To All Our Marina Customers,

Tropical Cyclone Jasper Update 4 – Monday 11 December 2023 at 1300pm

As predicted, TC Jasper has weakened and is now a Category 1 strength system, moving slowly westward towards the far north Queensland coast. Jasper is forecast to cross the coast on Wednesday, having re-gained some intensity, as a category 2 system between Cape Flattery and Cardwell. It is possible Jasper may strengthen again to a severe category 3 system should it move slowly toward the coast and cross over night Wednesday or in to Thursday.

The current predicted track puts Townsville on the southern edge of the Warning Zone.  

TC Jasper will weaken as it moves inland during Thursday towards the Gulf.   

The BOM have issued a Marine Gale Coastal Wind Warning as of 10am this morning for Mackay, Townsville and up to Cairns and which is forecast to extend for the Cooktown and Townsville coasts tomorrow. Locally, damaging winds with an average strength of 60 to 70km/h with peak gusts of around 90km/h are expected to impact offshore islands and along exposed parts of the coastline between Mackay and Bowen this morning. The winds are expected to strengthen between Bowen and Cape Upstart later this evening.

For Townsville, the prospect of damaging winds and rain is reliant upon the track Jasper takes once it’s crossed the coast but the forecasts propose an increased chance of wind and rain in Townsville from Tuesday through to Thursday.   

The recommendation is therefore that boat owners continue with their readiness measures. Upgrading and replacing mooring ropes that aren’t fit for purpose or are in poor condition along with doubling the number of lines has been the number one problem we’ve been consulting with boat owners on over the last few weeks. There are still examples of boats with inadequate and insufficient numbers of mooring ropes and we expect these owners to take immediate steps to improve the readiness of their boats for whatever conditions Jasper may bring and the inevitable storm systems that will prevail for the remainder of the season.

We will continue to monitor the TC Jasper updates from BOM and other forecasters and will provide our Marina customers with notices of any notable changes to the predictions for Jasper and corresponding changes we make to our Cyclone Warning System in accordance with our Cyclone Management Plan (CMP).

For now, Townsville is on the southern border of the Warning Zone. Breakwater Marina will remain in Condition Green which is the first and normal state of readiness phase of our Cyclone Warning System under our Cyclone Management Plan.   

We received a number of notes from boat owners over the weekend in respect to the progress they have made to prepare their boats and we continue to encourage that communication as it goes along way to helping our Emergency Management. And finally, should you identify any problems or concerns around the Marina, please let us know as soon as practicable so we can assess it and deliver a solution if necessary.    

As is always the case, don’t hesitate to contact us should you need any help. 

Scott Marshall   

General Manager
BREAKWATER MARINA