Wednesday, January 9, 2019

FORTY YEARS BEFORE THE (BROKEN) MAST PUZZLE

There is bound to be a rollicking , salty   yarn behind why  a broken  yacht mast is lashed  to the side  of the Picnic Bay jetty , Magnetic Island , says  our   Shipping Reporter , the only one  north of Valparaiso .
The mast is appreciated by the many jetty swallows  who  often  perch on it , one  wind  blown   bird  photographed, below,  by the  marine  roundsman , apparently  trying  to  find  the crow's nest .
What is the story behind the mast ,surely  it is not going to be left   hanging there , this being the  cyclone season , when it could break loose  and   be  a  threat  to  Clive Palmer's Titanic ll  as it sails into Cleveland Bay on its  maiden  voyage , the ship's band  loudly  playing the Colonel Bogey March  on  the nickel plated  deck  ?  
 Speaking of cyclones, here  is an early morning  view of  ex- Cyclone Penny  over  Townsville , taken from the  Picnic Bay jetty   by the Shipping Reporter ,   133mm  of rain  recorded  during  the day at Nelly Bay.