Storm Babet in Ostsee

[zoidberg]

For all those now 'wibbling' about what Storm Cairan will bring and whether they should have put out more/better mooring lines, here's some fragments of a tale from Maasholm, just north of Kiel on the Baltic side of Germany....

"This is probably the first time I contemplate whether the harbor will be save even on 20th, but I shun all my doubts...... I almost don't sleep during the night. In the morning, I see first sinking boat in the harbor. Water is already over knee deep. Coupled together with 40+kts winds and significant waves (effect of the breakwater is already limited) it is no longer safe to leave the ship..... The worst thing I'm worried about is wind shifting south forcing us onto now submerged pier and holing us. I'm trying to figure out how I would use spinaker and mainsail boom to hold us in position to prevent that.

I know I should have left, but I still believe the weather forecast models that suggest 1.5m storm surge and 50kts winds.

In the afternoon, it all went to **** within minutes. The wind increased to over 60 kts (graph upper bound was 66kts, I've seen 62.something). Within minutes, 3 of 4 of our bow lines were lost.... we ended up being on 2 anchors, due to gusts of wind being perpendicular to water flow. In the morning of 21th, we return back to the port and we see the carnage - there are over a dozen of masts sticking out of water, with countless motor ships sunken...."
The rest of it is here, with pics:
Please someone talk some sense into me - Page 2 - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Not a very sheltered marina! Certainly adds strength to the old adage safer at sea.

 

[johnalison]

Not a very sheltered marina! Certainly adds strength to the old adage safer at sea.

Looking at the map it appears that the marina is well sheltered by a spit of land, but it may be that this is very low and covered by the surge, though this ought to have limited the wave height one would think.

 

[zoidberg]

Peeps here won't have read/followed the preceeding several pages of posts relating to the fellow. He's rather inexperienced, wanted to move his boat down the North Sea and the Channel, then across Biscay to head into the Med for the winter. Multiple individuals 'offered words of guidance' and he more or less stayed put.

He's a very lucky lad.