8. “Ol’ Man River”

It was a quiet, pleasant morning and there was hardly a ripple on the surface of Moreton Bay. As I approached the pier I noticed Logan, Dick and Dan, deep in conversation. Logan had just retrieved one of his crab pots, with 2 big Blue Swimmer crabs in it. Yesterday, he had collected seven.

Moreton Bay – Sunrise

I was surprised to hear from Dick that he and Logan had both been here on the pier yesterday morning when there had been a severe thunderstorm and torrential rain. Unsurprisingly, no one else had been around and they had taken shelter in the covered area in the middle of the pier during the worst of it. When I had seen how wet and stormy it was yesterday, I had decided not to venture out. Usually, rainy weather does not deter me from doing my regular walk. In Southern Queensland it’s seldom very cold and rain is almost always needed and welcome. Yesterday, however, it was a bit too wild and blustery, not good umbrella weather. 

Today the weather was very different, and a dozen or so fishermen had decided to come out early. At the end of the pier, I noticed a couple of “blokes” I hadn’t seen before. They had cut a big stingray into large chunks and had virtually butchered it and they were using the pieces as bait to catch sharks. Something that I find somewhat disturbing. Logan also seemed annoyed about it, commenting that the policing on the pier is “not good enough” and that these fellows could be “fined big time”.

On a more pleasant note, not far from the pier a stand-up paddleboarder was making his way across the Bay. I think he was using an inflatable board and a paddle to move himself along. These boards are usually cheaper than fiberglass or epoxy ones. Stand-up paddle boarding, referred to as SUP among the enthusiasts, is still very popular, especially in the USA. I’ve read that it originated in Hawaii, differing from traditional board surfing, which requires lying on the board and using your hands to push through the water, before riding the waves back to the beach.

I guess that SUP would be a little difficult to master because you would need to learn how to get up, remain standing and keep your balance. I’ve heard that fatigue and cramping can make it challenging and that it is much more tiring than kayaking. It also seems a bit dangerous to me to attempt to do it here on the Bay. The weather is changeable and the currents are unpredictable, which would make it tricky to safely navigate around this area. Also, there is always the possibility that there are bull sharks around. They tend to be attracted by the fishing activity in the pier area. Maybe it would have been far better if the young man had not been out there on his own.

On the other hand, I can see why people are attracted to this sport.  A stand-up paddleboard gives you a close-up view of everything around you in the water. There’s lots of sea life here in the Bay. Plenty of fish of all shapes and sizes, including stingrays, turtles, jellyfish and even sharks and dolphins. I’ve seen pods of dolphins on either side of the pier on occasions.

Stand-up Paddle Boarder near the Pier

A while ago I came across a heart-warming story about a pygmy right whale which was following some men who were paddle-boarding near Port Lincoln, in South Australia. At first the men thought that it was a large dolphin but soon realised that it was much bigger than that. Pigmy right whales, which are said to be relatively rare, can apparently grow to more than 6 metres. This one appeared to be curious and kept following the men.

It’s strange how your memory works when you’re old. It seems to jump from one thing to another. The story of the paddle boarders with the pygmy whale made me think back again to my own time in the merchant navy. I vividly remember my first experience with dolphins. We had just made a voyage from Rotterdam to New Orleans and were about to enter the Mississippi River. I was 18 years old at the time and the voyage had taken almost 16 days on our old, small cargo ship. We had plodded on, day after day, mile after mile, from the North Sea into the Atlantic Ocean and on to America.

Half-way, somewhere near the Azores islands, we had experienced a massive storm, which caused the ship to be tossed around in very heavy seas. Water sloshed over the decks and walking was virtually impossible, even with ropes attached. The kitchen had to be closed and everything had to be tied down.

A week or so later we had arrived at the entrance of the Mississippi River. It is a moment I have never forgotten. Pods of dolphins were swimming alongside, and in front of, the ship, as if they wanted to guide us in. I felt as though all my dreams had come true. I had finally arrived in America! Our ship slowly entered the “Ol’ Man River” that I had seen in the movies (the musical “Showboat”).

It’s really all a long time ago but, for me, it does not seem that way. It’s great that young people today continue to try out new things, like I did by working on an old tramp steamer. Stand-up paddle boarding, early in the morning, is an exciting way to explore the quiet and shallow parts of Moreton Bay and, for me, exploring is what it’s all about!

O.P.

P.S. The title of next week’s post is “Pufferfish”.