StellaGirl
New member
Does anyone know of any stories of people caught out in yachts during the 1987 storm?
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1987 Hurricane / Great Storm
- Thread starter StellaGirl
- Start date
Vara
Active member
Can bore for hours on the great storm but only within the confines of Shoreham Harbour.
<hr width=100% size=1>If it can't be fixed with a lump hammer dont fit it!
<hr width=100% size=1>If it can't be fixed with a lump hammer dont fit it!
Jools_of_Top_Cat
New member
We lost our 18ft angling boat from her mooring at Hoylake along with 25 other boats from moorings at West Kirby, Thurstaton and Heswall. My uncles Nobby (Morecombe Bay Prawner) the Hannah Hambleton also parted and sustained great damage to her hull on rocks.
She has been restored now back to a sailing vessel, I worked on her a few times when she was still a trawler.
I remember scouring the beach for flotsam from our vessels and having to chase off 'wreckers' from the nearby council estates at Moreton and Leasowe. I chased one guy who was carrying my dads fishing rod up the beach. I had a pick axe in my hands so needless to say he dropped the rod /forums/images/icons/frown.gif.
I had the pickaxe to remove the engine from our boat, or what was left of it, it was still squalling and freezing so we had to work fast! The engine was taken immediately to Alec Martin Marine in Birkenhead where it was immersed in diesel and protected while the insurance organised a complete overhaul.
I also remember my friend and I running around the beach before the tide came in, there were many locals doing the same, we righted many 16-20 ft bilge keelers which had been knocked over by the wind, they would have sunk as the tide came in if we hadn't. We also added more strops to our boat and a few others, although we could only do this if we could get into their lockers as we quickly ran out of rope.
When the tide came in the trouble started, boats parted their moorings, ours broke the riser chain (14mm), the extra strops in perfect condition when found. I remember at one point we tied one boat which had gone aground on the white walls at Meols to the coast guard mobile 4x4. But had to cut the line when the truck was being pulled towards the sea! Boat was only around 20ft.
I was on the lifeboat crew at this time and spent a lot of the time patrolling the promenade and helping recover or limit damage to boats on the rocks. I also remember one fisherman who tried to save a yacht by jumping aboard her as she approached rocks, he is lucky to be alive today as the boat was like a bucking bronco and he was lucky to get back off.
It was an exciting 24hrs and one I wish not to repeat, the heartache of people losing boats and then watching the scum stealing from the wreckage was deplorable.
One fisherman driving down the promenade wrote his fiesta off when a gust of wind lifted the front end and he ended up part of someone’s garden wall.
The lifeboat did not launch that day, thank God!
Is that the kind of thing.
<hr width=100% size=1>Julian
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>
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She has been restored now back to a sailing vessel, I worked on her a few times when she was still a trawler.
I remember scouring the beach for flotsam from our vessels and having to chase off 'wreckers' from the nearby council estates at Moreton and Leasowe. I chased one guy who was carrying my dads fishing rod up the beach. I had a pick axe in my hands so needless to say he dropped the rod /forums/images/icons/frown.gif.
I had the pickaxe to remove the engine from our boat, or what was left of it, it was still squalling and freezing so we had to work fast! The engine was taken immediately to Alec Martin Marine in Birkenhead where it was immersed in diesel and protected while the insurance organised a complete overhaul.
I also remember my friend and I running around the beach before the tide came in, there were many locals doing the same, we righted many 16-20 ft bilge keelers which had been knocked over by the wind, they would have sunk as the tide came in if we hadn't. We also added more strops to our boat and a few others, although we could only do this if we could get into their lockers as we quickly ran out of rope.
When the tide came in the trouble started, boats parted their moorings, ours broke the riser chain (14mm), the extra strops in perfect condition when found. I remember at one point we tied one boat which had gone aground on the white walls at Meols to the coast guard mobile 4x4. But had to cut the line when the truck was being pulled towards the sea! Boat was only around 20ft.
I was on the lifeboat crew at this time and spent a lot of the time patrolling the promenade and helping recover or limit damage to boats on the rocks. I also remember one fisherman who tried to save a yacht by jumping aboard her as she approached rocks, he is lucky to be alive today as the boat was like a bucking bronco and he was lucky to get back off.
It was an exciting 24hrs and one I wish not to repeat, the heartache of people losing boats and then watching the scum stealing from the wreckage was deplorable.
One fisherman driving down the promenade wrote his fiesta off when a gust of wind lifted the front end and he ended up part of someone’s garden wall.
The lifeboat did not launch that day, thank God!
Is that the kind of thing.
<hr width=100% size=1>Julian
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>
DavidofMersea
Well-known member
We had a small whirlwind here in West Mersea this afternoon. It went along the waters edge and down to East Mersea. It was lifting water several feet into the air
We had much bigger whirlwind about two years ago, that was quite spectacular. Although my neighbour told me that it had gone past the front of my house, I did not see it until it was away over the fields in Tollesbury - that must have been 200 feet high at least, perhaps more
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We had much bigger whirlwind about two years ago, that was quite spectacular. Although my neighbour told me that it had gone past the front of my house, I did not see it until it was away over the fields in Tollesbury - that must have been 200 feet high at least, perhaps more
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Talbot
Active member
The following is a very third hand account.
During the storm, there was a Catalac 9m in the Bay of Biscay. A big wave smashed the port rudder (which is the rudder that has the rudder quadrant from the wheel) Not a real problem you would think, rig the emergency tiller, which slots into a lug on the rudder itself - however the emergency tiller was only able to fit to the port rudder (which had been smashed). At this point most people would be thinking about securing washboards to the spinnaker pole (yes been there, done that), However one of the crew on this boat was Mary Lack, the wife of the designer of the Catalacs - Tom Lack) These boats have a platform on the stern and have a hatch above each rudder. Mary proved that you could steer the catalac perfectly well by using one sea boot encased foot on the top of the rudder, even in a big storm, and the crew continued like that until they entered harbour.
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During the storm, there was a Catalac 9m in the Bay of Biscay. A big wave smashed the port rudder (which is the rudder that has the rudder quadrant from the wheel) Not a real problem you would think, rig the emergency tiller, which slots into a lug on the rudder itself - however the emergency tiller was only able to fit to the port rudder (which had been smashed). At this point most people would be thinking about securing washboards to the spinnaker pole (yes been there, done that), However one of the crew on this boat was Mary Lack, the wife of the designer of the Catalacs - Tom Lack) These boats have a platform on the stern and have a hatch above each rudder. Mary proved that you could steer the catalac perfectly well by using one sea boot encased foot on the top of the rudder, even in a big storm, and the crew continued like that until they entered harbour.
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boatless
New member
Not at sea. I was in Hamble at the time. Loads of stories, but to give you a 'yacht' take on it. Tom Richardson was tending boats at his Elephant yard at Bursledon. There was a Swan 65 moored opposite at Moody's which was heeling to 45 degrees in the gusts.... I had trouble working why one of our masts had fallen off until I heard that and put two and two together. Heel a boat at 45 degrees towards the pontoon and the deck is under the pontoon.
<hr width=100% size=1>my opinion is complete rubbish, probably.
<hr width=100% size=1>my opinion is complete rubbish, probably.
reginaldon
New member
I woke during the night, the electricity was off, looked thro window saw ferry in dangerous position off Copt Point, rang 999 coastguard & reported ship in trouble heading for the Warren - they replied yes we know - a freighter in trouble near Dover. I said, "This is no freighter but a ferry off Copt Point!" Oh!!! I was down there when the Hengist hit and fireman tried to cross apron on all fours
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beancounter
New member
>'wreckers' from the nearby council estates at Moreton and Leasowe<
When I was growing up in Moreton, the most exciting things we got from the beach were cockles...
John
<hr width=100% size=1>Fabricati Diem
When I was growing up in Moreton, the most exciting things we got from the beach were cockles...
John
<hr width=100% size=1>Fabricati Diem
celandine
Active member
The thing I have always wanted to know about that hurricane concerns the woman who phoned the Met Office the day before. You remember the famous Michael Fish weather forecast of the previous evening, when he mentioned that a woman had phoned in to ask if a hurricane was on its way, and he rather condescendingly assured her that there wasn't. What I would like to know is how come she knew more than the Metoffice's Greys Supercomputer; what special piece of seaweed did she have; and why isn't a school of meteorology named after her?
Mick
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Mick
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tome
New member
She (or someone she knew) had heard a French forecast where it was correctly predicted.
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DavidofMersea
Well-known member
It was not strong enough to be a hurricane, although the media don't worry about such facts, it spoils their story
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Sybarite
Well-known member
I had in mind Philippe Monnet but on checking he was in the channel during the January 1990 storm finishing his solo record breaking trip from Hong Kong (The Tea Run) on a catamaran...!!!
John
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John
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