Weathering Storm Darragh - 49° 38' 52" N, 01° 37' 15" W

Storm Darragh was a beauty, the second named storm in as many weeks. With wild seas and hurricane force* winds forecast, we were happy to be snugged up the the Chantereyne Marina.  Certainly not the day to be crossing The Channel!

We prepared the best we could.  Put out all the fenders, doubled up the mooring lines, took down the bimini, flags and secured halyards and sheets.  We ensured we were stocked with plenty of provisions (wine, cheese, wine... we are in France after all!).  We even hired a car so we could drive out to the Goury Lighthouse at Cap de la Hague and watch the crashing waves.

That's a pretty gusty forecast!

And did it blow! The boat was heeling over in the slip and we had a sustained 40kn (80km/hr) with gusts up to 60kn (120km/hr), for days. Flights, ferries, trains and buses were cancelled or delayed, bridges and roads were closed, trees uprooted, roofs torn off and power was cut to approximately 2.5 million people. Four people lost their lives and the busy port of Holyhead in Wales sustained so much damage that ferry services will be cancelled for at least a month.

Snugged up in the heeling boat watching movies!

We braved the storm and drove to Cap de la Hague to watch the sea pound the lighthouse.  It was wild!  The wind was so strong, it was hard to walk and the spray on our faces felt like needles. 

Goury Lighthouse at Cap de la Hague

While we were spared the Force 12 winds, the strongest wind gust of 96mph (154km/hr) was recorded at Berry Head in Devon, just across the Channel!  

The boat came through the tempest with flying colours, other than the loss of our Windex** - which literally blew away with the wind!

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* Hurricane-force winds refer to winds Force 12 or above on the Beaufort Scale.  They do not necessarily refer to the cyclonic winds of a hurricane.

** A Windex is an apparent wind indicator - a small weather vane or arrow that gives an indication of the current apparent wind direction. This allows the skipper to set their sails or their course for best performance, according to the points of sail. It is often referred to as a Windex, a trademark of Davis Instruments. Source: Wikipedia