Island resident, and Magnetic Island's World Oceans Day organiser, Barbara Gibbs wrote to Magnetic Times about a 'concerning' discovery made on Tuesday morning at Nelly Bay beach.

Barbara wrote:

Whilst undertaking our Tai Chi class this morning, we noticed what we thought to be a boat drifting off Nelly Bay beach inside the Fairway Buoy and became concerned, considering it looked unmanned and seas were very rough.

After 10-15minutes others also showed concern and it had drifted close enough for us to see it was a huge life raft and went down to retrieve it. It was then we noticed it upside down and feared there may have been bodies thrown out.

Police were called and alerted Coast Guard. I notified ABC radio and someone called in to say it was from Sealink and they had been looking for it. It had apparently broken loose from the 06:30pm ferry from Townsville due to rough seas. By 09:30am Sealink had staff on the island to deflate it and return it to the mainland. Thank goodness that is all it was and no-one was injured.

On Monday morning, during the intense thunder storm on Cleveland Bay, the young Sealink skipper of the ferry from Townsville experienced a parting of water by a huge lightning bolt, right in front of the boat! Not so funny, and so lucky as one or two seconds were all that prevented the boat being hit.

That is two Sealink days of excitement...they say things come in threes.........

Letter & photo: Barbara Gibbs