Tropical Cyclone Anthony

Tomorrow night it is forecast that Tropical Cyclone Anthony will hit Townsville. Currently it is a category 2 cyclone - meaning that it will bring destructive winds of 125 - 164 km/h. I've been obsessively checking the Bureau of Meteorology website for their 6-hourly updates on what this cyclone is forecast to do. I'm mostly able to not panic about it all too much - though I have had my moments of feeling very afraid. You see, this cyclone is just the start. On its way from Fiji is another, much bigger and meaner cyclone that could hit here again on Wednesday/Thursday. It would be a category 4 or 5. If this occurs, we will most likely lose everything. Our boat would be destroyed along with almost everything else here. Category 5 is the worst, most severe type of cyclone and not much remains standing after one of them. 

This is the current model of what cyclone Anthony will do.

We have been preparing Anima as best we can for the impending storms. She is tied up with so many ropes that the whole marina pen we are in would have to come loose for us to break free. Once again, we have been bringing in everything from above decks inside so that it won't blow away or be damaged by something blowing onto it. 

Rene continued to work on the new battery system today by building a secure area for the engine battery. We've removed the house batteries in preparation for putting in the new ones. So our early plans of sailing up to Hinchinbrook in the face of a cyclone are dashed. We can't go anywhere without power!  

Screen shot from the Bureau's wind forecast of the second, more damaging cyclone.

I've been packing up some of our belongings into our emergency evacuation bags. It's surreal looking over all of our stuff thinking what do we really need? Because if worst case scenario eventuates, whatever we take with us in those bags will be all we own. I used to be a hoarder. I kind of still am in some ways. But I realised today during my yoga practice that really, all I need is Rene, my family and my friends (old and new). The people I love are what truly brings me happiness and meaning to my life. 

I wonder if our dream of sailing Anima to Indonesia this year will still be an option after this week. Time will tell.