Thursday, March 12, 2015

Cyclone!

We here in the north of New Zealand are for the most part just far enough south of the warm tropical seas to miss the worst of the tropical revolving storms that tear through the western Pacific at this time of year, but global warming and the warming of the oceans means that we're not quite so protected as we once were.
As I write there is a seriously big cyclone rampaging around in between Vanuatu and Fiji, heading this way,

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/67314645/tropical-cyclone-pam-becomes-category-5-supercyclone

I really do hope that it slides through the gap between those two countries, there are a lot of people there who dont have a lot in the way of resources and who can be really badly affected by a storm like this.

Its heading south, we're not that far away and its predicted to pass us just out to the east late on Sunday, with seriously bad weather along the eastern coast, while I'm a couple of miles up a river that has a narrow mouth protected by a big sandbar, and have a high bush clad escarpment sheltering the river I'm still preparing for the worst.  Its high tide about 3 pm, just before things are likely to get serious, and storm surge can mean the water coming well above normal levels. That plus the threat of wave action means I'm doubling up my mooring lines, disconnecting shore power and lifting all the machinery in my boatshed well up off the floor.

I was to take a group out fishing tomorrow, sorry guys, hopefully next weekend.

J

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