Around 5am on Thursday morning, the 19-metre-long Volition washed onto the rocks near the Bermagui Headland. Holidaying, we climbed the headland to see. Binoculared locals had gathered too, speculating on the cause of the incident - talk of fisherman asleep at the helm and mechanical faults. The heritage wooden ship had just been restored, according to one. Â
On Thursday afternoon the fishing longliner looked mostly intact, leaning heavily on the port side. Dad and I climbed down for a closer look. There was red netting on the stone, and we were told the ship’s occupants simply rock-hopped to safety in the dark. But that night, the swell picked her up and relentlessly beat her against the rocks and seafloor till little was left complete. The next morning, beaches were closed, and by Saturday a crane was positioned to extract the parts from the rocky terrain. Ropes, doors, bright lifesaving devices, redwood decking, all retrieved and heaped on the shore above. Some of the largest pieces would be retrieved last, reaching around the headland. Some pieces were lost out to sea.
