BLUEMOMENT

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According to today's Oban Times several yachts were washed ashore recently in Force 13 winds. As a maritime organ it is really no better than the average redtop, reflecting the casual disregard that the town has always had for yachtsmen.

The high winds along the west coast on the 23rd of May were very significant resulting in many boats being washed ashore (some 40 up and down the coast according to Nick at Linnhe Marine - none at Linnhe, I should add). There are tales of gusts reaching 108mph. Shuna Island could not be seen from the mainland owing to spray. Some boats at the moorings had their gunnels under. Such conditions were the worst that many had ever seen. I met someone who had lost an HR due to mooring tackle failure near Ardfern.

I also heard second hand that the Crown Estates recorded some 200 boats damaged and that they were trying to contact owners of boats whose moorings had dragged failed etc, but I am not sure of the veracity of this.

In short a big event, in terms of return periods for such winds probably 1 in quite a number of years.

Surprisingly, I have yet to see any reporting doing justice to this event. (perhaps I have missed it)

It would of course be interesting to know the causes of the failures, be they dragging, breaking chaffing etc. Perhaps this could only be gleaned from the insurance companies. I have been told that the Hippo type moorings (where the load path goes through the buoy via a ring, which is the weak point) suffered.

We ought to be told.

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There was a gust of 108 mph in Perthshire allegedly. I was driving a high top transit van through the county at the time and it was mayhem.

I don't think there is any mystery as to why a lot of yachts broke their moorings and went aground. It was an exceptional storm for the time of year, with windspeeds normally only experienced in the dead of Winter when most boats are safely ashore.

"gunnels" heavens to Betsy -- gunwales! what is happening to me..this phonetic spelling

I had heard (admittedly in the pub) that the sams weather station in dunstaffnage recorded 100mph + gusts. I was also told that roller furled genoas that came loose caused moored boats to be "knocked down" at their mooring. So always double secure your roller genoa on a mooring?

Perhaps not too far out. Folk whose opinion I respect were talking about Force 12 around the moorings used by Shard, and it is said that even approaching the pontoon was impossible until it dropped to a 10.

Shard wrote:Perhaps not too far out. Folk whose opinion I respect were talking about Force 12 around the moorings used by Shard, and it is said that even approaching the pontoon was impossible until it dropped to a 10.

Donald,

There is no such thing as F13

Well it wouldn't have been far out from a hurricane 12 then.

SHOCK - HORROR

Journalist exagerates! Whatever next?

Could it be the result of global warming I wonder?

Nick wrote:Donald, There is no such thing as F13

Yes there is, I read it in the paper.

Must be true then!

Other Donald

Nick wrote: There is no such thing as F13

Oh yes there is. The extended Beaufort Scale, with F13 - F17 was introduced in 1948 to cover tropical storms. The Saffir-Simpson scale has mostly replaced the extensions, although China and Taiwan still use them. F13 is 72 - 80 kt or 83 - 92 mph, so from what I have read there could well have been some F13 around.

ubergeekian wrote:

Nick wrote: There is no such thing as F13

Oh yes there is. The extended Beaufort Scale, with F13 - F17 was introduced in 1948 to cover tropical storms. The Saffir-Simpson scale has mostly replaced the extensions, although China and Taiwan still use them. F13 is 72 - 80 kt or 83 - 92 mph, so from what I have read there could well have been some F13 around.

AFAIK the Oban Times does not have much of a circulation in China or Taiwan.

Nick wrote:AFAIK the Oban Times does not have much of a circulation in China or Taiwan.

Or Oban.