RogerDodger and FancyNancy Circle the Globe: Arlie Beach and the Mini Cyclone

Airlie Beach and The Mini Cyclone

On Dec. 13th we anchored at Arlie Beach about 1/2 way between Cairns and Brisbane...we tendered into the town because there was no docking available for ships of our size...Arlie is a picturesque little town of 3000 that is a huge tourist spot and doorway to the the Great Barrier Reef...we headed into town to check out the sites, maybe have a swim and a little lunch. The day was hot, hot, hot with what felt like 100% humidity...with zero breeze we were soaked with sweat within minutes of hitting the path...there is a great little lagoon set within a park where all the swimming is done...the stinger population doesn’t allow you to swim in the ocean along the shoreline. The downtown area is just what you’d expect with tons of souvenir shops and restaurants to serve the tourist. The weather was miserable so we decided we’d stop for something to drink and then head back to the ship for lunch...the day was becoming more and more hazy and the air heavier with humidity. We got back to the tender, made the short hop back to the ship and headed upstairs to the air conditioned lunch buffet...the sky was getting darker and darker and it looked like we had made it back just in time...all of a sudden the wind was howling and the rain was pouring...with a great lurch the boat swung on its anchor and felt like it laid over on the starboard side at a huge angle...the plates in the dining room all fell to the floor as well as some of the food displays, out on the deck the main pool totally emptied and a wave of 18” high hit those sitting under the protection of deck 10...all internet service has been lost since...water poured into the public areas and I was told a number of windows on deck 5 broke...there was an immediate coded announcement for the crew ECHO ECHO ECHO...it seemed as if every member of the crew was on one deck or another putting the ship back together...hours later there was another announcement assuring us all was well and these things happen. I haven’t heard that anyone on ship was harmed but I’ll tell you every passenger could tell you where they were and what they were doing when this, so called, “Mini Cyclone”, hit.