Greetings from Yarmouth

tome

tome

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Where it's blowing a full Nly gale straight into the harbour. We're pinned onto the pontoon with 8 fenders out and the crew who are sleeping are using lee cloths. It feels as though we are at sea!

Sealine 60 ahead of us has just popped a cleat off the pontoon and the one behind us has just snapped his lifelines with the weight of fenders. We've transferred half of ours to the toe rail

It's the first time I can recall the Wight area forecast being split into East and West Wight, and it looks like much better weather to the East. Not much sleep for me tonight!
 
Jeeze, get ashore ...

.. there is worse to come..

see current Grib
badwight.jpg


Steve Cronin
 
Re: Jeeze, get ashore ...

Given the Met forecast was (on Friday) predicting 7-9 for Sun, was the consensus that you could outrun it?

Serious question, cos I was thinking about going out for a day trip on Sat, and as it turned out, probably should have done, but chickened out when I saw the pressure charts - it was going to hit sometime, but the forecasters weren't sure when.

dv.
 
Re: Jeeze, get ashore ...

We were a bit foolish really, knowing that it was coming at some stage. We could have carried the tide all the way home Saturday from the Needles but decided to call in to Yarmouth as that was the last port call of our late crew

One fender burst during the night and we're still pinned against the pontoon so we'll take a look this afternoon. Very wet and pleased to have the Eberspacher to help dry it out

Never seen 5ft waves in Yarmouth harbour before!
 
Re: Jeeze, get ashore ...

Svet's first "cruise" included Yarmouth in a howling gale .... we were stick for 2 nights in there on the outer pontoon line just inside break-water ....
First night sound like a shotgun going off ... was a bow line snapping ... next night loud BANG ... fender bursting ...

Only way we managed geting on / off to shore was via inflatable ... if we had a rigid dinghy - I don't think it could have made it ...

We used to arrive in Bugle - days when it still had the fireplace ... young lass there .. kept a table for us near fire ...

HM - had a real time of it ... each night boats tied up with string breaking free etc. .....

But unlike many first time lasses on boats - Svet didn't turn off boating ..... And I've never admitted how concerned I was at the time ... best she doesn't know.

Yep - Gales in Yarmouth can be something ..... !!
 
Re: Jeeze, get ashore ...

Tom, have you seen this site at Hurst Castle?
They've been getting 40knot gusts for much of the early hours this morning. But I guess you know all about that yourself. Hope you get out without any damage. We nipped over to Bucklers Hard on Friday evening and scurried home with our tails between our legs on Saturday afternoon. Note to self: "Avoid Yarmouth in Northerly gales".
 
I was also intrigued by the East & West Wight forecasts. Mind you, about time cos it is a big area for one forecast.

Had great fun surfing down the waves in Pompy Harbour entrance yesterday morning, wind against the ebb. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Not too many punters out to patrol though. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Re: Jeeze, get ashore ...

Thanks for the link, we saw one gust of over 45 knots around midnight which ties in with the data

The Yarmouth lifeboat has just returned with a Moody in tow but it's a bit more comfortable here now and we're about to sit down for a full cooked breakfast. We'll have a look when the tide turns this afternoon - a Northerly won't cause us too many problems whereas we were bashing into an Ely yesterday
 
Re: Jeeze, get ashore ...

HelloTome, Glad John had a good final send off,Im sure a few glasses were raised in his memory last night.

Hope Amayas Gelcoat is all still intact.
 
Re: Jeeze, get ashore ...

Yarmouth Lifeboat has just launched again. There's a yacht driven aground outside the harbour on the W end of the breakwater with seas breaking over her. Terrible sight with her mast over, 4 persons on board
 
Re: Jeeze, get ashore ...

Yes, the lfeboat managed to pull them off. Boat looks like a Sigma 362(?) with a mangled bow from here. Flying French courtesy flag, think it was on one of the moorings last night

We're all safely tucked up and going nowhere until the wind eases a tad. No damage except for the fender and liver
 
Re: Jeeze, get ashore ...

Great rescue by the lifeboat, and a very cool radio operator on the Sigma

They had returned from Cherbourg last night (!) and picked up a mooring outside, putting on 2 extra lines for security. They aren't sure whether the mooring itself gave way as one of the strops was still intact and made off. They had to sail onto the mooring as the rough weather had stirred up their fuel and the engine was unreliable

They never felt the mooring part and first thing they knew was the keel grounding. Considering the pounding we could see her taking, remarkably little damage evident except for the rudder and some damage hull stbd side. Says something for the Sigma build quality!
SP_Edited%20(Small).jpg
 
Re: Jeeze, get ashore ...

Cheers Nick

3 of the crew took the ferry across this morning as they have to be back, but we'll stay until there's a break. The liver is evil and must be punished!
 
Re: Jeeze, get ashore ...

We keep persuading ourselves that it's dropping, but then it picks up again! At least I'm not gardening
 
Re: Jeeze, get ashore ...

It is still gusting 30 kts in Cowes. Boats damaged in the Yacht Haven and one pontoon has come away.
 
Re: Jeeze, get ashore ...

Stella made her first passage, other than sea trials, on Saturday, Shoreham to Cowes. The thought was that we would get back home on Sunday ahead of the worst of the weather.

Bound for No Mans Land fort, and planning then to take a decision on either the Looe or the Owers eastbound, the Solent weathermen said force 8-9 imminent. The effect on the twenty or so boats in site was dramatic - all turned for Portsmouth.

With another experienced sailor on board, I would not have taken the decision to turn in. We would have stood on in Duchess. But the crew were so happy when I called for running for shelter.

Stella lies there now, tucked up tight with a crew member on board, and I return tommorow to take her back home to Shoreham. Must look at tides and timings. Weather's supposed to be abating, anyway /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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