Thank you 
This is my entry.
On Sunday morning my husband and I were having breakfast, talking about how we should spend our day and discussing our options when the phone rang. It was our son, inviting us to go fishing with him in his boat. Suddenly all our wonderful options faded in comparison to going fishing with our son and granddaughter.
It had been raining for days but on Sunday, the sun was shining, the temperatures were warm and the seas were calm, so we met Stephen and Charli at the Scarborough boat ramp, climbed aboard and cruised past the yachts, moored at the Boat Club.
The clouds parted at one point creating a blue hole in the sky.
I took a shot of Charli as she looked ahead of her. She is a keen fisherwoman (just like her Nanna.....that's me) and she told me she was planning on not only catching the biggest fish, but also catching the most fish. Time will tell!
Once we rounded the corner at Scarborough Point Stephen was able open the throttle and speed up as we headed out to sea. We reached a large beacon and decided to put down the anchor because he'd spotted a few fish showing up on the fish finder monitor. All was peaceful and calm. The boat rocked gently as three fishing rods were lowered into the water. A group of cormorants perched on the beacon looked out to the horizon. They weren't at all interested in us. We had no luck there. Not even a nibble, so we decided to go over to Moreton Island and try our luck there.
We saw a large ship as we came close to the island and Stephen slowed right down so that I could take a few photos. I was interested to see the name of the ship but it wasn't visible along her side. A Tangalooma Resort Ferry had pulled up beside her so obviously the passengers had plans to go ashore.
As we moved slowly past the ship I could read the name on the bow. The Seabourn Encore was her name and I learned later that she is a luxury ship which was built by Fincantieri of Italy for the Seabourn Cruise Line. So she was a long way from home. The Seabourn Encore was given her name in January 2015 and a steel cutting ceremony was held in April 2015.
She measures 210 meters in length and has a 28-meter beam and her cruising speed is 18.6 knots or 37 km/h (Source: Wikipedia.)
We said our Good-Byes to The Seabourn Encore and made our way towards The Wrecks. The Wrecks are a special feature of Moreton Island. The island itself, is situated approximately 75 minutes cruise from Brisbane, Australia. It offers the most heavenly beaches, with their white sandy beaches and crystal clear, azure blue seas. You can see part of Moreton Island behind the wrecks in this image.
Moreton Island is the world's third largest sand island and these wrecks consist of fifteen vessels which had been deliberately sunk to form a break-wall for small boats and to create a great site for divers and snorkelers and fishermen, like ourselves.
I'd seen the wreck from the shore line when my husband and I holidayed there a year ago but seeing them up close was an entirely different experience.
In 1963 a group of boat owners began to lobby for a safe anchorage and as a result, a line of old Harbours and Marine Department steam driven dredges and barges were sunk, with the first vessel being The Maryborough. The protruding tops were eventually cut off but what remains is still an awesome sight. Charli wasn't interested in the view. She was there to fish, so her line was baited and hurled into the water before the anchor had taken hold.
It wasn't long before all kind of activity took my attention. A large ferry called Micat cruised past us and seemed to park right on the beach itself. A pile of tourists disembarked. The Micat ferries cars as well, but I don't think any vehicles alighted as far as I could see. They'd have to be 4WD's to handle the sandy conditions.
Shortly after Micat arrived the area around the wrecks came alive with people rowing see-through canoes and using their paddles to help them manoeuvre around the wrecks.
They came from all directions.
It soon became apparent that many canoe enthusiasts had not been near a canoe before today. Thankfully, a coach was on hand to give instructions.
A dive boat rocked up and then I realized there must be divers enjoying the sights beneath us.
Apparently the marine life and coral formations are well worth seeing and the variety of fish include wobbegongs, trevally, kingfish, yellowtail and a wonderful assortment of tropical fish to admire.
Divers began boarding the dive boat to head back to the Tangalooma Island Beach Resort. And then I noticed a jet ski buzzing around, churning up the water.
When the sound of the jet ski receded, we heard squeals of laughter coming from the direction of the wrecks.
We heard them before we saw them and I was hoping like mad, I wouldn't have to jump in and save them because it was clear that they knew a lot more about holding a mobile phone in their hands rather than the unwieldy paddles of a canoe.
They were having so much fun that I honestly don't think they would have been upset if they had capsized. They noticed me in our boat with my camera aimed in their direction and waved happily as they made their way precariously towards their friends further along.
And then I heard more squeals of delight, and this time it was coming from our boat. Charli had caught the first fish of the day........a little Brim which needed to be thrown back into the water because it was undersized.
I hate to admit it but, Charli did succeed in her quest to catch the biggest and the most fish for the day. But then, I wasn't really competing with her because I spent most of the day catching good shots to give you this story. And I have to say, I enjoyed every mouthful of my baked fish for dinner that night. Thank you Charli.
The last thing we saw before we headed back home was a bunch of divers being towed towards the dive boat and three cormorants perched on top of the rusty old wrecks.
Thank You Stephen and Moreton Island for a most enjoyable day. I hope you enjoyed this little adventure too.
All photos are captured and edited by myself (
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