I think I might loose my boat tonight.

[Sybarite]

Our thoughts are with you. Hope it turns out not as badly as you think.

[Lady Campanula]

You're in our thoughts tonight, and I'm sure we'd all like to be able to help rather more than that.

It may be a while, but we're looking forward to hearing from you, when you can.....

'LC'

[john_morris_uk]

Good luck - everything crossed for the survival. I hope that people have taken the chance to get themselves somewhere safe and noone is killed. I suspect that is a vain hope, but I will be thinking of you all - and your cat.

[benlui]

Oh dear. Thats terrible. I sailed that area in 2000 how wonderful it is. Fingers crossed for you there.

[Csail]

Hope you checked insurance is valid?

[William_H]

Best wishes Brian I hope the boat survives. More so I hope your son is OK.
I guess your biggest concern is for the integrity of the mooring and especially of the mooring of other boats to windward of your boat. The storm surge (additional 2 metres) will strain a lot of moorings.
Then you get the worry of wind loading on rigging windows etc. Who knows you may be lucky.

I find it intrigueing to think that that kind of wind speed the average light aircraft will fly very well and that small Cessnas will be approaching VNE. That is max dive speed above which the wings may fall off. All without leaving the ground. Also if flying into the wind it would be flying backwards at 40knots.

So good luck you certainly will need it. As will so many people in FNQ. We spent a couple of weeks there last winter. Beautiful country I just want to go back (but not today).
So as I write the wind will be getting up to screaching already it will be so hot and humid and over all that menacing sky. (Shivers) thinking of you olewill

[CodStewart]

Gambatte! (Good Luck in Japanese)

[oldsaltoz]

Sorry to Oldsaltoz if my post came over badly.

Don't think about it, I thought it was funny.

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Late to the party on this one...

My heart sank when I read your post. I'm very glad your son is off though.

The Morgana household have all their fingers crossed for your boat to survive through the winds.

Best of Luck

[oldsaltoz]

Update:
Some good news, Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Yasi has decided to head about a hundred km further South before it crosses the coast this evening local time.

This has now been declared the biggest cyclone to ever hit Australia.

The fact that it has moved south by 100 km is significant because Cairns will nor get some protection due to the coastal range just to the south.

Winds in Cairns right now are only 90 kph and most of the tidal surge is still on it's way.

Channel 7 has been broadcasting from all effected areas all day today, and have reporters bunkered down for the night to continue reporting the final crossing of the coast.

In typical Ozzie humour one bloke putting up boards over shop windows painted a sign saying "Kiss my Yasi" another said" we don't serve cyclones here".

Bottom line:
With all the measures taken so far our chances of still have our boat in the morning just got about 30% better.
Will advise in the morning local time if nothing else develops overnight.

Good luck and fair winds.