How we survived ex-Cyclone Oswald on our Manson Supreme.

Sat, 9 Feb 2013

Cindy and John Curby of the s/v Beverly Ann, a 50ft displacement yacht, describe how they were able to ride out ex-Cyclone Oswald, off Moreton Island near Brisbane on Australia's east coast.

We recently had a bad experience when our old 65 lb Bruce anchor dragged and left us stranded for a day and a half.

After studying the alternatives we decided to immediately upgrade to a Manson Supreme. We opted for an 80lb anchor, one size up from the 60lb recommended for our 50ft medium displacement yacht, as we tend to anchor out and travel to remote locations.

A few days after installing the Manson we were anchored off Moreton Island near Brisbane, just as ex-cyclone Oswald hit south-east Queensland. For four days we sat at anchor on our new Manson watching as the massive storm battered the coast. Wind speeds at times exceeded 65 knots, and we spent a day and night with sustained winds over 50 knots. The experience of trying to sleep through 50 knot winds was interesting to say the least. Keeping a constant watch on our anchor alarm, and regularly recording our position, convinced us that the anchor hadn’t budged.

At the height of the storm our 16mm nylon snubber line snapped, but the Manson held solid. The winds were strong enough to cover our deck in sand from the sand dunes a mile away. The storm tragically left six people dead, with over $200 million in damages, with some regions suffering their worst floods on record.

We are extremely pleased with the Manson and will not hesitate to recommend it.

Dragging and stranding on our old anchor was an expensive, messy, and distressing experience. We already have total confidence in our new Manson. It is cheap insurance given the alternative.

by Cindy and John Curby