Ocean Research - 21. IOR Chapter 21

After a restful overnight stop in Shoal Bay, I continued the journey down the coast, starting at 5 am in the morning as I knew that I had a long day ahead of me. Keeping an eye on the weather radar, I was watching a weather front that had crept up overnight and was heading for the Pilbara coast, which I was not very happy about.

I realised now that I had taken on a bigger challenge than I had expected, and that I would most probably have to find a place to shelter from the approaching storm, as I will not be able to safely tow the barge in such weather, and now I would not be making it to Onslow in one day.

I was relieved when I had reached the halfway mark, a little after 1 pm, but it was not long after when the edge of the storm front hit, and I was 14 kilometres north of the mainland and 4 kilometres east of Great Sandy Island, so I decided to get to the island and seek some shelter there and wait till the storm is over.

When I finally reached the island, having battled a large swell, strong winds and a lot of rain for over an hour, I was disappointed to see that the island was mostly low and flat, with very little vegetation, and nowhere to shelter from the storm. I decided that beaching the barge was the best option, on the eastern side of the island, working against the wind, and securing the vessel to the barge, before I would set some anchors on the island as an extra precaution, to stop the barge from moving.

As I began to manoeuvre the barge around to the other side of the island, I found that the barge was being pushed away from the island, and with the storm now in full force, I would not be able to shift the vessel around to the back of the barge on my own, so I had to come up with another plan, as we continued to be pushed in a south-easterly direction by the storm, towards the coast.

Studying the coastal charts, I could see a good size creek located due south of the island, which would be a much safer option, so with the help of the momentum of the storm pushing the barge, I headed for the mouth of the creek, just over 12 kilometres away, and I had to rely more on the radar as visibility outside was not good.

“Marine Rescue Onslow to MV Warambie, do you copy over,” an unexpected call came over the radio, and I picked up the mic to answer. “MV Warambie to Marine rescue, yes I copy you over,” I responded. “We have received a call from your employer, concerned that you may be caught in the current storm, are you ok, over,” the marine rescue asked.

“Warambie to Marine rescue, Yes I am caught in the storm, but I am ok, I am heading to the mainland for shelter. I am currently 5 nautical miles north-west of Powder Creek, which is my destination, over,” I replied. “Roger that, we will stay on this frequency in case you require any assistance, we also need to inform you that the vessel Silver Cloud is currently in Carnarvon, also waiting out the storm, so there will be a delay with meeting up with you, over and out,” the marine rescue said.

When I finally l reached the creek, I was able to get 900 metres downstream from the mouth of the creek, before the storm, pushed the barge up against the creek bed, so I shut down the motor, and threw out a bow anchor, before jumping off the vessel and swimming to the barge, where I threw out two aft anchors, as well as two mooring ropes onto the land, before wading over with a heavy hammer and two steel pickets and I secured the mooring ropes from the barge to the pickets.

Once I was happy that both the vessel and the barge are secured, I returned to the bridge to report to Marine rescue, that I was safely in the creek, and that I had secured my vessel and the barge to the creek bed, where I will remain till the storm is over. Once that was done, I swam back to the barge and headed for my quarters to have a hot shower and change into dry clothes.

Now that I was on the barge, I had plenty of space to move about, without having no worry about the storm that was going on outside, so I headed to the kitchen to cook myself a decent meal, as I had eaten very little since starting the journey early this morning.

After eating and cleaning up, I headed to my office and started doing some online research on what studies had been done so far in the Abrolhos Islands area. After a few hours in my office, I prepared a snack, before retiring early to bead, while the storm outside is in full force, Which was causing the barge to rock, but not enough for it to be uncomfortable.

The following morning when I woke at dawn, the storm had passed, but it is still mildly windy, as I headed to my office to check the latest weather report for the area, and I was pleased to see that the storm had changed to a South-westerly direction out to sea, where it should dissipate.

After a quick breakfast and a thorough inspection of the outside of the barge and the vessel, I set off once more down the coast, with 104 kilometre’s or 56 nautical miles to Onslow, which will take me about nine hours to complete, and I anticipate to are at approximately 1600 hours or 4 pm.

Arriving in Onslow just twenty minutes after my estimated time of arrival, I was tired and looking forward to a nice rest, and with no town jetty located here, I anchored just 200 metres off the beach, and just 350 metres west of the river mouth, in Beardon Bay, so as not to be in anyone’s way and remain secure. I began getting in a habit of making sure that all external doors on the barge and on the vessel are locked, so no unwelcome intruders get inside, and once I had done this, I settled down to relax and read a book on my I-pad for the remainder of the afternoon.

While reading a notification arrived for an email, which I clicked on, as it was from Joshua.

“Hi mate, just checking in to see how you coped with the storm up your way. I presume that the message got through to you via Marine rescue? The Silver Cloud is still in Carnarvon, as the storm has decided to remain close to the coast, and is just west of the North-west cape at the moment, so where ever you are, just stay put until the vessel arrives to help tow the barge back here. Looking forward to seeing you again mate, Regards Joshua.”

I smiled when I read this, and I sent a short reply, “ Sheltered in a creek through the storm, no damage to report, currently in Onslow and will travel to Exmouth tomorrow, where I will wait for the Silver Cloud to arrive. Kipling.” After a bit more reading, I headed to the kitchen to cook some dinner, and once again retired early to bed.

The following morning I set off half an hour earlier than yesterday, having no need to inspect the outside of the barge, and I made some sandwiches and a thermos of tea to keep me going through the day, with an estimated time of arrival of about 1400 hours in Exmouth, and although the town has a marina, I thought it best to stay clear of it, so as not to attract too much attention, so I decided to anchor in the gulf, about 3 kilometres East of the airport.

When I had arrived and anchored the barge and the vessel, I settled down for a few hour of reading, until just before dark, when I would set off in the MV Warambie to the marina, and I would catch a taxi into town to have a big restaurant dinner, as I didn’t feel like cooking this evening.

Taking my I-pad with me, I had a quick look around town, before finding a hotel restaurant, and I managed to make a reservation for half an hours time. While waiting, I sat on a bench outside and using the hotel’s free wifi, I logged into the internet and checked my emails, and as expected there was one from Joshua.

“Hi mate, how did your journey to Exmouth go today? I hope it went smoothly for you. The storm is now just north-west of Carnarvon, so hopefully by morning it will be clear enough for the Silver Cloud to continue north to meet up with you. Are you going to stay in Exmouth, it will you round the cape and head for Coral Bay? Let me know your decision so I can let Amanda know where to meet up with you. Regards Joshua.” A second email was unexpected and is from Mr Lloyd.

“Dear Kipling, I hope you are well? My grandson informs me that you are returning to the Abrolhos Islands, and that you are towing the research facility behind the MV Warambie. That is quite a challenge, please make sure that you remain safe, and if the towing gets too difficult just set your anchors in a safe area and await the Silver Cloud.

I hope you like the research facility that I had built for you, as a mobile facility to be used in conjunction with the research facilities at the Abrolhos Ocean City. I have searched for and found a team of five researchers that will work for you, plus a hospitality team of two, a chef and a steward to assist you and two researchers, when you are out on the Ashburton Research Facility.

I have had four sets of anchor points installed at four locations so the barge facility can be safely anchored, and Joshua knows where they are located, with one anchorage in each island group. I will be calling in to see how things are progressing in the city once the fishermen have settled, in about six weeks time, and hotel guests start arriving, at around the same time. Regards Hamish Lloyd.”

I sent a quick reply to Joshua, “Hey mate, yes all went well today, and I am anchored in the Exmouth gulf just east of the airport, and I am enjoying some dinner in town tonight. The weather looks favourable for tomorrow, so I will round the cape and travel down the coast as far as Coral Bay, and I will anchor just off the town jetty, just south of town, where I will wait for the Silver Cloud. See you in a few days time, regards Kipling.”

The next morning, I set off once again, just after daybreak, cruising up to the cape before heading down the coast, passing the North-west cape caravan park shortly after 6 am, when people are just starting to rise, and I stayed about two kilometres off the coast so as not to attract too much attention.

Shortly before 5 pm, I cruised past the small township of Coral Bay, and when I neared the town jetty, I steered closer to shore, stopping about 200 metres from the beach and the jetty, where I set the anchors for the barge, before mooring the vessel alongside.

Once I had done that, I sat back to watch another glorious western sunset, which always seem to impress me each time I see it, enjoying a cool soft drink, and listening to the waves on the reef just a few hundred metres away. I was so engrossed in watching the sunset, that I neglected to notice a vessel very slowly approaching from the south-west, and I only knew that it had arrived when the horn sounded, making me fall out of my deck chair in fright.

When I had recovered enough and stood up on the deck of the barge, I saw the Silver Cloud approaching with Olivia, Trent and Alex standing on the bow of the main deck smiling at me, and I could see Amanda in the bridge smiling too. Stepping inside briefly, I headed to the side of the barge that is facing to the ocean, where the MV Warambie is moored near the front, and I assisted with the mooring of the MV Sliver Cloud directly behind it.

Once secured, I stepped onboard the catamaran. “Welcome back on board,” Amanda said as she appears from inside, with Olivia at her side. “Hmm, I don’t exactly like those kinds of welcomes, thank you very much, a more gentler welcome would be appreciated in future please Captain Amanda,” I replied.

“Ok, noted, so you had a fairly smooth run down the coast today then?” Amanda asked. “Yes, but there was a slightly bigger swell than anticipated, but I managed,” I replied, as Trent and Alex arrived with drinks and snacks for all of us, and we all sat down in the aft deck outdoor seats to chat.

Amanda informed me that Mr Lloyd has arranged for a small cargo ship to come and collect the barge and deliver it to the Abrolhos islands, and that she and the crew where sent to collect me and the MV Warambie, which will be towed behind the catamaran, which would take under two days to get back to the Ocean City, if we leave no later than 6 am, once we have made sure that everything inside the barge is stored away and secured, and that we will share helm duties, meaning that I had to help out as well.

With six hour shifts, Amanda, Olivia and I would have 12 hours of rest before starting another shift, and Amanda announced that I would be taking the second shift starting at noon and again at 6 am the next day. After an enjoyable dinner, we all headed to bed early, as we had a long two days ahead of us.

On our second day of the journey home to the Abrolhos Islands, I had completed my second shift at the helm of the Silver Cloud, and Amanda was estimating our time of arrival back at the Ocean City to be at 1400 hours, which I was pleased about, as I was tired fro: the long journey down the coast. I had spoken to Joshua by telephone as we passed Carnarvon late yesterday evening, and he said that he had the science team ready to work, as soon as I have arrived and settled in.

I was surprised to learn that two of the five scientists are former classmates from university, and I hoped that with being their boss, that no issues arise from it. Joshua also informed me that the Ocean city was now at full capacity with 68 permanent staff, including the four crew members of the silver Cloud and four soon to arrive deck hands who will work between the Silver Cloud and the two Swath boats.

With the fishing season almost arrived, the fishing boats are due to arrive starting next week, firstly with just the boats and their skippers, with the crew of each boat arriving the following week. The owners of each fishing boat has been given a introduction pack, outlining the accommodations and facilities that are available for the skippers and crews of the fishing boats, and what the charges are for the accommodation and meals for each day, paid at a weekly rate, with breakfast and lunch packs made for all crew since they have a very early start each morning.

I was also informed that the first swath boat has been renamed MV Storm and that the latest addition to the family fleet of research submarines, named RV Poseidon will soon be based at the Abrolhos Islands, with the crew of 45, to remain accommodated on the submarine, but are free to use the facilities on the city.

Joshua said that the new submarine is smaller than the Oceania, at 202 metres long and it only has three decks, and a less number of crew, with their main work would be working with me with research, as well as patrols of the immediate region, to protect and defend Abrolhos Ocean City, as it contains a few top secret unique capabilities not found on board any other navy submarine in the world.

When I saw the Ocean City again, I smiled as it feels like I was returning home, and I sat on the bow on the main deck for the last twenty minutes of the journey. Just before we arrived, Amanda slowed, so as to allow me to board my vessel, and untie the tow cable, so I can put my vessel in the adjoining bay from the MV Storm.

“Don’t forget you Access ID card, you will need it to get beyond the foyer,” Olivia called out to me as I reversed away from the Silver Cloud, and I nodded my understanding, but I wasn’t sure exactly where it is, as I hadn’t seen it since the day of the shark attack.

Once I had moored the vessel in its designated and sign posted bay, I began looking for my ID card in my luggage, but I was not able to locate it, so I decided that I would just have to get Joshua to make a new one, and as I stepped onto the jetty and headed for the East Jetty lobby, I dialled Joshua’s mobile number.

I had just taken a few steps into the foyer, when a large bloke in a security uniform blocked my way, and I stopped just short of bumping into him.

“Can I help you sir?” the security guard asked me, “Yes, you can get out of my way so I can make some enquires,” I replied, and I tried to step around me but he just did the same. Totally forgetting that I had dialled Joshua’s number, I frowned at the guard.

“You can ask me sir, maybe I can help?” the guard said as he continued to block my path, “Please stand aside so I can get to the information office,” I responded, “Sorry mate, but unless you have. Access ID card, I cannot let you pass,” the guard responded, and by now I was getting very pissed off.

“I suggest that you let me pass, unless you would like to loose your job,” I said, and the guard laughed at me, before I heard a faint shouting sound, “Kip, I am on my way,” I heard, “What? Oh yeah, Joshua,” I said as I brought the phone to my ear.