Even though most sailors going north prudently sail south out of the dangerous Cyclone area, there are those who made a lifestyle of living up there all year round.
I have always gone along with the adage of if a cyclone comes just hop into the mangroves and tie off and come out after the event.
Now I go along with Allan Lucas that the best cyclone bolt hole In Australia would be Hinchinbrook , safe deep into the mangroves and tall mountains.
But a few years ago I read about a catamaran that left the marina And set up deep in the mangroves of Hinchinbrook and rode the cyclone out safely , while the boats in the marina where destroyed (By the same storm surge ) only to be lifted 20ft by the storm surge and deposited on top of the mangroves a terrifying situation though he did recover the boat safely.
So the question is it totally unseaman like to stay north and make it home or are you playing Russian roulette and your number is going to come up?

Not unseamanlike in any way
what is unseaman like is what you do when one come through
get an old copy of Patrick's Curtis coast book and see what he identifies as bolt holes
growing up the trawlers all went up a creek where they had buried some old WW 2 mines in the mud and chained up to them
worked for them

Wander66 said..
Yep it would be much safer if everyone stayed south of the 25th parallel which on the east coast is coincidentally Indian Heads on Fraser island.

Allan Lucas said in one of his books that there are very few true cyclone bolt holes except Hinchinbrook and while anchored for a few years in Tin Can he is right

no, it's certainly not 'un-seaman like'. prople live in FNQ all year round don't they ?

it's what you do when a cyclone comes through that the seamanship comes in

personally we go south, but that's more because summer up there get's too hot for us !

finally, check your insurance. not many will cover it and all have if's, but's & maybe's...

cheers,