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Ex-cyclone Debbie has made a mess of waterways and boats from north of Bowen down to NSW. You got any boat stories or pictures?

It passed to the west of my place after it crossed the coast up north around Bowen then went inland. We got heaps of rain in Rockhampton, close by my house got about 150 mm in the rain gauge over night. Consequently, the river has jumped up with local run off and is running fast. Lots of weed. Plenty of boats dragging.

When I was at the boat club this morning, half a dozen dinghies suddenly roared off from the pontoon to just across the river and up a bit. A poly dinghy was doing donuts, nobody on board. Apparently a guy had fallen out, maybe trying to pull weed off the mooring rope or something. Wasn't wearing a lifejacket. The dinghies were going backwards and forwards trying to find him. He managed to swim to shore which was safe enough, apart from crocs, because with the water risen, he could swim right into shallows that had grass and gravel underneath. Normally the banks are steep mud.



Over at the club, a couple of blokes are working hard to make their boat on the slip watertight before the flood rises any higher. The slip trolley is up as far as it can go.



Rafts of hyacinth weed are coming down and can pile up on the front of moored boats. Not so easy even getting dinghies in and out on the ramp.

Good pics Troppo.

Azzurra is awaiting the Clarence R. rise - has 9m chain extention on mooring with rope detensioner

Will see what morning brings

Pacific Hwy rerouted around Grafton currently , rowing club cleared out boats

Wow Dean, you have had some rain down your way. Hope Azzurra is doing ok.

troppo

Looks like the Clarence just missed the worst of it, Louis. River only 2.3m here now but peak prob a day away upstream.

Everything north is different. Wonder how Ballina and Gold Coast boats going

Looks like the Fitzroy R. is going big. Luck to Rocky boaties

In Rocky, many of the boats have been taken half way down the river to a place called the 'Cut-through' where the river once had a big bend but cut a short cut through in a big flood about ten year or more ago. Left the big bend to the side. So the old bend is silting up but is right out of the main flow of water. People will anchor in a group and a few will stay on board for the next few weeks to keep an eye on the boats.

Several boats have sunk. Some weed had been coming down and causing a problem but one night a mass of weed came down, bank to bank. Too much can pile up on a mooring or anchor chain and pull the boat under. My mate was called out about 7 pm as his boat was dragging. He had put her down the river out of the way several days previous and checked every evening. However, when the big mass of weed came down, boats were in trouble everywhere.

He tried two boat ramps before he found one not so totally clogged with weed that he could get his boat in. He and his son in law roared down river. Had to stop regularly as the prop was fouling with weed. Then they ran aground, the boat going right up a bank, the prop just about out of the water. This is in the middle of the river in the dark. They jumped out and pushed their boat back in. The ground was a bit spongy. It was a mass of floating weed. Not a real island at all.

So, tomorrow I will go out with my mate on the river to help with checking the boats. Weed has gone but more bunches of it could come down with new flood peaks from upstream. I have been to the boat club a few times and helped at the boat ramp as guys are coming and going in their dinghies often by themselves and with the weed and other boats using the ramp, an extra hand to hold the boat while the owner goes for the car and trailer or whatever is appreciated. Certainly lots of anxious people around.

troppo
in Rockhampton with the Fitzroy River heading for a major flood

You take very good care of yourself Louis.

Geez. That's terrible for all.

Clarence peaked at only 2.7m here and we were lucky that the pulse from 2wks ago cleared the weed.

I saw one hyacinth clump the size of a small cottage charging down the outside bend and rafts of timber several m2 actually went inside the mooring field on the inside bank, but nothing like Rocky

dism wrote:Geez. That's terrible for all.

Clarence peaked at only 2.7m here and we were lucky that the pulse from 2wks ago cleared the weed.

I saw one hyacinth clump the size of a small cottage charging down the outside bend and rafts of timber several m2 actually went inside the mooring field on the inside bank, but nothing like Rocky

Maybe the Clarence River wasn't as bad as what Rockhampton is experiencing this time but what you had in the Clarence with weed and timber is still bad enough. Even one clump of weed as big as a cottage can cause problems if it snags a mooring rope. I'm glad your boat is okay.

troppo

Anyone else got pictures of the floods?

I went down the river today with boating mates. Looks nice and peaceful. Sun shining. Blue sky. Water is lower than a few days ago as a small peak has gone through. Not low for long. The graph of the water height not too far upstream is slowly rising. Two days and a half upstream as the water travels, the river has risen fast up past its major flood level and is still rising but not as fast. Be down here about mid week.

Due to the massive amount of weed coming down one night, the local boats have been through hell. I was told 17 have not made it. Sunk. Practically no weed today even though some started coming through before I came home.

I will be writing up about the flood and putting in in my blog.

troppo