Happy Boxing Day! In this episode we hunker down aboard to wait our Storm Darragh. We’re so glad to be here in #portlandmarina where the staff are so vigilant and caring and were out and about checking everyone’s boats. Hope you enjoy this raw look at what it’s like living aboard in the UK during the winter storms.
Horrific weather from Darragh, great to see Jack up and about helping you with the various tasks at hand. As Melody laid starboard side in Portland we were thankful she was being blown off. Enjoy your hot chocolate and Harry Potter reruns, our best to Melissa and Ollie and for a safe and Happy New Year!
Lucky you were not at Holyhead.... It was seriously damaged and even the Ferry sailings won't resume for months . .. all the traffic is now having to go via Fishguard.
Well done Andy for helping other boaters to secure their boats in the storm. This video really highlights not only the importance of plenty of well-placed fenders and stout bow & stern warps, but also how vital mooring springs are. Oh, and waterproof trousers too!!
That’s great Andy, you should have filmed them in action. I have lived in the Marina 12 yrs and not seen them once check boats ! I’m an old git and probably got it wrong 🤷🏼♂️
Oh well they’re in this video near the end. I filmed this pretty early in the morning and it was only 20 minutes and by the time Jack and I had walked to Lidl they were on our pontoon sorting out the boat across from ours. I was out several times and saw many of the marina staff doing a great job.
Love the way the Gull is just flying around in that storm like it's just a small breeze, they are amazing birds, as well as being annoying at the same time. Hope you are all good
Yeah for sure. The marina staff were all out doing an amazing job but there’s only so many of them and it’s a HUGE marina so the way I see it everyone has a responsibility to help each other
You have got to be so proud of jack, and the young mature young man that he is becoming. Congratulations to you both for doing such a wonderful job. Ollie will have a fantastic role model as he starts getting older.
I've enjoyed every episode, but I have to say this is one of the best. It was downright exciting, and it was so reassuring to see how true seamen care for one another--checking the status of the other boats in the marina goes beyond kindness, and that is so wonderful to see. Take care, and Happy New Year!
Good to see both of you wearing proper inflatable vests with your harness done up correctly. A great time for Jack to learn a bit of what it means to experience a gale.
Thank you. The marina staff were out and about doing amazing work but there’s only so many of them so in these situations i feel like it’s all hands on deck
Good on you looking out for for others. True meaning of the Christmas spirit, not that you only do it at this time of year. Each episode, Jack just matures at a colossal rate into a sterling young man. Has your just get on with it attitude. Tribute to fine parents
I could see my boat in the background for some of these shots. Good to see she's still there! I'll be visiting to check the damage in the next few days. Thanks for filming so I could see how bad it was.
Wow! That wind. Thankfully, you did as much as you could and selected the marine office of whose responsibility it is to ensure boats are safe. And yes, the owners have responsibility also that their boats are safely docked with the boys properly put out and lines tied down. The fun of owning a sailing boat, Andy. Was that storm, the one that brought all the snow they got in the UK. Hope your Christmas was grand cheers😊
Pretty humbling a storm like that. Your boat was the right side of the pontoon. Some boats had some pretty shoddy mooring lines. You can’t have too many in that sort of a blow. Good for you Andy helping out but stay safe. Andy UK
hello Andy, correct, such storms should not be underestimated, you can be lucky if you are not directly in the center of the storm... i wish you, Melissa, Jack and Oliver all the best for 2025 and always enough water under the keel my best regards from austria
Wow! That mono up at the end opposite the cat was where my yacht was moored when I was down in the summer from Penarth, I’m a friend of Stuart and Neil 👍🏻 I have a phobia of the wind! Scares me to hell, Good work helping to minimise damage,
my parents and i lived on queen annes battery marina in the 90's and we had our fair share of storms. most of us that lived there always looked out for the boats whose owners didn't have the experience nor were there to look after them. after a going through a couple of major storms you get used to it and just ride it out.
Yes I know what you mean. Some people live too far away or have got sick or whatever but you’d think by now most boat owners in the Uk would know how to prepare their boats for a british winter
@@SailingMelody what we found out is that most owners just buy expensive yaughts for apperance only and have no clue as to what it takes to look after them never mind if the weather goes bad which of course can be a very expensive repair and maintenence bill.
@@SailingMelody true and people should have basic sea faring knowledge before they even consider buying one. my family were lucky as my dad was ex navy and we were members of the sea cadets in the 80s. saying that though we still had things to learn and only experience could teach us that knowledge.
Yes they were out all day working hard as you could see towards the end of this short peek into the days events. It was definitely all hands on deck for them, amazing team going above and beyond. Quite impressive that not one piece of marina infrastructure broke (apart from a pane of glass up at the restaurant) so any damage wasn’t due to failings on the marinas diligence but due to poor prep by boat owners. That’s understandable though because a lot of owners live hundreds of miles away so it’s great to be in a marina where the staff understand that and go beyond the call of duty to ensure the boats are safe to the best of their ability given the dangerous conditions 😊
I would always put a lashing around my Furling headsail in strong winds or when leaving the boat. the times I have seen them come undone on other boats over the years, shredded in minutes
G'day Olly, how you? G'day Jack. Lovel,y weather your havin. Geez you a good bloke in that weather Andy. 'Come in No.46, your time is up.' wOW! thats some weather. I stay inside when rain and wind do that and hope the Xtrail is still there tomorrow! Pretty good Marina Crew you got. Thanks m8s, glad you were still round to put the vid out. Stay vertical Eh!
Good video, bit wind ... good to show what wind can do, heavy hé, lot of memories here, long time ago, still the same, listen to dad Kapt'n Jack, he is a good man thanks for showing this here, a couple more months (and storms) and summer is there .. .holiday greetings from flanders, all the best, get wel for your lady and keep the ropes tight and the boat warm 💪🙂👌
Great video, we rode out storm Lilian in Holyhead and it was ferocious. At 63m sustained wind it was too dangerous to walk down the marina to help people.
Olie is such a cutie ❤ hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Crikey that marina was crazy exposed to Darragh. Surprised more damage was not done. Our house had no electricity for 2 days thankfully had a stove fire to keep warm alone as John was in Arzal, Brittany checking wave dancer. He was staying in the yard and was rattling in the stand
It’s thanks to the Marina staff. There was some unavoidable damage of course but the guys here worked tirelessly to try to protect boats as best they could in dangerous circumstances
The marina staff were amazing, they were working hard all day to protect boats. They’re at rhe end of this video securing the boat opposite us if you noticed. Great team doing hard work in difficult circumsatn
You’re right we haven’t really covered that have we. I think we’re doing episode soon about our plans for 2025 so we’ll cover it then but yes we are staying here for the winter. Thankfully that’s already going past quickly
Glad you didn't sustain any damage, and that you were all safe! We took a bit of a beating here in Peanarth as well. We were both awake from 2am getting tossed around, it wasnt pleasant..
Happy New Year to you all. Thanks for sharing your adventures so well these past few years. I know that marina well, excellent staff team. Lots of optimistic owners tho, summer-weight lines and fenders … 🙄
By putting a line from midships straight to a dock midships cleat (not too tight), you can have a backup in case the bow or stern dock cleat let go. Better than nothing.
At 2:05 seconds, the ball fender is doing absolutely next to nothing where it is mounted. Untie it from the safety line and slowly work it along the boat. Every time the wind eases, the boat moves away and the ball fender can be then worked further along until you can get the fenders that you are trying to install, in place. Don't ever struggle trying to puch the boat off the pontoon, use a BIG fender.
Interesting that many of those boats are not tied up correctly not to mention the fenders are way to high up the sides . Theres a lot of money with owners not being aware of basics.
Pretty much missed it, was in Vegas Baby, the take off and flight from Heathrow was interesting though. Glad I dropped my main Ham radio antennas before we left. Hope all is well with you all. Quite a few Years ago I drove through a Years worth of seasons, fog, rain, hail, snow, wind and sunshine from Herefordshire to London to fly Kites with a friend on Blackheath Common in winds almost that strong. The Après kite in the pub after was great. Equally interesting drive home too.
Losing the safety lines in a storm (15:46 seconds) is an enevitable result of tying the fenders to the safety lines, I have seen this happpen many, many times and have been banging on about this for twenty years or more. As the fenders drop below the pontoon, the yacht comes upright again, it can (and will) rip the safety lines from the stanchions. You shoud ALWAYS tie off the fenders to a strong point like a cleat, base of a shroud or through the scupper drain holes, NEVER to the safety lines. You can use the safety lines as you enter a marina but IMMEDIATELY transfer to a strong point when safely alongside. I always use an horizontal fender or more amidships with a vertical fender each side, The vertical fenders look more like Marilyn Monroes waistline in a blow and don't work as they shoud when totally flattened against the pontoon. I use two VERY LARGE fenders in a horizontal mode and they never get flattened against the pontoon, also, they roll up and down as the motion of my yacht as it presses against the pontoon. Safety lines are there to save you falling overboard, not to tie on fenders.
We had the same, down in Spain, the same weekend. 25 cm fairlead snapped in half, but like you, plenty of ropes on and rode it out on board, as not safe enough to get off for two days.
I had a 35’sailboat for,years , use more lines to,pull,the boat away from the dock ! If you need help run your lines back to a winch then tie off again!
I was thinking about you guys during this storm, but also confident your skills would see you through. Some, I'm sure will disagree, but I am glad you allowed Jack out. People should realize that at one time you were an alpine climbing instructor, and have years of judging what is safe for a trainee, and what is beyond safe. I understand that this storm is of mental stregth... Things get serious above 40 knots... it is still doable, but any mis-step can unravel a heap of trouble. At 60+ knots... people have to realize it's an exponential increase it complications... it's not one third more problems... it's three times the problems. Hope you had a Merry Christmas... love you all
Thank you. Yes I don’t ever want to be over confident or arrogant or take my experience for granted but I have lived my life on the mountains and the sea and have been taking novices out in bad conditions for many years and experienced truly life threatening times myself on various occasions (haven’t we Manny Perez). So I’m uber cautious about what we do but I am comfy taking Jack out in conditions others may not do
I. Hope you all a good Christmas but that storm was horrendous did a lot of damage up the ogmore valley where I live the main mountain road from our valley to the rhondda valley suffered a land slip but being on a boat is very dangerous in that wind glad you okay
In weather like that, it wouldn't matter how well inflated they are, they will always get flattened against the pontoon. TWO big fenders, mounted horizontally will rid you of the problem of fenders that will look more akin to Marilyn Monroe's waistline.
You can see the importance of stripping a boat of it's sails, demonstrated by heel angles of some of the boats. Octo plat mooring ropes are really important for those conditions too. Fenders are hardly adequate to keep the dock from doing it's worst, but I have found that the thinner ones and lots of them are best as they do not ride out so much. Hopefully, the boats were not too badly damaged, but some did not look at all secure. The cleats looked about right ,12-20 ft boats, not the for the bigger ones though. Take care - Have a Happy New Year. Watchword for 2025 "Gotta have two" one is never enough!!
Well done for offering support to those in need - very professional! It always amazes me to see so many yachts (sail or motor) that are left in their standard summer state when they’re wintering on a marina. At a minimum I’d expect to see sails removed from furlers & all canvas work stowed below. It’s been a while since I negotiated direct with brokers & underwriters but I was always able to end up with what I called the ‘idiot clause’ whereby any wind damage from named storms to canvas and sails wouldn’t be covered when moored - used to reduce my premium by at least £1K. Anyway, at least Ocean Melody is moored downwind of the pontoon so your fenders aren’t being destroyed! Good luck-at least things were settling down post ‘Darragh’ for a bit.
Thanks so much: yes we’re very pleased we were on that side of the pontoon. These winter storms are fairly standard in the UK so there’s a good chance we will get hit by another and it might come from the other direction but fingers crossed
Dear Sailing Melody family. 👍👌👏 2) OMG, what a stormy day/time you had. Quite dangerous and no fun to be in the middle of it. I guess that a dead cat on the microphone would've been blown off respectively wouldn't have helped much. So maybe you need to use a dead tiger/lion next time!? 😁 ;-) 3) Well done helping others. 4) Good heavens, it's well known but nevertheless always amazing, how fast children grow! Jack has transformed into a slim young man and has grown a lot. Cutie pie Ollie has also grown a lot. I hope that all of you and the boat are well and undamaged. Thanks a lot for making explaining recording editing uploading and sharing. I wish you all to have a good transition of the year. Best regards, luck and especially health to all 4 of you.
@SailingMelody Ouuuh, thank you! This is a really nice and especially a big compliment. I'm waiting to watch your videos every week. 2) In fact the videos I still didn't comment about are so stunningly impressive, that I didn't have the right words at hand* instantly. But I will do comments at a later time (at least I hope so 🙈). For instance about the makeover of the engine room/space, kids cabin, chart table etc.p.p.. 2) Thanks for replying and especially for giving a heart to my comment. As you know, I always and totally appreciate both very much. Sincerely yours. Post Scriptum: * the right words at hand... uhm... shouldn't it better be: the right words at/out mouth!? 😁 ;-)
That was an ugly storm, and the bloody bugger kept on blowing...... At least it gave us an extra day in port. Must say the last 2 weeks were the jackpot with gales
Always fun to weather a storm be it on anchor or at the marina. It was sure good that you were on the leeward side of the pier. When you were showing the outside of the boat, I saw yourself steering gear and do not remember seeing any videos of your using it. Have you had a chance to try it out yet?
A boat neighbour recorded 84knots during Storm Darragh with a handheld anemometer. Very pleased our mizzen mast held up. This is why we felt that Portland wouldn't be a comfy place for a winter. The causeway is so low there is no protection from the wind (good wave protection at least).
We found it fine actually. Put it this way I’ve been in MUCH worse places i REALLY wouldn’t want to be. I’m sure places like Penarth would have better protection but having been through 80+ knots here and seen and felt what it’s like it’s really not that bad. Not one single piece of marina infrastructure failed. The Marina staff were out and going beyond the call of duty to protect boats which hadn’t been properly prepared by their owners. They even invested in extra lines to use to add to boats who hadn’t got enough lines on.
Excellent video that shows how poorly so many owners secure their boats. It was particularly sad to see so many fenders secured to the guardwires or high on the stanchions. Even without doing the maths, its easy to see how the leverage places huge forces on the stanchions which are just not designed for such loads; no wonder so many become loose and a danger to the crew. To demonstrate the the point I think one boat shown actually had its stanchions ripped out. While its OK to hang fenders from the wires during the approach, once berthed I'd argue that 'best practice' is to relocate them close together where the boat is likeliest to touch the pontoon to spread the load, hanging them from cleats, holes through the toe-rail or at the bases of stanchions or shrouds thus greatly reducing the stress on the stanchions.
When we were getting rubbed up and down a rough stone Dock wall in Whitehaven, we copied the local fisherman and got some old tyres from ATS, which were much better fenders than sausages.
Hmmm. Yes I’ve done that myself in the past but it’s pot luck and often results in huge black tyre rubber marks all down the side of your boat. If I absolutely had no other option I’d wrap them in something but it’s a lot of work to make tyres into good fenders. The reality is that fenders which are good for every day summer use aren’t suitable for long term mooring and really the solution is two sets, a summer set and a dedicated winter set, but few people have the space aboard to stow two full sets, I know we don’t. @davidswheatley-talesfromth1796, has made some useful comments on this with suggestions for good fenders but we couldn’t carry two sets and don’t plan being in marinas all the time so it wouldn’t be suitable for us to carry a set for winter marina use. However for most people I think David suggestions are bang on
@@SailingMelody asa a sailmaker, i have made fender skirts, literally a piece of acrylic canvas with a piece of softtouch oddesey canvas sewn on the back to protect expensive paint jobs from fender scuff damage. im sure if you used heavy pvc in the same way it would sort out the issue with hull damage.
Yes. Although it’s often like this in the UK generally in winter 😂😂 Not just here in particular, but the whole of the Uk in winter can be pretty gnarly
It’s a difficult one. These winter storms in the Uk are getting worse each year and maybe that’s something which will become more commonplace as time goes by. A lot of boat owners do choose to mount fenders on their pontoon berth
Walking the dock you should also be carrying a line with a life ring or life jacket attached incase you get blown in. Wearing a life jacket is good but will not help trying to swim against the windy waves etc. Be careful good luck..
Well done & good job helping others, we all need to chip in when conditions get tuff. However not too bad in the video, Looks like 35 knots of wind, gusting maybe 40 at most. Certainly not Typhoon , hurricane or cyclone strength. I noticed most of the yacht masts were in line with each other - in strong winds your masts will hit your neighbors masts and tangle & break standing rigging- always stagger your masts (often that means tying 1 bow too dock and the next yacht stern too the dock , so you have 10ft or more clearance between your masts so they don't clash ) Still I bet your happy your in harbor and not out at sea!
Here is a list of recorded wind speeds from Storm Darragh across different parts of the UK: • Capel Curig, North Wales: 93 mph • Aberdaron, Llyn Peninsula: 92 mph • Isle of Portland, Dorset: 86 mph • Pembrey Sands, South Wales: 83 mph • St. Mary’s, Isles of Scilly: 80 mph • Lake Vyrnwy, Powys: 78 mph • Needles, Isle of Wight: 77 mph
That’s so annoying. TH-cam do that a lot lately with lots of channels. I’ve spoke to many other TH-cam creators who are having the same issue and not getting notifications about episodes. If you go over to Patreon and join as a free member you’ll get the notifications there at least.
Happy Boxing Day! In this episode we hunker down aboard to wait our Storm Darragh. We’re so glad to be here in #portlandmarina where the staff are so vigilant and caring and were out and about checking everyone’s boats. Hope you enjoy this raw look at what it’s like living aboard in the UK during the winter storms.
Horrific weather from Darragh, great to see Jack up and about helping you with the various tasks at hand. As Melody laid starboard side in Portland we were thankful she was being blown off. Enjoy your hot chocolate and Harry Potter reruns, our best to Melissa and Ollie and for a safe and Happy New Year!
Lucky you were not at Holyhead.... It was seriously damaged and even the Ferry sailings won't resume for months .
.. all the traffic is now having to go via Fishguard.
@@davidnichols147 thanks you so much
@@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665 yes I heard they had a bad time. That’s awful news
how stupid to have family on in that weather a local b nb would cost 40 quid but yet to risk your entire familes lifes .!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well done Andy for helping other boaters to secure their boats in the storm. This video really highlights not only the importance of plenty of well-placed fenders and stout bow & stern warps, but also how vital mooring springs are. Oh, and waterproof trousers too!!
Hahah. I actually prefer shorts because I can get dry quicker with bare legs unless it’s sub zero
@@SailingMelody I was thinking of Jack - who got a thorough soaking!
That’s great Andy, you should have filmed them in action. I have lived in the Marina 12 yrs and not seen them once check boats ! I’m an old git and probably got it wrong 🤷🏼♂️
Oh well they’re in this video near the end. I filmed this pretty early in the morning and it was only 20 minutes and by the time Jack and I had walked to Lidl they were on our pontoon sorting out the boat across from ours. I was out several times and saw many of the marina staff doing a great job.
I only saw him filming others' woes. Maybe putting the camera down would have helped
It is in such a storm that we can appreciate the awesome job you did with your cockpit enclosure.
Oh thank you. The cockpit enclosure is rock solid. Absolutely didn’t shift even a tiny bit. Really pleased with it
Love the way the Gull is just flying around in that storm like it's just a small breeze, they are amazing birds, as well as being annoying at the same time. Hope you are all good
They’re incredible creatures aren’t they
Nice to see how you help to take care of other boats.
It’s attitude I share as there is no need to neglect other people materials
Yeah for sure. The marina staff were all out doing an amazing job but there’s only so many of them and it’s a HUGE marina so the way I see it everyone has a responsibility to help each other
You have got to be so proud of jack, and the young mature young man that he is becoming. Congratulations to you both for doing such a wonderful job. Ollie will have a fantastic role model as he starts getting older.
Oh yes! He’s a brilliant young man now
I've enjoyed every episode, but I have to say this is one of the best. It was downright exciting, and it was so reassuring to see how true seamen care for one another--checking the status of the other boats in the marina goes beyond kindness, and that is so wonderful to see. Take care, and Happy New Year!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Nice to see you didn’t put your neighbours fender back in 😂😂
We did many times Andy just needed to take 5 before trying to push the boat off again.
You literally reminded me why boat life in the winter was such hard work genuinely don't miss the gales like that
It is. But I love it.
Good to see both of you wearing proper inflatable vests with your harness done up correctly. A great time for Jack to learn a bit of what it means to experience a gale.
Definitely a good learning experience for him!
Andy, good on you to walk the docks to spot boats in trouble. Absolutely a boater best practice.
Thank you. The marina staff were out and about doing amazing work but there’s only so many of them so in these situations i feel like it’s all hands on deck
That's some amazing camera work in that mess, you really put us in the middle of it - thank you! Happy Boxing Day to you as well!
Thank you
Hot soup weather, though it might end up on the ceiling. Such a good neighbor, Andy. Exciting episode!
Oh yes! Melissa makes awesome home made soup as well
Happy Boxing Day. I appreciate all the effort you made to help your boating neighbors. As always, I enjoy your videos. Stay safe.
The marina staff were around doing amazing work but I think everyone who can should help where possible in these situations
this is why its really good to have a bunch of highly experienced sailors on hand in any marina. we pick up the slack when the s*** hits the fan
Good on you looking out for for others. True meaning of the Christmas spirit, not that you only do it at this time of year. Each episode, Jack just matures at a colossal rate into a sterling young man. Has your just get on with it attitude. Tribute to fine parents
Dear family,
Great to see you’re continuering in living on board even under stormy conditions
Thank you 😊
I could see my boat in the background for some of these shots. Good to see she's still there! I'll be visiting to check the damage in the next few days. Thanks for filming so I could see how bad it was.
Oh hi! Yes it was pretty gnarly. Which boat is yours? I’ll go and check if you like
@ hi thanks for offering. The boat is The Fox, a warrior 35 with blue hull. I’m on berth M5. I’ll be down on Sunday so maybe see you then.
A lot of faith being placed on some of those ropes. 😱
Indeed! The marina were out doubling up peoples ropes
Andy best marina friend you can find.
Awh thank you
Nature is impressive. Respect due
Certainly is! Thank you
That brought back a few memories of Portland Harbour. Saw many similar days in the RFA there.
That’s cool. It’s a great place to be
You‘re a real sportsman!!! Thanks for your helps!!!
Thank you
Jack please stop growing! In the last 12 months you have grown so much! 😊❤
He’s an inch shorter than Melissa now 😂
Must have been an inch every month!
Wait till you see him at age 15! My nephew just made nearly 30 cm in a year and he is not done yet.
Wow! That wind.
Thankfully, you did as much as you could and selected the marine office of whose responsibility it is to ensure boats are safe. And yes, the owners have responsibility also that their boats are safely docked with the boys properly put out and lines tied down.
The fun of owning a sailing boat, Andy.
Was that storm, the one that brought all the snow they got in the UK.
Hope your Christmas was grand cheers😊
This blow arrived after & melted the snow causing excessive flooding in the UK.
Compliments of the season Andy and Crew, Stay Safe.
Same to you. Thanks 😊
Immer hilfsbereit sehr schön ! Super Video !
Thank you 😊
Makes me thankful for our break water.... which is about 10 feet above the water at high tide. It's been windy here on Vancouver Island too.
Yeah it was what we’d call “spicy”
Pretty humbling a storm like that. Your boat was the right side of the pontoon. Some boats had some pretty shoddy mooring lines. You can’t have too many in that sort of a blow. Good for you Andy helping out but stay safe. Andy UK
Thank you. There were others about and the marina staff were also doing an amazing job
hello Andy,
correct, such storms should not be underestimated, you can be lucky if you are not directly in the center of the storm...
i wish you, Melissa, Jack and Oliver all the best for 2025 and always enough water under the keel
my best regards from austria
Very true, thank you and happy Christmas
Gosh thats a very exposed marina, wow. Well done for looking out for the other boats too.
It’s not actually. It’s really protected. But the wind was in a very weird direction and coming straight through the break in the wall
Wow! That mono up at the end opposite the cat was where my yacht was moored when I was down in the summer from Penarth,
I’m a friend of Stuart and Neil 👍🏻
I have a phobia of the wind!
Scares me to hell,
Good work helping to minimise damage,
Thanks! Say hi to the guys in Penarth from us. :)
my parents and i lived on queen annes battery marina in the 90's and we had our fair share of storms. most of us that lived there always looked out for the boats whose owners didn't have the experience nor were there to look after them.
after a going through a couple of major storms you get used to it and just ride it out.
Yes I know what you mean. Some people live too far away or have got sick or whatever but you’d think by now most boat owners in the Uk would know how to prepare their boats for a british winter
@@SailingMelody what we found out is that most owners just buy expensive yaughts for apperance only and have no clue as to what it takes to look after them never mind if the weather goes bad which of course can be a very expensive repair and maintenence bill.
@@mrdent5648 I think that’s true the world over sadly
@@SailingMelody true and people should have basic sea faring knowledge before they even consider buying one. my family were lucky as my dad was ex navy and we were members of the sea cadets in the 80s.
saying that though we still had things to learn and only experience could teach us that knowledge.
Definitely. I’m learning more every day
Used to live in Portland the weather can be great or as you have seen a little breezy. Plus thanks for helping the other boats, proper seaman.
Our pleasure! 😊
Good to see all the Marina Staff there checking their no doubt very expensive Moorings
Yes they were out all day working hard as you could see towards the end of this short peek into the days events. It was definitely all hands on deck for them, amazing team going above and beyond. Quite impressive that not one piece of marina infrastructure broke (apart from a pane of glass up at the restaurant) so any damage wasn’t due to failings on the marinas diligence but due to poor prep by boat owners. That’s understandable though because a lot of owners live hundreds of miles away so it’s great to be in a marina where the staff understand that and go beyond the call of duty to ensure the boats are safe to the best of their ability given the dangerous conditions 😊
I would always put a lashing around my Furling headsail in strong winds or when leaving the boat. the times I have seen them come undone on other boats over the years, shredded in minutes
It's crazy how fast they shred!
G'day Olly, how you? G'day Jack. Lovel,y weather your havin. Geez you a good bloke in that weather Andy. 'Come in No.46, your time is up.' wOW! thats some weather. I stay inside when rain and wind do that and hope the Xtrail is still there tomorrow! Pretty good Marina Crew you got. Thanks m8s, glad you were still round to put the vid out. Stay vertical Eh!
Hey Greg! Nice to hear from you as always matey. Love your comments, always make us smile. Stay vertical friend!
Nice to see a Colvic Victor next to you. Built like a tank and will go anywhere. Stay safe guys
Definitely is built like a tank!
@@SailingMelody I took mine to Suakin in Sudan and back over ten years. SY Christina. Miss her!
Good of you to take Jack with you.
It's good for him to see what it's like and get him off the boat for a bit.
@ he will look to you for the kind of man he is to become spending time with you now is more important than we realize
Definitely
The few seconds we saw of the interior of your boat seemed quite nice, despite the raging storm outside.
Oh 😂😂 the interior was a mess because we’re being super lazy and just lounging about. But we will do an interior tour soon.
Good video, bit wind ...
good to show what wind can do, heavy hé,
lot of memories here, long time ago, still the same,
listen to dad Kapt'n Jack, he is a good man
thanks for showing this here,
a couple more months (and storms)
and summer is there ..
.holiday greetings from flanders,
all the best, get wel for your lady and keep the ropes tight and the boat warm
💪🙂👌
We’ve had the shortest day now so spring will be on the way soon as you say
@@SailingMelody lol
You laughing at the concept of Spring in the Uk
@@SailingMelody i am just across the river between london & brussels, spring is not that far...
Great video, we rode out storm Lilian in Holyhead and it was ferocious. At 63m sustained wind it was too dangerous to walk down the marina to help people.
We know how brutal it can be in Holyhead!!!
Olie is such a cutie ❤ hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Crikey that marina was crazy exposed to Darragh. Surprised more damage was not done.
Our house had no electricity for 2 days thankfully had a stove fire to keep warm alone as John was in Arzal, Brittany checking wave dancer. He was staying in the yard and was rattling in the stand
It’s thanks to the Marina staff. There was some unavoidable damage of course but the guys here worked tirelessly to try to protect boats as best they could in dangerous circumstances
Well done Andy nice of you to check others boats
Thanks 👍
Hey! Lovely how you cared for that beautiful Najad next to you as well as others. Greetings from a Najad owner from the Netherlands.
We have one next to us and one opposite great boats!
Stay safe team melody. Hope you had a great Christmas and wishing you all a safe 2025, see you when you reach the Essex coast line
Happy Christmas! Thanks 😊
Fantastic work on helping others.
Sadly this looks to be UK weather moving forward, strong storms replacing replacing snow
I think you’re right
Merry Christmas to y nice Familie! ⛵️🎅🎅😉
Thank you. Merry Christmas to you too 🎄
Nice to see the marina staff helping out especially with marina fees one has to pay.😱
The marina staff were amazing, they were working hard all day to protect boats. They’re at rhe end of this video securing the boat opposite us if you noticed. Great team doing hard work in difficult circumsatn
Good to see your safe and well , are you wintering where you are you never really said on anything all the best for the new year 🎉
You’re right we haven’t really covered that have we. I think we’re doing episode soon about our plans for 2025 so we’ll cover it then but yes we are staying here for the winter. Thankfully that’s already going past quickly
Well done!
Thanks
Hi Oli! Nice to meet you!
Natural born youruber! ;-)
Hello there! Ollie says hi :)
I took my Laser out in conditions like this once and had a blast. It was so rad. Fastest I've ever been on a Laser.
Wow that’s very brave 😊😂
@@SailingMelody Not really. I was the only one out in the harbor that day. Not even the government boats were out. I was probably going 20 plus knots.
You're a good neighbor!
The marina staff here were amazing though. They were working flat out and running around protecting boats
Glad you didn't sustain any damage, and that you were all safe!
We took a bit of a beating here in Peanarth as well. We were both awake from 2am getting tossed around, it wasnt pleasant..
I think we all had a bit of a battering eh. Penarth is lovely and safe though.
Happy New Year to you all. Thanks for sharing your adventures so well these past few years. I know that marina well, excellent staff team. Lots of optimistic owners tho, summer-weight lines and fenders … 🙄
They’re SO lovely and vigilant here. One of the nicest and safest marinas we’ve ever visited
By putting a line from midships straight to a dock midships cleat (not too tight), you can have a backup in case the bow or stern dock cleat let go. Better than nothing.
Yes I had several lines like that going on at different points
Thanks guys!
Our pleasure!
What a gentleman
Thank you
At 2:05 seconds, the ball fender is doing absolutely next to nothing where it is mounted. Untie it from the safety line and slowly work it along the boat. Every time the wind eases, the boat moves away and the ball fender can be then worked further along until you can get the fenders that you are trying to install, in place. Don't ever struggle trying to puch the boat off the pontoon, use a BIG fender.
Yes good advice
Interesting that many of those boats are not tied up correctly not to mention the fenders are way to high up the sides .
Theres a lot of money with owners not being aware of basics.
Thankfully rhe marina staff were really vigilant and out doing everything they could including adding extra lines etc etc
@@SailingMelodyGlad to hear that 👍
Pretty much missed it, was in Vegas Baby, the take off and flight from Heathrow was interesting though.
Glad I dropped my main Ham radio antennas before we left.
Hope all is well with you all.
Quite a few Years ago I drove through a Years worth of seasons, fog, rain, hail, snow, wind and sunshine from Herefordshire to London to fly Kites with a friend on Blackheath Common in winds almost that strong. The Après kite in the pub after was great.
Equally interesting drive home too.
Wow that’s some commitment to kiting
73 de GW6UXD/MM
Ooh your little one looks like a little I used to childcare ❤❤❤
❤️
Losing the safety lines in a storm (15:46 seconds) is an enevitable result of tying the fenders to the safety lines, I have seen this happpen many, many times and have been banging on about this for twenty years or more. As the fenders drop below the pontoon, the yacht comes upright again, it can (and will) rip the safety lines from the stanchions. You shoud ALWAYS tie off the fenders to a strong point like a cleat, base of a shroud or through the scupper drain holes, NEVER to the safety lines. You can use the safety lines as you enter a marina but IMMEDIATELY transfer to a strong point when safely alongside. I always use an horizontal fender or more amidships with a vertical fender each side, The vertical fenders look more like Marilyn Monroes waistline in a blow and don't work as they shoud when totally flattened against the pontoon. I use two VERY LARGE fenders in a horizontal mode and they never get flattened against the pontoon, also, they roll up and down as the motion of my yacht as it presses against the pontoon. Safety lines are there to save you falling overboard, not to tie on fenders.
Very good advice! Thanks David. Will take that all onboard. Always more to learn eh
Come in No46, your times up😂👍
We had the same, down in Spain, the same weekend. 25 cm fairlead snapped in half, but like you, plenty of ropes on and rode it out on board, as not safe enough to get off for two days.
Wow yes that storm did extend all the way out across Biskay didn’t it
I had a 35’sailboat for,years , use more lines to,pull,the boat away from the dock ! If you need help run your lines back to a winch then tie off again!
Yes lots of boats did the same. We’re were being blown off so wasn’t an issue for us
I was thinking about you guys during this storm, but also confident your skills would see you through. Some, I'm sure will disagree, but I am glad you allowed Jack out. People should realize that at one time you were an alpine climbing instructor, and have years of judging what is safe for a trainee, and what is beyond safe. I understand that this storm is of mental stregth... Things get serious above 40 knots... it is still doable, but any mis-step can unravel a heap of trouble. At 60+ knots... people have to realize it's an exponential increase it complications... it's not one third more problems... it's three times the problems. Hope you had a Merry Christmas... love you all
Thank you. Yes I don’t ever want to be over confident or arrogant or take my experience for granted but I have lived my life on the mountains and the sea and have been taking novices out in bad conditions for many years and experienced truly life threatening times myself on various occasions (haven’t we Manny Perez). So I’m uber cautious about what we do but I am comfy taking Jack out in conditions others may not do
Holy smokes ! Best wishes in the New Year ! Time to play REO Speedwagon's "Riding The Storm Out" !!
Hahaha merry Christmas and an amazing new year to you too.
I. Hope you all a good Christmas but that storm was horrendous did a lot of damage up the ogmore valley where I live the main mountain road from our valley to the rhondda valley suffered a land slip but being on a boat is very dangerous in that wind glad you okay
It was a big one wasn’t it. Although we do tend to get a lot of storms similar to that in winter in the UK
Tough day in the marina, even.
It was ok. Need to be careful but we felt very safe
Makes you realise how important correctly inflated fenders are!
Absolutely
In weather like that, it wouldn't matter how well inflated they are, they will always get flattened against the pontoon. TWO big fenders, mounted horizontally will rid you of the problem of fenders that will look more akin to Marilyn Monroe's waistline.
Stay safe
Yeah normally I wouldn’t wear a life jacket just to walk up the pontoon but it was seriously a good idea on a day like that
You can see the importance of stripping a boat of it's sails, demonstrated by heel angles of some of the boats. Octo plat mooring ropes are really important for those conditions too. Fenders are hardly adequate to keep the dock from doing it's worst, but I have found that the thinner ones and lots of them are best as they do not ride out so much. Hopefully, the boats were not too badly damaged, but some did not look at all secure. The cleats looked about right ,12-20 ft boats, not the for the bigger ones though. Take care - Have a Happy New Year. Watchword for 2025 "Gotta have two" one is never enough!!
Certainly good to prepare for winter properly in these parts of the world
Well done for offering support to those in need - very professional!
It always amazes me to see so many yachts (sail or motor) that are left in their standard summer state when they’re wintering on a marina. At a minimum I’d expect to see sails removed from furlers & all canvas work stowed below.
It’s been a while since I negotiated direct with brokers & underwriters but I was always able to end up with what I called the ‘idiot clause’ whereby any wind damage from named storms to canvas and sails wouldn’t be covered when moored - used to reduce my premium by at least £1K.
Anyway, at least Ocean Melody is moored downwind of the pontoon so your fenders aren’t being destroyed!
Good luck-at least things were settling down post ‘Darragh’ for a bit.
Thanks so much: yes we’re very pleased we were on that side of the pontoon. These winter storms are fairly standard in the UK so there’s a good chance we will get hit by another and it might come from the other direction but fingers crossed
Dear Sailing Melody family.
👍👌👏 2) OMG, what a stormy day/time you had. Quite dangerous and no fun to be in the middle of it. I guess that a dead cat on the microphone would've been blown off respectively wouldn't have helped much. So maybe you need to use a dead tiger/lion next time!? 😁 ;-) 3) Well done helping others. 4) Good heavens, it's well known but nevertheless always amazing, how fast children grow! Jack has transformed into a slim young man and has grown a lot. Cutie pie Ollie has also grown a lot.
I hope that all of you and the boat are well and undamaged.
Thanks a lot for making explaining recording editing uploading and sharing.
I wish you all to have a good transition of the year.
Best regards, luck and especially health to all 4 of you.
Thanks so much to you for another wonderful lovely comment. Every week now we look forward to your comment because it always makes us smile :)
@SailingMelody
Ouuuh, thank you! This is a really nice and especially a big compliment. I'm waiting to watch your videos every week. 2) In fact the videos I still didn't comment about are so stunningly impressive, that I didn't have the right words at hand* instantly. But I will do comments at a later time (at least I hope so 🙈). For instance about the makeover of the engine room/space, kids cabin, chart table etc.p.p..
2) Thanks for replying and especially for giving a heart to my comment. As you know, I always and totally appreciate both very much.
Sincerely yours.
Post Scriptum: * the right words at hand... uhm... shouldn't it better be: the right words at/out mouth!? 😁 ;-)
Hahaha I knew what you meant 😊
That was an ugly storm, and the bloody bugger kept on blowing...... At least it gave us an extra day in port. Must say the last 2 weeks were the jackpot with gales
It’s just been non stop hasn’t it lately
Always fun to weather a storm be it on anchor or at the marina. It was sure good that you were on the leeward side of the pier. When you were showing the outside of the boat, I saw yourself steering gear and do not remember seeing any videos of your using it. Have you had a chance to try it out yet?
The autohelm? No actually we didn’t use it yet but looking forward to next year
Would be good to have snubbers on mooring lines. Cleats will take only so much of jerking action
@SailingMelody I was wondering about the steering vane.
Well, that’s just validated our decision to go do Xmas in Lanzarote! 🤣 We’ll be back on J pontoon in Feb if you’re still around for a beer?
Haha great idea! Yes we will still be here.
wow
Indeed. It was quite exciting
Andy in those winds I always double up ALL lines, just in case
Yes!
A boat neighbour recorded 84knots during Storm Darragh with a handheld anemometer. Very pleased our mizzen mast held up.
This is why we felt that Portland wouldn't be a comfy place for a winter. The causeway is so low there is no protection from the wind (good wave protection at least).
We found it fine actually. Put it this way I’ve been in MUCH worse places i REALLY wouldn’t want to be. I’m sure places like Penarth would have better protection but having been through 80+ knots here and seen and felt what it’s like it’s really not that bad.
Not one single piece of marina infrastructure failed.
The Marina staff were out and going beyond the call of duty to protect boats which hadn’t been properly prepared by their owners. They even invested in extra lines to use to add to boats who hadn’t got enough lines on.
@SailingMelody well one place none of us want to be is in the Menai at anchor or a mooring 😏
Excellent video that shows how poorly so many owners secure their boats. It was particularly sad to see so many fenders secured to the guardwires or high on the stanchions. Even without doing the maths, its easy to see how the leverage places huge forces on the stanchions which are just not designed for such loads; no wonder so many become loose and a danger to the crew. To demonstrate the the point I think one boat shown actually had its stanchions ripped out. While its OK to hang fenders from the wires during the approach, once berthed I'd argue that 'best practice' is to relocate them close together where the boat is likeliest to touch the pontoon to spread the load, hanging them from cleats, holes through the toe-rail or at the bases of stanchions or shrouds thus greatly reducing the stress on the stanchions.
I agree and this is a practise which I have since adopted.
Very troublesome wind. I'm glad I'm in Marmaris
Looking forward to getting there ourselves
When we were getting rubbed up and down a rough stone Dock wall in Whitehaven, we copied the local fisherman and got some old tyres from ATS, which were much better fenders than sausages.
Hmmm. Yes I’ve done that myself in the past but it’s pot luck and often results in huge black tyre rubber marks all down the side of your boat. If I absolutely had no other option I’d wrap them in something but it’s a lot of work to make tyres into good fenders. The reality is that fenders which are good for every day summer use aren’t suitable for long term mooring and really the solution is two sets, a summer set and a dedicated winter set, but few people have the space aboard to stow two full sets, I know we don’t. @davidswheatley-talesfromth1796, has made some useful comments on this with suggestions for good fenders but we couldn’t carry two sets and don’t plan being in marinas all the time so it wouldn’t be suitable for us to carry a set for winter marina use. However for most people I think David suggestions are bang on
@@SailingMelody asa a sailmaker, i have made fender skirts, literally a piece of acrylic canvas with a piece of softtouch oddesey canvas sewn on the back to protect expensive paint jobs from fender scuff damage. im sure if you used heavy pvc in the same way it would sort out the issue with hull damage.
crazy weather.....
Yes. Although it’s often like this in the UK generally in winter 😂😂
Not just here in particular, but the whole of the Uk in winter can be pretty gnarly
Yeh its quite windy😂 merry Christmas
Just regular British winter weather though ironically
Cant help but think it would be better putting fenders on both pontoon and yachts the amount of movment taking place. Thanks for video.
It’s a difficult one. These winter storms in the Uk are getting worse each year and maybe that’s something which will become more commonplace as time goes by. A lot of boat owners do choose to mount fenders on their pontoon berth
Amasses me how the people with the most expensive boats (the most to lose) are never around when the weather gets bad to look after them.
You may be right. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume there is a really genuine reason they’re not there but who knows.
May next winter see you in a more temperate climate!
Walking the dock you should also be carrying a line with a life ring or life jacket attached incase you get blown in. Wearing a life jacket is good but will not help trying to swim against the windy waves etc. Be careful good luck..
That’s a great idea! I’ll adopt that thanks
It's times just like these when I realise I'm not the boaty-type.
Oh I just LOVE it
Well done & good job helping others, we all need to chip in when conditions get tuff. However not too bad in the video, Looks like 35 knots of wind, gusting maybe 40 at most. Certainly not Typhoon , hurricane or cyclone strength. I noticed most of the yacht masts were in line with each other - in strong winds your masts will hit your neighbors masts and tangle & break standing rigging- always stagger your masts (often that means tying 1 bow too dock and the next yacht stern too the dock , so you have 10ft or more clearance between your masts so they don't clash ) Still I bet your happy your in harbor and not out at sea!
Here is a list of recorded wind speeds from Storm Darragh across different parts of the UK:
• Capel Curig, North Wales: 93 mph
• Aberdaron, Llyn Peninsula: 92 mph
• Isle of Portland, Dorset: 86 mph
• Pembrey Sands, South Wales: 83 mph
• St. Mary’s, Isles of Scilly: 80 mph
• Lake Vyrnwy, Powys: 78 mph
• Needles, Isle of Wight: 77 mph
We’re in Portland, highest officially recorded wind speed at our location during that storm was 86mph
high drama in the marina
Haha. Well kind of. It was kinda fun but certainly needed to be taken seriously
@ you did well
North Wales got a real battering from Storm Darragh. I remember hoping nobody was actually at sea at the time.
Oh yes. Being out at sea would have been deadly
Happy Chrismas🎉
Same to you! Merry Christmas
Good to be in the marina😅
Well done for getting title-clicks off an unnamed storm and random boat. ✌️
Haha thank you.
From what I've seen over the years is that most yachts that get into trouble in marinas have left their curling headsail up.
I didn’t see much of that on this occasion but I agree you’re right lots of people have issues leaving boats with furled headsails coming undone.
I haven’t gotten your notifications lately? Shows I’m still signed up.
That’s so annoying. TH-cam do that a lot lately with lots of channels. I’ve spoke to many other TH-cam creators who are having the same issue and not getting notifications about episodes.
If you go over to Patreon and join as a free member you’ll get the notifications there at least.
@ thank you❤️
I woulda doubled up on all my ropes especially springs to prevent ranging.