Boats in Fitzroy River flood

[Troppo]

The Fitzroy River at Rockhampton Qld floods regularly in summer. This summer has been extremely dry but we finally got a small flood. Not everyone has moved their boats around the corner to try and get out of the main flow but I took Windchaser down early. She's around the first corner but most go down around the second corner.

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Yesterday the flood level, which did not even reach 'Minor' status had dropped slightly but the run is still fast. Unlike other years, not much weed has come down. Been plenty of sticks and logs, some longer than Windchaser.

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Usually I check Windchaser from the bank. Yesterday she had a branch caught on the anchor rope so I went into town and came down in my dinghy. The flow is really something. Landing on Windchaser, I had the outboard running just under half throttle to stay in one position against the run to come in against the side of the boat.

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Even taking photos, I found tricky as no time to spend gazing through the viewfinder. Just a quick snap and keep an eye on what the current is doing and where the floating debris is. Don't want the motor to hit anything. Water way too fast to row against.

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The stick was about 3 metres long. Only held on by the force of the water. The stick was almost off. Worse are the logs with branches that get stuck and have to be cut off or hauled upstream to pull off. Or cut the anchor rope (leave a float on it). When there is weed,it builds up on any caught logs and can pull the boat under.

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On the boat, I tied the dinghy on with two ropes as no way did I want the dinghy getting free. The water sizzles past. Using a mooring hook I remove the sticks.

Going back upriver to the ramp, I make a detour to snap a pic of one boat having a little drama. I didn't try and pull the log off. It's not a real big one but the force of water holding it on would be fierce. One person in a small dinghy attempting stuff like that in this type of water is getting close to suicide I reckon.

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The force of the water is surprisingly strong. It does not take much of a stick caught on the anchor rode to create fierce drag. Seen boats drifting downriver, mats of weed and sticks on the bow, dragging their mooring.

Boats certainly are a lot of fun. No end to the excitement.

troppo

[Shaun]

No end to the excitement, indeed!.

Yes, not much you could do with that larger yacht, looks like a lot of force to bring the stern up like that.

Just had a look on google Earth, doesn't look like very many places to tuck into a little creek there, maybe behind Long Island, or right up near Yaamba, do you go up that far?
cheers

[Troppo]

Hi Shaun, interesting you say about Yaamba and Long Island. There is actually a dam (barrage) across the river in Rockhampton above the train bridge and two road bridges. No access for a keel boat. In the old days when Rockhampton was an international port, before the barrage, and boats carrying gold and beef and stuff made their way down river to where ever, the good boating folk of Rockhampton often used to go up river for their weekend picnics. Go up far enough and you would get away from mud and mangroves, there are some massive sand banks rising many metres from the water. Nice places to sit under giant paperbark trees and boil the billy. Out of the question now.

To get out of most of the flood run, I sit on an inside corner where there is still enough water under the keel that I won't be high and dry once the flood water goes down. In the photo below, I have anchored Windchaser about where the pink arrow points to. The main current runs hard against the opposite bank, eroding it away. Not too much flow where I am compared to the other side. Further down river on the same side as me, the water shallows considerably so I don't go there. Further around still and there is a small creek coming out of the mangroves. A shallow draft boat can hide in there but not one with a keel like a Top Hat. I don't know what around the big corner is like to anchor in floods.

In the picture where the river comes straight out of the town area, just as it curves, there is a reasonable creek. This provides safe anchorage when there is no local run off. The local flow has gone, what is coming down the river is from out west. A half dozen boats are in that little creek. I had thought of going into it but am okay where I am. I could not get there now as the current is in excess of 6 knots.

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Since where I am is 95% protected, I feel reasonably confident of my boat surviving. Friends in a big converted trawler are not far away and they text me if any problems.

troppo