Cyclone Debbie

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Just got off the phone with our friends in Airlie.

He said while their boat is still afloat, it's severely damaged. Spent several hours riding on the forestay of a sunken maxi.

He says the marina is pretty much wrecked. (Not the word he used.)

He said there were many boats sunk, some that broke free, but also ones damaged by the marina coming apart. The finger they were on ended up on it's side with the concrete underside pounding their hull. The only reason their boat didn't get loose was a line he'd thrown round a pile during the eye.

He'd had to use a dinghy to get to his boat, the marina was coming apart, there was no access.

He estimated possibly 200 boats severely damaged or written off. (He's a boat builder).

The marina is unusable. He said the marina saw 251 kmh wind. This was after the eye.

Apparently Port of Airlie marina is just completely gone.

Going to take a long time to get over this one.

Oi! Not completely unexpected, but we hoped that our fears were wrong.

Marinas give such a sense of protection...

Much sympathy to those that have lost boats or other property, so glad that there seems to have been little or no loss of life. Good prep work by the emergency services and other authorities, getting folks out of harms way ahead of time has paid off, I think.

Jim

[kmacdonald]

I've never seen a marina or boat in a marina survive a direct hit unless of course it was well protected from direct winds. I thought some of the earlier pictures looked too good to be true. Glad to see there was little or no loss of life and wish everyone a speedy recovery.

[tuskie]

Our friends and their catamaran home have lived through Debbie. The cat probably having used up one more of its 9 lives.

Tied up next to maxi charter catamaran "Camira" at the Port of Airlie, she escaped with minor structural damage; gouges, broken stanchions, bent stainless work, etc. The solar panels that stayed attached were folded over like a ladies' hankerchief. The good news is that she is still floating (yes, right way up), rig intact and habitable.

Unlike our friends' emergency accommodation on land. Just as well the power was cut as water was pouring from the motel light fittings and the roof leaked profusely elsewhere.

The gamble of staying close by on land paid off as it allowed lines to be adjusted whilst the eye passed over. This risky manouvre was necessary as the dock cleats were pulling out by then and alternative anchor points had to be found before round 2 started from the opposite corner.

There is some good management as well as luck is involved in determining whether a vessel is sunk, damaged or escapes relatively unscathed in such situations. Good management in preparation, positioning and securing. Luck, however is still a huge factor in whether a larger vessel or break away marina finger takes out all your good work.

Here's hoping Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands can return to normal as quickly as possible.

[cameron82]

If anyone needs a hand pm me I'm based in brisbane so can drive up

[2Wind]

It has been hard to gather a good idea as to the true extent of devastation.
There remains a general shortage of facts, I suppose, because things are still being assessed both by government officers and by the media. Areas will still be restricted due to concerns about power lines and public safety. Social media provides some clues but tends to be rather specific to a location, a time or an experience. It is nevertheless evident that very significant hardship awaits a very sizable population, now also with food and water supply issues, not to mention power, and accommodation. In some regards, the marina and maritime issues pale into insignificance, although truly devastating for some.

With regard to the Abel Point Marina, I found this piece in the local news, which sounds unduly optimistic and a little short of specifics.

https://www.whitsundaytimes.com.au/n...-feet/3160689/

[44'cruisingcat]

The media is a waste of good air. Zero information, and the same 5 minutes of video played over and over.

[Pelagic]

I have a friend with a 48' Sport fish that he kept in Guam.
years back after a major typhoon like Debbie a 32' sailing cat had landed up on top of his Fly Bridge, while his boat remained in its slip.

Are some cats susceptible to Kiting in those extreme winds?

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Are some cats susceptible to Kiting in those extreme winds?

Perhaps NAs can chime in but as a non engineer I would suspect, all other things being equal, it would have something to do with not having a heavy keel as a counterbalance. Try flying a kite with a heavy lead weight suspended from it as compared with one without (in same wind speed conditions).

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

I have a friend with a 48' Sport fish that he kept in Guam.
years back after a major typhoon like Debbie a 32' sailing cat had landed up on top of his Fly Bridge, while his boat remained in its slip.

Are some cats susceptible to Kiting in those extreme winds?

Sure looks that way. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near one in a gale much less a hurricane.

[berenddeboer]

Also from the Whitsunday Times:

Jessica Fricker owns a 36ft yacht called Lamorna which was not even secured to a mooring and relied on two anchors and 130 meters of chain to secure it against the storm. ... Lamorna survived in tact.

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by PaulinOz

Some images taken from social media.

The right hand tip of that small island in pics #1 and #4 is where our mooring is, or used to be at least, located

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

The right hand tip of that small island in pics #1 and #4 is where our mooring is, or used to be at least, located

Was your boat on it?

[Reefmagnet]

Mine wasn't, it's back in Mackay being refitted on the hard and has survived. Unfortunately, there was a boat on my mooring that doesn't appear to be there anymore and most of my mooring neighbours have gone. Another fellow I know had his moored near the barge jetty and he saw a photo of his boat in the newspaper showing it washed ashore and badly damaged. For this poor sod, it's the second boat he's lost in pretty much the same circumstances.

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

Perhaps NAs can chime in but as a non engineer I would suspect, all other things being equal, it would have something to do with not having a heavy keel as a counterbalance. Try flying a kite with a heavy lead weight suspended from it as compared with one without (in same wind speed conditions).

Seriously? you think a mono that weighs 10 tonne will not get blown around as against a cat that weighs 10 tonne. Just because the mono has the weight at the bottom. Seriously

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

Perhaps NAs can chime in but as a non engineer I would suspect, all other things being equal, it would have something to do with not having a heavy keel as a counterbalance. Try flying a kite with a heavy lead weight suspended from it as compared with one without (in same wind speed conditions).

Originally Posted by Factor

Seriously? you think a mono that weighs 10 tonne will not get blown around as against a cat that weighs 10 tonne. Just because the mono has the weight at the bottom. Seriously

Gentlemen,
Please consider surface area first and then weight rather than centre of gravity.