As befits a proper Sunday, we have enjoyed throughout the day, the pleasant climate and can be a good man to love God. Everything was good around us and went his usual relaxed transition. Like every morning, even though we have our planned departure date was still far from routinely informed of what to expect in the coming days Weather at WEATHER WORLD. With interest we watched for days 2 Low pressure areas north-west of us, the already severe flooding and devastation had caused on the Portuguese coast. One of them had up to 60 Node (Orkanstärke) in the center and moved north-east towards England. Only Madeira was spared as a pearl in your oyster shell.
In the afternoon, the friendly lady from the marina management came to our boat with two Marineros in the wake. In a nutshell, we were informed, that for tonight stormy weather is expected and we should check our lines and mooring better. A quick look at our solid rope and another view of the current weather data allowed to grow in me the feeling, that we were prepared for all eventualities. What should happen to us already? Thus, the subject was then again from the table. Why must people always exaggerate so because?
Slowly it grew dark and the wind picked up slightly, But what was normal, because the steep rocks on the coast were not heated and the thermal thereby changing. My dear wife Katja had arranged to meet with Jana of the JOY OF LIFE to a "women's movie night" and thus I was looking forward to a quiet evening alone cute on board. Meanwhile, I drink once before like a bottle of beer and a Western movie of my choice I had made myself really comfortable below deck. The film was shot and geballert there was no tomorrow and nothing would have me can bring calm. Only the ever-increasing, hard jerking of the mooring lines on the bow primarily disturbed the idyll. Eventually it was me then too colorful and I pulled myself together, to watch at least once, what was going on out there.
A view from the window then told about all. Near the harbor entrance I saw against the dimly lit horizon a 54 Foot (as. 18m) Yacht, performed the wild stomping movements of the anchor chain. But now came dynamics quickly into play! The gunslinger had finally break and it was followed by a courageous leap on deck. A strong gust (Windstoß) blew me almost the last hair from the skull ..... I had not expected but. In order to assess the situation better, I ran below deck and turned on the deck lights.
Once on the foredeck, I saw things, which can make an already anxiety. The mooring jerked now so so hard in the cleats and fittings a, that really extraordinarily massive running cleats and fittings these enormous energies could only catch, by allowing them to work and began to move. The wind came exactly from the front, so I could mooring not so easily veer (solve / give). The entire rail above the deck, started on the left and right always more to deform and just the sight caused me creepy feelings. Was I but so far the opinion, that exactly this part of our SUMMER would be indestructible robust. Obviously, the point was now reached, where the material would come to its limits. No idea, Who was hurt more in the woodwork blows, our SUMMER or me.
By the way, I registered, that the other skippers worked on the lines of your ships. The Marineros took care of the boats, whose owners were not present. The big problem was not just the wind, the now constant with 25-29 Knoten blies, but the accumulating tide and the ever-rising waves, ran exactly in the harbor. The jetty grew more violent up and down and the boats also. The only difference, that the movements were not synchronous. As wind pressure on the boats mooring already held on voltage anyway, was the ups and downs twice as critical. With horror we all thought it, that we further 4 Hours accrued boiling water had. So relaxation was not in sight. Meanwhile, heavy rain also intervened in the action. But did not care, because the clothes from splashing were already soaked anyway.
After some time I had also realized, that it has caught us most fiercely, because we were exactly in the narrow region, in which the wave could run in virtually unhindered. The boats left and right of us, therefore, rather danced waltzes and not how we rock and roll. Encouraging looks from the neighbors helped me personally about the mountain. I believe, everyone knew of the boys, how it feels, if like me you just fight with the ropes and tries, to find the most tolerable variant, to protect his boat from the blows.
On the solution of the problem of our friend Lars the JOY OF LIFE came. He took two very massive long mooring lines from the locker of his catamaran, we secured from the Mittelklampen the SUMMER as Spring forward on the web. So we took the wind pressure from the front lines. Thus, we were able to extend the mooring clearly and danced SUMMER "hung" on the central transverse axis on free and from. In addition then more cush were still designed around midnight and the worst was then endured. Against 2:00 I then went to sleep next to my Katja. She had heard nothing of all the. The catamaran was outside the Schwellbereiches and therefore fairly quiet in the water.
The night was restless, but the tearing of the fittings had an end.
Experiences like this are just not with their. We have learned a lot again and I'm sure, that exactly these experiences are necessary, to be a good skipper. I have also noticed, how much I still have our ship. Once again I'm glad, that we have such a stable ship and we did not save in the quality of our equipment. Next time come for sure and then we will probably be much more relaxed because we know, what to do, if it is violently.
After two days was then to recognize, that some pontoons were heavily damaged. Cracked out fixtures, broken anchor and offset float particularly in the entrance area of Marin foreshadowed, the force with which the sea raged here. Of several ships were heard, that the mooring lines are broken in the duration of exposure.
CONCLUSION: Der Atlantik ist kein Ponyhof 🙂
