Realtime update: Gold Coast City Marina

Like the Caribbean has a hurricane season, the Pacific has a cyclone season. Between November and May, there is an increased risk of cyclones forming and our insurance states that we need to be out of the ‘cyclone area’. The definition of this area seems to vary depending on the insurance company, but for us it means that, officially, Escapade should be south of 30 degrees (Coffs Harbour). However, it is recognised that the further south you are, the lower the risk and, with specific permission (and an increased excess), we are able to stay within the southern end of the cyclone belt. Obviously, we still need to choose our base wisely and ensure that, if a cyclone did form, Escapade would be secure. Gold Coast City Marina is 10nm up river and has a robust cyclone procedure. We felt confident that this would be a safe haven for Escapade.

We booked into the marina for three months and set about preparing Escapade for the upcoming cyclone season, including removing the sails, bimini and loose deck items.

This preparation was especially important for us, as we will be leaving the boat for six weeks to head off for a land based tour of New Zealand. As we will be travelling around, it will be difficult for us to post about our adventures. However, rest assured we will be taking plenty of photos to share with you once we return. See you in a couple of months!