Nautilus supports smashed boaters

When multiple tornadoes swept through the Bundaberg region in Queensland, the entire community braced for an onslaught of wind damage backed up by massive floods down the Burnett River.

According to independent marine assessor, John Webster, the onset of the floods with little warning, made life difficult. "The flood was very intense and came out of nowhere," John Webster said.

"By any account this is a huge disaster for the general community as a whole. The boating community was hit hard too, especially with many people in this region who live on board their boat as their permanent residence."

Nautilus Marine received calls from customers immediately following the weather patterns when they hit in Bundaberg. With a large concentration of live-aboard boaters in Bundaberg, loss adjusters and surveyors were immediately appointed to manage losses in consultation with Nautilus Marine claims staff.

Damage to vessels where it was uneconomical to repair were settled immediately, partial loss repairs continue to be undertaken as infrastructure is ready to assist with these repairs.

John Webster's immediate problem for the initial few days was getting access to the town of Bundaberg, as the police had closed all access roads. Just as soon as he was able to enter Bundaberg, John was busy assisting Nautilus Marine insured boaters with their boats and the recovery process.

"We wound up having boats swept out to sea that needed to be towed back in. There were boats dumped in cane fields. It was a real mess."

Overseeing the Bundaberg situation, Nautilus Marine CEO Lyndon Turner was determined to do whatever was possible to assist.

"While damaged boats can be repaired or paid out if a total loss, we are ever mindful that in many cases these boats are actually where our insured also live. Our clear objective was to give priority to the people who lived aboard their boat."

Typical of the victims were Geoff and Marian White, owners of a Simpson Cloud 9 sailing cat. They had survived the 2011 floods in Bundaberg sustaining relatively minor damage which was covered by their Nautilus Marine insurance policy.

But this time, the 2013 incident in Bundaberg was substantially worse. With their boat moored at the Midtown Marina on the Burnett River in Bundaberg, the advice given was that their cat would be best protected by staying at the marina. Nobody realised the ferocity of the winds and the speed at which the river would rise and the speed that it would hit.

But as the water rose to 3.4m, the marina pontoons were set to lift off their pylons, restrained only by a tab at the top. Eventually the floodwaters rose to over eight metres at the marina, meaning that the pontoons and moored boats went under by about five metres.

"We saw our boat 2Abreast go under water and then it disappeared," Geoff White said.

"It eventually broke away from the structure due to the incredible force of the water flow. The next we heard of 2Abreast was when it was seen by a spotter plane. It was about five kilometres downstream and upside down in a cane field, nearly a kilometre inland."

"That was our home, and while we managed to take our wallets and computer off the boat before the floodwaters hit, due to the floods we now don't even own a knife and fork."

"Because of Nautilus Marine's speedy attention to our claim, a major worry has been lifted from our minds," Geoff said.

"They paid out the maximum under our policy, they did it without putting us through any further grief and for that we are very appreciative. We feel that we can get along with our life and put this behind us."

"There are still some boats missing,” said John Webster. "We believe that some have been swept out to sea and others will turn up on beaches or cane fields. This is a massive operation but we're certainly taking control."