The Surf Washed the Raft up on Emily Bay, 10 May 2023

The Raft washed up at Emily Bay on Wednesday morning and it was recovered and taken to the works depot for a safety check and

clean up. This is not the first time that I have seen the Emily Bay Raft washed ashore, a few years ago, in May 2018, large southerly swells also broke off the chains and the Raft was found up on the beach.

This week the Norfolk Island weather alert gave coastal warnings, “Not suitable for rock fishing or coastal activities”. The ocean swells were expected to reach five metres from the Southwest and the waves at Kingston looked stunning on Wednesday as they crashed into the rocky shoreline and reef. The fishing boats were not venturing out from Kingston, it didn’t look like a good day to go fishing, and a bit too dangerous for rock fishing. It was best to stay out of the water and enjoy the view of the sunshine on the waves and the energy of the swells is always impressive.

I hope the coral reef isn’t badly damaged in the lagoon and I’m sure our fish friends will be sheltering in their underwater world. The coral reef gives protection to the foreshore, as the large swells roll in at Kingston, the waves bash up against the reef, then roll along the Kingston shoreline and stone walls.

Now Autumn has arrived, there has been a change in the weather. Last month had fog and misty weather and more foggy conditions again last week. A massive thunderstorm with heavy rain, hit Norfolk Island last Wednesday night, 3 May 2023. The storm cell had a massive lightning strike, and thunder explosion that woke many at night and took out power and damaged electrical equipment, TVs, etc in homes and businesses in some areas of the island. This week, on Monday, there was an extremely heavy down pour of rain, which stopped the Bounty Bowls afternoon games. This was followed by windy weather and the large swells that followed.

It will be interesting to see what else is washed up along our shores after the swells have settled. Here are a few photos of the raft in Emily Bay which I have taken in recent years, and others supplied by locals, of the raft washed up on the beach on Wednesday morning, 10 May 2023. Thank you, Steve Borg, and Susan Prior, for sharing the early morning photos of the Raft on the sandy shores of Emily Bay

Betty Matthews

May 2023