To All Our Marina Customers and Residents,

Important Notice to All Marina Customers - Tropical Cyclone Update 4 Thursday 25 January 2024

This morning’s advice from BOM has the Warning Area from Innisfail to Sarina, which includes Townsville. TC Kirrily was finally declared a Tropical Cyclone yesterday afternoon and is currently a Category 1 intensity cyclone with 85km/h winds near its centre and wind gusts about to 120km/h. The system has picked up speed and is moving west southwest at 19km/h. On its approach to the coast today, it is expected to strengthen to a Category 2 strength system and cross the coast tonight in the vicinity of Townsville.

Effective Wednesday afternoon, we progressed Breakwater’s Cyclone Condition status to Yellow which required Boat Owners to wrap-up their cyclone preparations and for all vessels sitting up on Air Docks to be lowered into the water and re-tied to the pontoons. This action is deliberate to lower the wind loadings and it is compulsory.

The intensification of TC Kirrily and its forecast track to a location on the coast that is either at or close to Townsville is the most recent and best prediction. Consequently, Breakwater’s Cyclone Condition status is being progressed to Condition Blue effective immediately.

This Cyclone Condition progression to Blue is considered very seriously. Cyclone Condition Blue requires the absolute final preparations of the property and all boats to be finalised in readiness for damage control and evacuation. It is an interim condition ahead of our final Cyclone Condition Red and it’s the time we strongly recommend all Marina users make use of to voluntarily evacuate the Marina precinct.

Your Vessel and Personal preparations in Cyclone Condition Blue includes:

• Finalise all vessel and personal preparations and prepare to evacuate the Marina precinct.
• Monitor public media: TV, Radio, VHF for all Cyclone Warning Updates
• Prepare your vessel for shore power to be turned off.
• Disconnect your sensitive onboard electronics and disconnect hoses from marina pedestals.
• Remove food and other perishables from onboard fridges and freezers.

With respect to concluding your roping of your vessel, please consider the following:

• Boats with vacant berths beside them may rope across the vacant berth now. If you elect to do this, please confirm you’ve done so; your heads-up allows us to maintain accurate records of which berths are available for emergency use.
• Do not add ropes from your boat that run across the main walkways; these ropes are a categorical trip and fall risk so please do not rope across main walkways.
• With the agreement of your neighbour, you may share cleats on opposing sides of a shared marina finger.
•  Do not use Ratchet straps and chains to secure your boat. These have no stretch and are more likely to cause damage to onboard tie-off points and the pontoon cleats.
• Do not tie-off to a neighbours boat under any circumstances.
• Do not tie-off to marina infrastructure like fire equipment or pedestals; these will not support your vessel, they will inevitably be damaged and lead to prolonged delays in getting services restored after the cyclone event has passed.

With the inevitability of TC Kirrily impacting Townsville and obviously the coast on which we reside, we will definitely advance our Cyclone Condition status to Condition Red this afternoon. In response to the approaching weather system, I note that all Council services and venues have been closed today, bus services have ceased, schools are closed, the Townsville Port is now closed, and Townsville airport closes at midday.

We acknowledge many of our Marina customers are short and long term residents on their boats and that an evacuation order is disruptive but the predicted impacts are potentially damaging and local and therefore too unsafe to remain onboard. For the purpose of enabling our customers, and particularly our Residents, to plan for the mandatory evacuation order, we will be advancing Breakwater’s Cyclone Condition status to Condition Red at 2pm this afternoon. This is in line with the advice from the Townsville Local Disaster Management Group for all Townsville residents to expect Damaging winds from around 2pm and to stay off the roads and to remain in a safe place.

We strongly encourage all Marina users to voluntarily leave the Marina precinct at the earliest opportunity practicable; ahead of the mandatory evacuation order at 2pm this afternoon and prior to the prevailing conditions worsening and becoming dangerous to be getting around in.

If you don’t have a commercial premise or residence to seek shelter, the Council have declared 2 refuge shelters open as of last night. We refer you to the Townsville Local Disaster Management Group website for details.

For a quick heads-up in respect to the aftermath and when it’ll be safe to return to the Marina and shore power will be turned back on, it’s difficult to say at this point with any certainty but we’ll be doing the relevant checks as early as practicable on Friday morning and circulate advice on email when we’ve concluded the necessary safety checks.

Marina staff will be getting around today and are available to help and we’ll have staff onsite tomorrow as soon as it safe to do so.

Scott Marshall    |    General Manager          
BREAKWATER MARINA, TOWNSVILLE