How do I prepare a boat for a cyclone at a marina?
Short answer
Read your marina's cyclone plan before the season starts and know whether it requires you to leave. Many marinas north of about 25 degrees south operate a formal plan that may direct vessels out of the marina to a designated safe anchorage or haul-out once a warning is issued, and berth-holders are usually contractually bound by it. Decide in advance where your boat goes, because berths in cyclone-rated facilities and haul-out slots both disappear within hours of a warning.
How to Prepare a Boat for a Cyclone at a Marina: practical steps
- Get the cyclone plan in writing before the seasonAsk whether the marina is cyclone-rated, whether vessels must leave on a warning, and what your obligations are under the berthing licence.
- Confirm your insurance requirementsMany policies have named-storm conditions and a defined cyclone zone. Check what your insurer requires you to do, and by when.
- Book a haul-out slot or safe berth earlyIf the plan is to come out of the water, the slot must be arranged well before a warning, not during one.
- Have a written plan for an absent ownerIf you may not be in the state, agree in advance who has authority to move the boat and who holds keys.
- Prepare the vessel itselfStrip canvas, remove windage, double lines with chafe protection, and secure or land anything that can become a projectile.
- Know the trigger pointsUnderstand what stage of warning starts each step, and act on the earlier one rather than the later.
Questions to ask the marina
- Is this marina cyclone-rated, and to what standard?
- Does your cyclone plan require vessels to leave, and at what warning stage?
- Can I pre-book a haul-out or a cyclone mooring?
- Who moves my boat if I am not in the state?
