Even though most sailors going north prudently sail south out of the dangerous Cyclone area, there are those who made a lifestyle of living up there all year round.
I have always gone along with the adage of if a cyclone comes just hop into the mangroves and tie off and come out after the event.
Now I go along with Allan Lucas that the best cyclone bolt hole In Australia would be Hinchinbrook , safe deep into the mangroves and tall mountains.
But a few years ago I read about a catamaran that left the marina And set up deep in the mangroves of Hinchinbrook and rode the cyclone out safely , while the boats in the marina where destroyed (By the same storm surge ) only to be lifted 20ft by the storm surge and deposited on top of the mangroves a terrifying situation though he did recover the boat safely.
So the question is it totally unseaman like to stay north and make it home or are you playing Russian roulette and your number is going to come up?
I think like with everything else it depends on your risk profile and how you negate those risks. The preparations you make to ride out the storm will depend on whether you take it into the mangroves, sail out to sea or shelter in a marina. So your question is Select to expand quoteZzzzzz said..
Is it totally unseaman like to stay north and make it home.
My personal answer would be no, it is not un-seaman like -with a couple of caveats .
Not unseamanlike in any way
what is unseaman like is what you do when one come through
get an old copy of Patrick's Curtis coast book and see what he identifies as bolt holes
growing up the trawlers all went up a creek where they had buried some old WW 2 mines in the mud and chained up to them
worked for them
Yep it would be much safer if everyone stayed south of the 25th parallel which on the east coast is coincidentally Indian Heads on Fraser island.
Select to expand quoteWander66 said..
Yep it would be much safer if everyone stayed south of the 25th parallel which on the east coast is coincidentally Indian Heads on Fraser island.
Allan Lucas said in one of his books that there are very few true cyclone bolt holes except Hinchinbrook and while anchored for a few years in Tin Can he is right
I would say there are plenty of bolt holes for multihulls. Going far up a mangrove creek and tying off a plenty would be okay for many. Percy lagoon, Island Head creek up the ends, Hill inlet, Macona even, Keppel creek, almost any creek far up and away from a river - so count me out of the Mary river. That can go way up. We have friends who have lived aboard in Cairns for about 15 years, so it is doable.
no, it's certainly not 'un-seaman like'. prople live in FNQ all year round don't they ?
it's what you do when a cyclone comes through that the seamanship comes in
personally we go south, but that's more because summer up there get's too hot for us !
finally, check your insurance. not many will cover it and all have if's, but's & maybe's...
cheers,
Select to expand quotePacificStar said..
no, it's certainly not 'un-seaman like'. prople live in FNQ all year round don't they ?
it's what you do when a cyclone comes through that the seamanship comes in
personally we go south, but that's more because summer up there get's too hot for us !
finally, check your insurance. not many will cover it and all have if's, but's & maybe's...
cheers,
Lots of people lose their boats to, it's the storm surge I am mostly worried about , the guy on the cat said it came in as a 20ft wave up every single tributary
