Holyhead Marina, and all the boats in it, are lost !

For the last week or so it's been unseasonably cold in the UK, as a large and slow moving area high pressure  has lingered over Europe, combining very cold arctic air in north easterly winds with clear - and freezing - nights. For that reason I have been locked east of Pennines and not able to get to North Wales or Anglesey.

May be a good thing. During Thursday, named storm "Emma" rolled up the western half of the UK with exceptionally low pressure. All the meteorology came together at Holyhead, where the circulation of the two weather systems joined, augmenting the wind speed and blowing directly down the harbour in to the marina. Very low pressure combined with spring tides added to a tumultuous sea state.

Exactly what happened next isn't clear from this distance. The lifeboat crew very wisely moved their boat in to the safety of the inner harbour. A number of boats on swinging mooring broke free as the waves height and steepness increased. Many of the marina pontoons appear to have broken loose and most of them, together with all the boats, are now either well up the lee shore or on the bottom.

The aftermath of Storm Emma in Holyhead Harbour
(Pictures from the North Wales Chronicle)

Mercifully there no injuries or loss of life, but it  is a heartbreaking loss for the marina operators and for those on liveaboards.

The marina advised that boats in the yard - such as Annabella - were undamaged, but with winds which were literally hurricane force, this remains to be seen.

There a lot of clearing up to do, and our good wishes to everyone effected, who has lost a boat or indeed a business. We will be doing anything we can  to assist.