Abell Point start the clean up after TC Debbie

by Abell Point Marina on 30 Mar 2017 The crew at Abell Point Marina are working hard to assess the damage after the wrath of tropical cyclone Debbie tore through the Whitsunday islands and mainland coast on Tuesday 28 March. The category 4 cyclone reached the mainland coast at approximately midday on Tuesday 28 March and brought with it destructive winds and heavy rainfall.

The marina crew were onsite as soon as the main event had passed and are working around the clock to assess the damage. Pontoon fingers in the north marina have cracked, as a result of the destructive winds and huge swells at the high tide. Crews are out throughout the marina further securing vessels and chaining pontoons where possible to prevent further movement until the weather abates. The full extent of the damage is at this moment unknown and it will take some time for the entire marina and all infrastructure to be assessed.

With over 500 vessels berthed in the marina throughout the cyclone, the heavy winds and rainfall continued well into the night and long after the cyclone had crossed land. The sheer size and force of the system resulted in damage of some marina infrastructure and basic services (power, water, fuel). To further exacerbate the situation, on Wednesday night over 24 hours after the eye of the storm passed, the region experienced over 150mm of rainfall in one hour as the entire region was hit again by electrical storms and flash flooding.

Power has been lost to over 65,000 residents in the Whitsunday region and with road closures prohibiting access for the defence force and other emergency support services. As soon as power and water are restored, additional crews will be brought in to assist with the reconstruction of the marina.

The coming weeks will be a period of consolidation and logistical coordination for the Abell Point team, but General Manager Luke McCaul is confident the team will pull together to ensure full access to marina services, by the start of the cruising season. “This is the biggest weather event to ever have affected the Whitsunday region. Whilst the marina and community has sustained damage, we have a strong team working towards restoring our services and ensuring as little disruption as possible to normal business. We appreciate there will be customers concerned about their vessels and their bookings and we will endeavor to contact all customers over the coming days as we have more information.”

Upon the advice of the regional harbor master the port is now open and vessels are able to move in and out and to be aware of the possibility of marine debris in the water. As with the rest of the Whitsunday community, Abell Point will work tirelessly to ensure the Whitsundays region remains open for business and show the rest of the country that our resilience and tenacity will once again see us through this very challenging time.

For all customers, the best form of contact at present is via our Facebook page Facebook Page. We will contact all customers once our phone and email communications are back online.

Editor's Note: We also heard from Dream Yacht Sales (below) who are inside Abell Point Marina. In talking with Abell Point, we learned that the roads to Airlie are closed, with the Army arriving soon to assist with clearing that. The rain has stopped this afternoon, and the marina is by and large OK, with repairs to be undertaken once conditions have stabilised enough for workers to go out on the quays, as severe rain and electrical storms following in behind the winds. Thankfully, the human cost has not been huge, and we wish all in the are the very best with recovery and getting the site ready for tourists to return.

Fortunately we have not sustained any Major Damage to our vessels at this point, however we are still assessing all of our vessels, and damage to the Marina Pontoons etc. Our thoughts and prayers are with our Friends, Neighbours, Colleagues and Fellow Businesses who have not fared so well during this incredibly stressful and damaging event.

Currently we have no Power or Water and our servers are down, therefore we are unable to access our emails or reply to them. However we have a new dedicated email address which you may use to contact us. dreamyachtsalesaus@gmail.com.

Our Office telephone 07 4946 7400 is working intermittently however please use the email address to contact us and we will reply as soon as possible. Please be patient and bear with us as we are endeavouring to restore normal function within the coming days, however this will be dependent on re-instatement of Power to the area.

For more information regarding Road Closures and Whitsunday Council please click on the links to the websites. Road Closures: live.racq.com.au Whitsunday Council: Whitsunday.qld.gov.au.

We value your continued support during this difficult time and trust that we will soon be up and running and we look forward to assisting you with the purchase of the Yacht of your Dreams and welcoming you and your families and friends with our typical QYC service and sailing adventures.