pretty windy on the Hoe yesterday

My hand held windy gizmo thingy recorded 64.7 mph at just before midday; that would have been the gusts that nearly sprawled me backwards. It was sad to see the damage done to a Plymouth icon, 'The Wet Wok' Restaurant....its outer conservatory overlooking the sea wrecked and ripped away. I hope the owners will be able to repair and re-open soon. Similarly, the Waterfront restaurant with all its windows boarded up after monster waves on Wednesday poured through the windows ripping everything in side apart.

Steve

Soooooo cold!

the gusts started to creep upwards around midday

The highest recorded was 64.7 mph

people were having to lean into the wind to make any progress

 

the Hoe took a pounding just below the beach huts

many of the railings were left twisted or GONE this morning!

 

Meanwhile down at western hoe pier...it was not looking good. the pier on the left and its little inner harbour were under threat; the cream coloured wall - that's the 'Wet Wok' restaurant or what is left of it. the wall where the wave is pounding is the retaining wall to the hoe road.....council workers were down there in force ready to take action!

 

can you spot the mile long Plymouth breakwater in the distance?

Nope, neither could we at one point - says it all really.

Plymouth Mountbatten breakwater takes a pummelling and those waves just keep rolling in and getting bigger

 

meanwhile, on the hoe - at tinside pool - things were beginning to get interesting!

 

oops - there go the railings.......

and one of the buoy marks......

...and part of the outer wall

 

could have happily spent all day wave watching but it was soooo cold.........or I'm just getting older and feeling it more.........

poor tinside lido - normally emptied for winter - the waves filled it; filled the store rooms, the changing rooms, the café area.......terrific battering to a much loved landmark

oops - facing the wrong way?

 

below me, the little beach area and the steps leading down to it, where so many of us go on lovely summer Sunday's....was taking its own pelting

much of the seating, fencing and the steps will have gone under this pounding

what you have to remember is none of us can ever remember seeing the hoe taking such a beating. We have a mile long MASSIVE breakwater two miles offshore guarding the entrance to this fourth largest natural harbour in the world. these waves are just.......unprecedented

 

I leave you with Plymothians turning out to witness the awesome fury of nature, and our local police, turning up to keep us safe; all of us hoping our beloved Plymouth Hoe withstands the might of the sea

 

 

 

 

Batten down the hatches

Here is the flood warning map from the UK Environment Agency. I cannot remember it ever being this bad. My own area, Plymouth and the south Devon and Cornwall coastlines are preparing for the next few hours as severe gales roll in again.

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/142151.aspx

Outside the rain is lashing down. Dartmoor has disappeared in the rain. The wind is
Howling down my chimney

Steve

more musings about boat tents for Arwen

Whilst we are battling the elements here in Britain, my thoughts still turn towards, perhaps, a summer, in which Arwen and I can go camp cruising.  Sailing down to Fowey and on to Falmouth; pootling around the Fal and other rivers in the locale sounds great.....and I can't wait.

Paul, from down below the equator I think, suggested I get hold of a copy of Woodenboats 2014 small boats magazine which I did (thanks Paul). Four or five great little article about designing boat tents for dinghies - highly useful. certainly gave me some food for thought!

• many went for the option of getting a couple of really cheap tents, butchering them and re-stitching them to create one purpose designed tent for their boat
• most of these approaches used hoop tents with door openings either side in a porch area
• poles ran through outer sleeves and were highly flexible
• these tents attached to the boat via bungee straps in the lower tent sides attached to hooks arranged along gunwales or under rubbing strips

Some made tents out of sunbrella fabric but followed a hooped tunnel tent design. instead of poles - plastic water piping was used...slid through sleeves. hitch pins were inserted into their ends which fit into purpose made blocks strategically placed along side decks or on gunnels. Cords were run from each end of the hooped structure to pull the whole tent taut and these were tied off on masts or fixings to transom and foredeck.

many had zipped door each end and some had doors made of insect mesh as well as actual fabric doors giving a variety of options.

the one I liked most was designed by Francois Vivier for his own boat....a tunnel hoop shaped tent which used flexible sail battens as hoops. he put the sail boom onto the side deck and strapped it there and the whole hoop tent then covered that and the opposite side deck as well. Neat!

I have only scanned the articles briefly since school work continues to demand four hours every night preparation....so Saturday I have created some 'me time' to read the articles more fully and really draw out those invaluable snippets of advice. In the meantime, plenty of food for thought.......thanks Paul

Steve

from The Telegraph

more pictures emerging of life here in the south west after yesterday's storm - all photographs copyright 'The Telegraph' newspaper

 

 Part of the railway line connecting south west England to the rest of the country run along a lovely stretch of coastline. here at Dawlish Warren.......well the photographs say it all. Suffice to say, the Army have been mobilised to come help put all this right!

 

 

Meanwhile around the rest of the coastline in Devon and Cornwall.......

 

this is the main road connecting Kingsbridge to the Torquay area

I fish off this beach frequently in the summer

The beach seems to have moved somewhat inland!

 

And over on the Somerset levels, poor people there have been enduring 7 weeks of complete inundation. Or complete mismanagement of a crisis by our government, depending on your viewpoint!

 

 

If you want to know more about the weather conditions we are facing; the plight of people in Somerset and the issues surrounding flooding in the UK and how to manage it in the future, the BBC has some good information and video clips at

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26061795

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26064424

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26068636

 



 

 

 

cut off again........

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26042990

Well six weeks minimum without a railway line to the south west. This part of the country is taking a hell of a hammering. For overseas readers, these websites will give you the situation. for UK readers, especially those in the south west and along the River Severn....my thoughts are with you all.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26044323

Will this weather ever end?

Steve
All photographs copyright BBC

my beloved Plymouth Hoe a few hours ago and below the damage at the very spot where this wave is breaking

 

Meanwhile in Looe - not for the first time has the tide come into the town in the last few weeks

 

And in Porthleven, well pretty terrifying really

 

I believe six boats sunk in PorthLeven!

 

Back closer to home at Kingsand, a place Arwen and I often sail over to - just across the sound

 

Most of the beach appears to be in the streets with associated window damage!

 

This was Newlyn!

 

and here we are - cut off once again - our only railway line to the south west from the rest of the country.....at Dawlish - the seawall and embankment seem to have disappeared!