 
The continuing cost of seagull damage
We read with interest David Everdell’s article about Slaughterhouse Sally the seagull (Afloat Aug’10).
Seagulls are not as easy to control as one might imagine. On 2 April 2007 the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) organized a ‘Seagull Summit’ to discuss suitable management options, which we attended. We were very impressed with the day’s proceedings.
The dilemma is that it is the first time the NPWS has had to address management of a protected species that has become a problem due to its large population, in contrast to the usual role of NPWS in saving a threatened species.
There is clear scientific data available to demonstrate that numbers have increased exponentially in the past few years, and it is made worse by the easy availability of food sources, mainly from landfill sites.
Nick Carlile, Seabird Project Officer, NPWS gave an excellent overview of gull behaviour, based on 20 years of research. He has counted an average of 7,000 gulls per hour feeding at the Wollongong landfill. Gulls were tagged to monitor their range and it was observed that gulls flew to Sydney regularly and now breed all year round. The main risk from these birds is far worse than a few droppings on boat decks.
• Droppings are highly corrosive on metal and painted structures.
• Droppings contain E.coli, Salmonella and Camphylobacter pathogens.
• Droppings foul outdoor eating areas in parks and along the foreshore.
• Gulls may destroy threatened species (e.g. at Botany Bay gulls eat chicks of Little Terns, Crested Terns, Shearwaters).
The NPWS have considered the following options for control:
Reduce the feed available.
Educate the public to stop feeding gulls and remove their feeding sites (cover garbage bins, and landfill transfer depots). Recycle, reuse and reduce waste in landfill.
Scare gulls away.
Stop gulls roosting to minimise fouling of the area. Today’s roosting site is tomorrow’s nesting site. Nick Carlile, Seabird Project Officer, NPWS observed that scare tactics (rubber snakes, bird wire, flags, kites, bird scarers, fire crackers) worked for a maximum of 20 mins! At Fort Denison brown toned real-feather dusters prove effective, as these simulate birds of prey.
Manage breeding sites.
Control numbers by damaging eggs, substituting plastic eggs, destroying nests.
In Melbourne, the annual structural and surface damage by gulls has been estimated at $2 million; plus the cost of scare materials and devices at $1 million, and cleaning costs of $488,000.
It is a community problem, and now is the time to start control measures to ensure that seagull numbers do not increase further. Perhaps we need another ‘Seagull Summit’?
Helen Lipton,
Champagne Lady Charters, Sydney Harbour.
Getting rid of mooring minders
I love seagulls, Slaughterhouse Sally (Afloat Aug’10), and I am over 10 years old. I think seagulls are a fine reflection of our humanistic respect for our fellow animal inhabitants. We feed them to entertain our kids and secretly get a buzz from their sharp and graceful wing skills, whilst wanting to kill them or rid them from the places we deem are ours.
They have every right to breed on that boat, it’s a law of nature, unwritten, unsung. I have yet to see one try to kill or rid us from their seashore homes, they may put up chase, but once at a safe distance, we are background features like the trees. This is their home too.
Mooring minders are a fascinating concept. Everywhere else I have sailed moorings can be bought, sold or let without removal of the apparatus. It makes for a laughable seagrass conservation effort, which I am told is why I cannot leave my vessel at anchor. There is a lack of courtesy moorings, with the local authorities chasing you off anchor and back out to sea, because you are not on a mooring.
A derelict vessel, which is obviously not being maintained and the nature of her seaworthiness dubious, can sit in all legality, endlessly rotting/rusting or porously filling its hull with seawater.
I am more concerned as to these vessels’ mooring fixture quality and wonder who is liable if the vessel would come adrift when the wind blew up?
I am surprised that the landholders which line the foreshores are not more concerned with these eyesores when looking out over a bay choking with derelict vessels, covered in bird poo, flocks of birds squawking at any disturbance. It speaks volumes of a regulatory body which is out of touch with the needs of the boating community.
No anti-seagull society need be created. We need to take responsibility for the reactions our actions have caused. Tidying up moorings and ridding the already congested waterways of derelict vessels will discourage the seagulls from nesting on them and enable other vessels to enjoy the waterways and not feel like they are prey for local authorities.
Kylie Slater,
by email klslater73.
Jim Brown
Those of us who remember Jim Brown, a passionate sailor on NS14s, Compass yachts, Access dinghies and his Delphia 37, will be pleased to know that the name survives on the water in the form of a Skud.
The boat Jim Brown is owned by Sailability NSW and is currently sailed with enthusiasm, skill and efficiency by Ame Barnbrook and her crew, Lindsay Mason (see www.amesarmy.com.au).
The boat’s first appearance was at The International Federation of Disabled Sailors World Championships, held at Medemblik, Netherlands and achieved a well-deserved fourth place after the other Australian crew, Dan Fitzgibbon and Rachael Cox. (England and US crews took out Gold and Silver respectively.)
The Skuds are a Paralympic class and will shortly become a more familiar boat on Sydney Harbour and Pittwater. If anyone would like to support the Paralympic Training Programme based at Sailability Rushcutters Bay, please contact Carol Henson (tel: 02 9747 3716).
 For older sailors who feel that, sadly, sailing is now beyond your physical ability, the opportunity exists to continue to enjoy class racing – the 2012 Access Dinghy World Championships will be held at Middle Harbour (see www.accessdinghy.org). This is open class racing; start practising this summer!
My sincere thanks go to Sailability and to the Myeloma Foundation for making it possible for Jim Brown to continue sailing during the course of his illness, including, three weeks before he died, his very competitive participation at the 2010 Access Dinghy Australian National Championships.
Tish Ennis,
Sailability NSW Inc.
Endeavour’s voyage
It seems a shame that the one port that the Australian National Maritime Museum’s replica of Captain Cook’s Endeavour will not visit in next year’s circumnavigation of Australia (Afloat Aug’10) is Cooktown.
On his 1770 exploration of the east coast of New Holland the only places that the original Endeavour visited were Botany Bay and Cooktown.
Perhaps the organisers are a bit nervous that history may be repeated?
Peter Poland,
Woollahra History & Heritage Society, Double Bay.
Waves of destruction
Re John Vaughans’ letter Making Waves (Afloat Aug’10).
I have a Clansman yacht at Valentine, Lake Macquarie. When the 40-footers roar south from Marmong Point, just a mile to the west, I cop their ‘blood & guts and thunder and let’s go’ wash, rock ’n’ roll. My shackle pins get lost into the bilges. The metho stove objects too. It takes about three minutes for their pong to alert me that in another four minutes I’ll be hit by three or four 2ft waves at two to three second intervals.
I reckon there are two demons here.
One, I am big, powerful, rich, and don’t give a bugger for anything less than me. The other side is that there are power boat owners who are just not mariners … totally ignorant of the different concepts of BMWs on land, then transferring that mental concept to a marine situation. Roar down the road and stop. Everything stops. Roar down the waterway and stop, but the crashing destruction you have created, ashore and afloat, goes on for time and miles.
Alan Chapman,
Warners Bay.
Steam whistles at Boat Show
The Sydney Boat Show had something for everyone, from multi-million dollar motor sailers all the way down to humble tinnies.
But, as I stood on the Darling Harbour boardwalk and looked out over that sea of gleaming plastic boats, I was gripped with a sinking feeling. Surely, I thought, there would be nothing here to interest a dyed in the wool traditionalist like me.
Then, far off in the far north-eastern corner, I heard the wonderful shrill and unmistakable “come here” call of a steam whistle.
Good old Waratah was showing off.
Tucked away in that corner were the kind of vessels to which I relate: Boomerang, Protex, Waratah and the Radar, all of them icons of Sydney Harbour and all of them beautifully cared for.
What a joy it was to be welcomed on-board, not by sales persons eager to make a buck, but by blokes who took a simple delight in explaining the workings of the boats they care for.
I’d like to see more traditional boats enjoying the spotlight in the next Sydney Boat Show.
Bruce Stannard,
Shell Cove.
North Korean torpedo
In the article ‘Sea Mines an ever present threat’, Neil Hodges Director of ATSA (Afloat Aug’10) incorrectly suggests that the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan may have been caused by a drifting 60-year-old sea mine.
The investigation of the sinking has been reported in the The Navy magazine Vol.72 No.3 page 2.[Jul-Sept 2010]. Full details are given in the article.
The results found by the joint investigation team indicated that it was a North Korean Torpedo.
Hope this helps. Afloat is a great magazine.
Keith Boulton,
Albany Creek.
Afloat online
Congratulations on a great service for we sailing tragics who don’t live in the capital cities and therefore cannot get Afloat in hard copy.
Keep up the great work.
Anthony Fountain,
S/V Seerauber.
[Readers may subscribe to Afloat’s email newsletter by visiting www.afloat.com.au]
 End of the Rainbow
On this 25th anniversary of the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior shown are views of the ship after she was raised.
Sunk alongside her city berth in Auckland by sabotage on July 10, 1985, she was about to set sail for Mururoa Atoll. After refloating she was towed to a lay-up berth nearby where these photos were taken.
Also attracting media attention was another French connection the Ile De Lumiere.
She was arrested by New Zealand customs for weapons smuggling. Seized on board were various guns and several thousand rounds of shells. It was alleged by the press at the time the weapons were destined for her next port Noumea. I am unaware of the outcome as our own ship departed before the findings were released.
Attracting our interest was her registration at Mata Utu as we wondered from what remote corner of the Pacific this was.
Lance Melbourne,
Sans Souci.
Bouncing lures
The end of June saw the fishing contest in Sydney. The sleek and powerful motor-boats raced between the mooring areas, hoping to catch ‘the big prize’.
Once again they sought out fish lurking in the shadows beneath the yachts … and once again a myriad of lures were cast at said boats, creating that heart-stopping sound as they dinged, then slid down newly painted topsides.
A cast went astray, embedding the lure in a line strung along the deck. And, once again, I had to rip the lure out, shredding strands of my furling line in the process thus confronted with the need to replace said line.
All the while the contestants with offending weapon in hand glided past, silently observing the contortions on my face.
Douglas Keir,
Woodford Bay.
Latter day bouncer
It was with a great deal of nostalgia that I read Randi Svensen’s article on the activities of the former Sydney Lighterage firm of Mackenzie & Petersen (Afloat July’10).
I was able to recall seeing each vessel mentioned with the possible exception of the vessel the Bathtub.
In the early 1930s the firm operated the following tugs/lighters Gladys, Iris, Jessie, Alpha and later on, the Admiral. Their wharf was situated between the old Phoenix wharf and No.14 Darling Harbour, and the old Erskine Street ferry wharf, and was probably numbered No.15 Darling Harbour.
Also they had another wharf at Cooper Street, Balmain adjacent to where the present harbour tug berth is situated, on the western side of the entrance to the old Chapman’s Slip. When the steamers Gosford and Erringhi were withdrawn from the Hawkesbury River trade they were obtained by Mackenzie & Petersen and converted to tugs/lighters and could be seen conveying Lysaghts products from their depot at Chiswick to the interstate wharves at Darling Harbour.
This all relates to some of my memories of the interesting activities that were everyday scenes on Sydney Harbour.
One incident I remember relates to the coal punt on which was stored the coal for their fleet. The firm had a flat top wooden lighter berthed at their wharf at Darling Harbour usually loaded with coal and there always seemed to be in attendance a rather big Scandinavian fellow keeping an eye open for thieves who may have been tempted to fill their small dinghies with coal. This person could well have been Axel Petersen himself.
John Goldsworthy,
West Ryde.
Labor government hits ‘rich’ boaters
Recreational boating in New South Wales is suffering from changes, increased charges and neglect of facilities such as boat launching ramps.
We at The Boat Owners Association of NSW, a voluntary political free group of concerned boaters are striving to maintain some sense of freedom that has been enjoyed on our waterways since the days of the first settlement.
Some of the items listed on our agenda are:
Unreasonable mooring fee increases; Seagrass friendly moorings; Lack of boating facilities in Jervis Bay; Deterioration of ramps in Port Stephens; Spit Bridge opening and boat traffic aids; Dredging of Swansea Channel; Marine Park restrictions; Estuary management (river) restrictions; Life jackets; Dangers of ethanol fuel; Waterfront tenancy fees; Boat shed and services fees increases; NSW Maritime Better Boating Program; Boat ramps Sydney and all of NSW; Increasing navigational restrictions; Dangers of fish floats and nets; Liaison with Marine Rescue NSW; Trailer parking in suburban streets; Reductions of slipways and boat services; Courtesy moorings in popular areas.
If any of these topics are of interest or are affecting you, then you should at least be a member of BOA or even consider joining the committee and take an active part in being vocal and supporting the cause(s).
No matter what the outcome of next March’s State election, the government will need money and what better way than to hit the ‘rich’ boat owners who just want to enjoy the waterways and are considered so apathetic that they just roll with the punches or shrug their shoulders at increased fees and restrictions.
BOA is open to all persons interested in boating or water sports (you don’t have to own a boat to be a member), so remember numbers count when dealing with authorities and your support will assist in solving the many tasks ahead.
An application form can be down loaded from the website www.boaters.org au or phone 9960 1859 or 0408 164 361.
David Lyall, Vice-President,
BOA of NSW.
‘Twas on the good ship Banks
I don’t think I have ever read such a pile of upper class, snobbish and condescending rubbish as the Letter of the Month Sweet sixteen and never been around the world alone (Afloat Aug’10).
Just for the writer’s information it was Sir Joseph Banks and he was a botanist, which I suppose in her sheltered little private school world is the equivalent of a gardener.
Mike Harrison,
Central Coast.
Driving Lady Gaga
Did I misinterpret the letter Sweet 16 … last month or was your editor distracted while that piece of ill-informed drivel crossed his desk?
I consider the content to be offensive, patronising and insulting to those yachties and boaters who did not attend private schools and do not consider it necessary to fit out their vessel, unlike Lady Graffiti, with hard wearing scrubbable anti-tag fabrics, have special inadequate diets or carry durable enamel spray cans!
Rising blood pressure prevents me from continuing. Suffice it to say that your Letter of the Month award for such offensive diatribe is difficult to understand.
On behalf of those readers who feel slighted and insulted, excuse me for not holding my breath waiting for an apology from the person responsible for the letter.
Brian Jackson,
Lake Macquarie.
Public insult
If Sweet sixteen … (Afloat Aug’10) was meant to be a joke then well done it is the best laugh I have had in a long time. I assume it was a parody.
However, if indeed the author is genuine, my dear let me tell you that I pray that you are always surrounded by good fortune and your Eastern suburbs clique, for you will not cope in broader society. I have never in all my days read such a disgusting back handed insult to public school children masqueraded as charity in all my life.
Bizarre. Oh and one more thing. His name was Sir Joseph Banks, not John. A gardening expert maybe, but he would probably have preferred the title botanist, and he was not on the First Fleet which arrived in 1788 (not 1770). I can see your private school education is doing you wonders.
Ian Beck (no hyphen),
Pittwater.
The mate was good at blogging
I was very interested to read the Masters-Cunningham letter (Afloat, Aug’10) about character-building.
I must say Georgia shows a level of maturity and societal awareness not often found in the Year 10 students of today.
She should be congratulated on her attempt to bridge the public/private divide with her proposal to have a school sailing competition. As a graduate of a public, albeit selective, school I was daily made aware of that divide by the light-hearted banter that flowed … but it was always in good fun.
Should she succeed in getting her proposal off the ground I would like to offer my services to the public school team as cook. I recently completed a 3-day sail training voyage as cook for a contingent of inter-school cadets. The desirable outcomes of this exercise were the solving of unexpected problems in a team environment and the utilisation of the diversity of skills found in that environment. I feel that this experience, though not a singular one, could be utilised for the public school support boat.
The sail training organisation that I am associated with has a resident video recordist and it was on the return trip from a Melbourne voyage that, while crossing ‘The Rip’, I suffered an injury that required my evacuation to a shore-based hospital. The deployment and evacuation was filmed and the footage was turned into a power point presentation.
I am sure the services of the video recordist could also be utilised for the public school team particularly in the raising of some seed capital to fund the continuance of the competition, though sale of the footage. The recordist is also adept in Blogs, Twitter and Facebook, which are all a necessary part of modern life.
I will follow Georgia’s quest with great interest and hope that I will become part of her endeavour.
Jamie King,
Artarmon.
Storm in a C-cup
I must admit I got sucked in by the letter from the private schoolgirl, Georgia Masters-Cunningham, when I first read it. My congratulations on a brilliant parody on contemporary social divisions.
Richard Murray,
by gmail.
 R.S.V.P.
King of Denmark’s Yngling
I’m writing to see if Afloat can help as I am at my wits end.
We (Redlands sailing program) have an Yngling sailboat surplus to requirements. It is stored in a parent’s carport and has been stripped back for painting. Rig etc is all there as well.
I am happy to GIVE it away, especially to a school/youth club/scout group etc. If we can’t find it a new home it will sadly be chain-sawed up and taken to the tip.
I believe it is actually the boat the King of Denmark shipped to Australia for his daughter to sail in a worlds years ago. Perhaps the world has moved on and people just aren’t interested in, or can’t, do up their own boats any more. Sad.
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