
Photo source: Ocean Crusaders.
Airlie Beach Race Week’s Lay Day wasn’t all about sailors kicking back on the foreshore, with a different kind of crew taking to the water for a clean-up of the Whitsunday coastline.
The mid-week break from one of Airlie Beach’s premier sailing events saw Ocean Crusaders lead a beach clean-up cruise, with Ocean Rafting once again lending one of its vessels to transport volunteers to the clean-up sites.
Dedicated to protecting the marine environment, Ocean Crusaders combine community and commercial clean-up events with education around the importance of keeping rubbish out of the ocean.
The crusade saw 27 volunteers hop on board, and over the course of their 5 hour journey the team collected an official weight of around 550 kilograms, mostly consisting of boat parts, hard plastics, far too many beverage containers and an unusual amount of ‘floater’ golf balls.