Holyhead Marina

I went there yesterday and spoke with James and Geoff. It really is a harrowing sight.

Geoff is putting on a brave face and is very appreciative of all of the messages of support. It’s pretty obvious that he has had his hands full over the last few days.

The clean-up is in the hands of professionals so volunteers are not reqired, but thanked sincerely for any offer of help.

There were a lot of guys in grey suits walking around, not the usual marina attire. Events seem to be moving quickly.

I guess that everyone has seen the pictures of beached boats. Even worse for me were the many top thirds of masts with headsail and backstays visible. These are people’s pride and joy sitting on the seabed where their pontoon berth once lay. Bloody horrible sight.
 
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There is still no mention of the even that will have an impact on lots of yachts transiting the area on the YBW News thing at the side of the forum.
Such a sad thing to happen to so many boat owners and the yachting press do not seem to acknowledge it.
(If I am wrong please tell me politely)
 
Mister E said:
There is still no mention of the even that will have an impact on lots of yachts transiting the area on the YBW News thing at the side of the forum.
Such a sad thing to happen to so many boat owners and the yachting press do not seem to acknowledge it.
(If I am wrong please tell me politely)
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Agree that very odd that doesn’t get mention a mention on YBW News (can hardly complain about lack of BBC coverage when Yachting Monthly is ignoring this)

If anybody from YM reads this let’s hope they will come on to explain this apparently blind side omission
 
Locally the situation is reported pretty well.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-43321846

https://www.facebook.com/search/str/holyhead+sailing+club/stories-keyword/stories-public

Good to see the Farr 45 Expresso Martinit that was one featured on the shore in lots of the clips has been recovered and is afloat on a mooring ready to be taken to Pwllheli for repairs.



The local boating community has been well organised towards helping in what ever way is possible. However Voluntary help seems to have been discouraged whilst the hi viz vested suits and elf and safety brigade retain a firm but very slow grasp on the recovery process.

The only support that I can think of is to offer temporary homes and meals for people travelling some distance should they wish to be here when their boat is being recovered. If anybody is in this position please PM me and it can be arranged.

I personally would rather see the Marina and my Insurance company take charge, pay up and let me spend my time more positively looking for a replacement!
 
dunedin said:
... like the Polina Star in Yachting Monthly during 2015 ;-) Seems very odd omission, so lets hope somebody explains ... otherwise it will revert to the assumption of "which part of the Solent"
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My current theory is that they think "Holyhead" is something out of Harry Potter and therefore not real.
 
JumbleDuck said:
It'll be interesting to see if either of the mags cover it, or if the whole business is just to be airbrushed out of existence.
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I went there the other day, took pics, wrote an update and sent it off to PBO that night, deadline this week.
 
Please be assured we are not ignoring this story at all, and it has shocked us as much as anyone to see the devastation in the marina. The news story will be in the next issue of YM, which is about to go to print. We did omit to update the website with the story, but have now done so - apologies if it appeared that we were ignoring it.
 
JumbleDuck said:
My current theory is that they think "Holyhead" is something out of Harry Potter and therefore not real.
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JumbleDuck,

I suspect your idea that this will be the marina equivalent of the 1979 Fastnet is spot on; hopefully like that disaster it will lead to a lot of significant improvements for everyone concerned.
 
TStocker said:
Please be assured we are not ignoring this story at all, and it has shocked us as much as anyone to see the devastation in the marina. The news story will be in the next issue of YM, which is about to go to print. We did omit to update the website with the story, but have now done so - apologies if it appeared that we were ignoring it.
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Thanks for your response.

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
lpdsn said:
Ironically, they've already got planning permission. May well have been under quite an advanced stage of construction by now if it weren't for the NIMBY court cases.

Doesn't look like there's anywhere for people to return to until the new one is built, if it ultimately is.
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Simple solution:

Most countries have many statutary and other powers to repair damage caused by storms and other natural phenomena expeditiously. Apply them -- get two fall-pipe vessel loads of rock from that quarry in Glensanda, or somewhere more local if such exists. Modify the marina layout to have the pontoons run SE to NW rooted where the old marina was. Use the stone to make a 250 metre long breakwater in about 3-4 meters running at 340 degrees out from the point at the root of the old marina. Doesn't have to be beautiful, just effective. Tidying up to part visible above HW can be done later with an excavator and a few lorry loads of smaller stone / gravel.

And Bob's your uncle.

Forget the nimbys -- emergency laws usually brush them aside, as they should.

If this happened around these parts, the lorry-loads of stone would be rolling as we write and read on here. I could even give you the names and phones of earth-movers that would be only too happy to oblige, at any hour !!!

Plomong
 
Plomong said:
Simple solution:

Most countries have many statutary and other powers to repair damage caused by storms and other natural phenomena expeditiously. Apply them -- get two fall-pipe vessel loads of rock from that quarry in Glensanda, or somewhere more local if such exists. Modify the marina layout to have the pontoons run SE to NW rooted where the old marina was. Use the stone to make a 250 metre long breakwater in about 3-4 meters running at 340 degrees out from the point at the root of the old marina. Doesn't have to be beautiful, just effective. Tidying up to part visible above HW can be done later with an excavator and a few lorry loads of smaller stone / gravel.

And Bob's your uncle.

Forget the nimbys -- emergency laws usually brush them aside, as they should.

If this happened around these parts, the lorry-loads of stone would be rolling as we write and read on here. I could even give you the names and phones of earth-movers that would be only too happy to oblige, at any hour !!!

Plomong
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Unfortunately the UK is not quite that simple!!!

We kept our boat in Holyhead for a number of years before we left to go cruising and we experienced a couple of NE storms up to 60knts in that time, definitely not pleasant but we survived so the conditions last weekend could probably be described as a "100 year storm" as far as Holyhead was concerned and the results were the catastrophic damage that we have all seen.
It is all too easy to make comments and recommendations after the event but it is certainly not helpful. It has been noted that the marina has been in place for 18 years and has coped with everything the weather has thrown at it in that time and survived to fight another day. I think you have to accept that last weekend was exceptional as far as wind and waves were concerned - yes the marina failed, but how far do you go when designing the facility??
Your comment about putting a pile of stone in 3-4 m shows you total misunderstanding of the location, the spring tide range is around is 6m and most of the marina area is located in an area with a minimum depth of around 3m at low tide so how the hell do you think a pile of stones 4m deep would have any impact at high tide (+6m) I really do not understand - please make an effort to understand the location before you make such misinformed comments.
As noted above this was something like a "100 year storm" as weather forecasters would describe it - we have sat out 50 - 60knts NE winds in the marina and survived, admittedly rough and unpleasant but everything held together (just!!)

The conditions must have been horrendous to cause such damage and to sugest a few piles of rock would have avoided the problems is naive in the extreme.

I have known Ed and Geoff for many years when we kept our boat there and I feel so sorry for them, they have tried to promote Holyhead as a wonderful sailing destination ( and it certainly is) and worked extremely hard to develop the marina into what it was just two weeks ago.
It is very easy for armchair marina desingers et al to make comments about how it should have been - they now all have the benefit of hindsight (and we all we would all be very rich if we had such abilities!!)

Having kept our boat there for 5 years I am devastated to see the videos and pictures of the carnage - it is unbelievable.

Plomong - I am not having a go at you personally but if you have not been to Holyhead then maybe you should refrain from making comments about a location that you obviously do not have any knowledge of.

We loved our time in Holyhead and I am sure Ed and Geoff are doing their very best for the berth-holders and the community of Holyhead - we wish them the very best for the future and very much hope that there is a satisfactory outcome from this disaster.
Chris and Sue on Nimrod would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest sympathies to the Marina and everyone we met and socialised with in our time there - it really must be a harrowing time.
 
Tomahawk said:
The bbc is quickly moving onto it's agenda.. Hug a slug and sod people.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-43343521

"we are concerned about the effect on the environment"

What Telly Tubbies planet are the BBC living on? It was the environment that wrecked a busiess, sank fishing boats taking away more peoples living and wrecked peoples property.
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From what I can see the BBC are reporting the concerns of local politicians
'Cllr Carwyn Jones, cabinet member for economic development, described the situation as a "nightmare", which could threaten the island's economy.
"Tourism for us here on Anglesey is a very important sector," he said.
"It amounts to about a quarter of a billion turnover per year for our businesses so any damage to our coastline and our beaches we take extremely seriously.
"Hence we want assurances that this contamination will be held here in the port of Holyhead, that we won't see more of this polystyrene coming out of the port."

Perhaps they should not report on what local people are saying and it's potential effect on the economy and jobs, in your words 'sod people'?
 
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Plomong said:
Forget the nimbys -- emergency laws usually brush them aside, as they should.

If this happened around these parts, the lorry-loads of stone would be rolling as we write and read on here. I could even give you the names and phones of earth-movers that would be only too happy to oblige, at any hour !!!

Plomong
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And five years you find the whole place has silted up?

Something like this needs proper design. It isn't an emergency, the damage is done, nobody killed, no risk of flooding or further damage to the surrounding area.
 
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