28th March: Rough weather

heThere was a EA storm surge alert with a predicted 5.31m total tide and a Met Office yellow wind warning issued for Thursday 28the March. In the event the water level at Woolston reached 5.28m and the maximum winds at Bramble were 40 kts (top of force 8) with a 52 kts gust.  The maximum wind gust measured at the jetty was only 22kts although it seemed rougher than that!  Here are some plots:

I was trapped in the house waiting for delivery of a power washer for the boats but was able to observe through the window one of the “river gypsies” raft of boats and pontoons dragging its anchors. Normally moored off the Centurion Industrial Park, the conglomeration looked to be coming my way and, given the strength of the wind, there seemed nothing I could do about it! Fortunately, having drifted across the deep water channel, it came to a halt over the shallower, mud area. presumably the anchors were now holding.

The next morning, with the tide out it must have been uncomfortable living aboard. I saw the person onboard laying out a further anchor and, by later that day the boat was back in its normal mooring area.

We were fortunate in that the main surge came through well after high tide – more like around low tide – else we could have had a flood event.