Cyclone Plan - Great Barrier Reef | Sailor.com.au

OUR CYCLONE PLAN

All our relocation crews read and use this Cyclone Plan - it forms part of their saftey gear.

FEAR, UNCERTAINTY AND DOUBT

It is human nature to be wary of the things we do not understand or are unfamiliar with. The mention of tropical cyclones strikes fear in many people because of a lack of understanding of cyclones and how to deal with a cyclone at sea.

Facing a cyclone is a rare event for many sailors and the best protection against the destructive forces of cyclones is to understand them, be prepared for them, to act early and decisively – and of course to know what to do.

If you are considering doing an offshore passage during cyclone season around the Great Barrier Reef you should read our Cyclone Plan - it may save your life, or may help prevent a costly incident. It's a quick read with some good background information.

FOR SAFER PASSAGES

“THE WELL-PREPARED VESSEL IS MUCH MORE LIKELY TO COME THROUGH A GRUELLING STORM WITH ONLY MINOR PROBLEMS. YET STORMS CAN BE A TREMENDOUS TEST OF ENDURANCE AND, DESPITE VERY CAREFUL PREPARATION, MUCH DEPENDS UPON THE COOL JUDGMENT, COURAGE, PHYSICAL FITNESS AND TENACITY OF THE SKIPPER AND CREW”

HEAVY WEATHER SAILING BY K ADLARD COLES, 1968.

Sailor.com.au is a champion for the adoption of comprehensive, science-based guidelines and contemporary approaches in the area of risk management for recreational yachts (that are cruising, racing or being relocated). These guidelines are an evolving document, which will be updated periodically as new facts emerge revealing better ways to deal with the cyclones at sea. This plan is primarily aimed at recreational yachts less than 16m in length. However, the principles outlined may be equally applicable to larger yachts or those who cruise offshore for lengthy distances.

As part of our desire to support the sailing community we are also pleased to make this work available free of charge - for now.

This plan is primarily aimed at recreational yachts less than 16m in length. However, the principles outlined may be equally applicable to larger yachts or those who cruise offshore for lengthy distances

SOME USEFUL LINKS

USEFUL TOOLS FOR WEATHER ANALYSIS

You should check for cyclone warnings on the following sites before pushing out when going in cyclone areas

JTWC Tropical Warnings
https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/jtwc.html?tropical

EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR MEDIUM-RANGE WEATHER FORECAST
Tropical storm probabilities - Extended range forecast
Probability that a tropical storm, a tropical depression or a hurricane will strike within 300 km for weekly periods. Up to 46 days out.
https://www.ecmwf.int/en/forecasts/charts/catalogue/mofc_multi_tcyc_family_forecast

BOM CYCLONE OUTLOOK
http://www.bom.gov.au/qld/forecasts/cyclone.shtml

Also, BOM’s Meteye also usually includes cyclones
http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/meteye/

The ACCESS ((Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator) model from BOM is also useful
http://www.bom.gov.au/marine/wind.shtml

Operational tropical cyclone advisories and warning information from WMO Severe Weather Information Centre.
https://severeweather.wmo.int/TCFW/

NZ MET SERVICE
https://www.metservice.com/warnings/tropical-cyclone-activity

Levi Cowan’s TROPICALTIDBITS.COM

Has good analysis on developing TC
https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/storminfo/

EARTH
https://earth.nullschool.net/

WINDY
https://www.windy.com/

DOWNLOAD OUR CYCLONE PLAN