ 12.10 slowly
at first, accelerating as sea conditions improved. Berley
was shark liver.
ANIMALS: Fur seals ? 2 only. Blue shark ? one 2m long caught.
BIRDS: Albatrosses abundant & well distributed. Others scarce. 20
species.
Little Penguin 1 offshore near shelf edge in am.
Wandering Albatross 12(10) All pelagic. 3 stage (1), 1 (2), 1 (3), 3 (4),
1 (6), 1 (7). Photos. Others probably (3) & (5).
Black browed Albatross 700 (600). 500 impavida mostly ads., pel. 40
inshore, 60 offshore, 600 pelagic. 5 juvs, 135 sub-ads,
560 ads. Photos. Congregating where trawlers haul.
The younger birds were concentrated inshore in pm.
Yellow-nosed Albatross 5(2) 2 ins., 2 off., 1 pelagic, 3 juvs., 2
sub-ads.
Shy Albatross 100(80). 2 ins., 8 off., 90 pelagic. 2 juvs., 8
subads., 90 ads.
Northern Giant-Petrel 4(3). All pelagic. Photos. (1 disputed S).
Great-winged Petrel 40(30) 4 off., 36 pelagic but some followed us in quite
far. All nom. race
(Prion NONE and not one seen in four trips this year!!).
White-chinned Petrel 2(1) pelagic. One with very obvious white chin.
Neither had black on unguis.
Short-tailed Shearwater 40(6) 10 ins (mostly pm), 20 off (mostly pm), 10
pel. Mostly juvs.
Fluttering Shearwater 1 offshore in pm.
Wilson?s Storm-Petrel 20(15) All pelagic accumulating at our berley
slick. Photos.
Grey-backed Storm-Petrel 4(2). All pelagic accumulating at our berley
slick.
White-faced Storm-Petrel 6(2). 1 off., 5 pel.
Common Diving-Petrel 1 offshore.
Australasian Gannet 8000 concentrated on LR but collecting nest material
nearby. Feeding flocks of c 100 were offshore (2oN) in
pm and inshore (2oN) in pm.
Black-faced Cormorant 20 (17 on LR in pm with 2 on sea).
Silver Gull 65. 10 bay + 50 on LR, 3 followed us almost to shelf
edge. 5 ins. pm.
Pacific Gull 1 ad. on LR.
White-fronted Tern 6(3) 2 off. in am, 3 pel., 1 ins in pm; all toW, all
ads.
Crested Tern 4(3) 1 bay (am), 3 inshore. Surprisingly few and none
pelagic.
Notes by Mike Carter
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