During the past weeks we got a lot of cyclonic alerts around New Caledonia (Vania, Zelia, Anthony and of course Yasi, all packed in one month)

I take time during the current cyclonic pause for explaining one of the advantages of an alloy centerborder. You know, these strange french designed blue water cruisers you can see in QLD or Darwin on their way around the world. Usualy you noticed them only when they are anchored in places so shallow you can't imagine a cruiser there. They are very popular in Europe, but not so much known in Australia.

Of course these boats are perfect for going close to the beach or enter in a very shallow lagoon. However I think that for cruising in the tropics, their main advantage is safety by allowing you to pick your place in narrow cyclonic holes.

In New Caledonia, there is no port with a total protection to cyclonic conditions. For example in Nouméa, most of the marina poles are only one feet below the high tide level. If a cyclone strikes at high tide, I let you imagine...

The two good cyclonic holes in New Caledonia are in Bay of Prony (20 miles south of Noumea) and Port Laguerre (12 miles north), where rivers allow to access inland protected waters. However in case of a cyclonic alert both of these shelters are overcrowded, with most of the boat crews having a moderate to low standarts of cyclonic anchoring. The real dangers in these places are the other boats.

We choose Port Laguerre because of its mangrove shores (better than the rocky shores of Prony for an emergency landing) and because part of the place is accessible only for shallow draft boats. Accessing to this place at any time of the tide allow you to arrive first and to pick the deeper place in the mangrove, with no other boat around. We spend three cyclonic alert safely in this place, and without our 3 feet draft our position would have been much less secure.


all details on our 42 feet alloy centerboarder design on :
via42forsale.blogspot.com


for sale 122000 AUD