River in major flood - where best to anchor!

skyflyer

skyflyer

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 Jan 2011
Messages
1,433
Location
Worcester, UK
Visit site
Not the UK and not me! My wife just had an update from her cousin in Oz who have been warned that due to torrential rain etc the river they are on will soon be in major flood with large debris being swept downstream. They dont have time to get all the way out to sea and winds are gusting to 70 kts

What worried me was she was talking about anchoring up on the OUTSIDE of a bend?? Surely the slower water will be on the inside always and the debris will tend to be swept clear towards the outside of the bend?

Or am i missing something?

Any other tips? - motoring against the stream I guess is one idea.

(It is the Mary River, Maryborough, Oz - if anyone is interested!)

{just looked it up - forecast doesnt seem that bad, but maybe its localised ]
 
Last edited:
skyflyer said:
What worried me was she was talking about anchoring up on the OUTSIDE of a bend?? Surely the slower water will be on the inside always and the debris will tend to be swept clear towards the outside of the bend?

Or am i missing something?
Click to expand...

From my rather rusty geological knowledge of sediment transport, I'd agree that the strongest stream will be on the outside of the bend - it must be. However, it isn't clear that that is where the most debris will be; think of floating tea-leaves in a cup - they move to the centre, where the velocity is least. I'll leave a physicist to explain why, but I'd imagine the same happens to floating material on a river bend. Intuitively that makes sense; sediment is deposited on the inside of a river bend, and eroded away from the outside.

I doubt there's any safe way of handling the situation; in their position I'd be thinking about ways of getting the boat out of the water. It certainly sounds like it wouldn't be safe to stay aboard!
 
The TV news I saw last night of the area, not sure which river (a number are affected) had a number of yachts being swept down the river. The forecast might not have been bad but the conditions were pretty awful.
 
Its been tipping it down for four days in that part of Oz-south Queensland-and seriously too wet to go out on the road according to my daughter in Cooroy and Tornadoes forcast around Brisbane.
 
Last edited:
skyflyer said:
just looked it up - forecast doesnt seem that bad, but maybe its localised ]
Click to expand...
It has been pretty hairy up there. The wind and rain have passed over now, but there still could be a lot of water to come down the river up there on Sunshine Coast. Worst winds passed. Here in Brisbane the tide didn't really go out after this morning's high, and now the next tide is coming in on top of it. Ipswich threatened with 14 metres of flood - Brizzie a mere 2.6.
 
Amulet said:
It has been pretty hairy up there. The wind and rain have passed over now, but there still could be a lot of water to come down the river up there on Sunshine Coast. Worst winds passed. Here in Brisbane the tide didn't really go out after this morning's high, and now the next tide is coming in on top of it. Ipswich threatened with 14 metres of flood - Brizzie a mere 2.6.
Click to expand...
Poor old Pete Bernfield (Troutbridge). First all the troubles with the reef etc in Suva (Fiji) and now this in the Brisbane river.

Must be wondering what he did wrong to have such a run of bad luck.

Edit:
Doesn't seem too downhearted!
http://blog.mailasail.com/troutbridge/729
 
Last edited:
My boat is at Mooloolaba on Sunshine Coast with 200ml of rain and 40 knot winds. I'm in north east Victoria with bushfire just over hill. 7 km away. OK if wins stays in south. If it shifts to north we are in big trouble.

Fortunately previous owner and neighbour on live aboard in next berth are keeping on eye on the boat and keeping me posted.

Australia -a land of contrasts!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top