With a barrage of Atlantic storms continuing to batter west Wales, our New Year return to Ramsey looks somewhat delayed. We gaze across at the island each day but each day our chances of getting anywhere near her seem slimmer then ever.
Early this morning the full force of a deep depression, storm force winds and a high spring tide caused chaos at St Justinians. The storm surge ripped the big heavy wooden doors off our diesel shed and the waves breaking against the side of the stone building lifted the seaward facing side of the roof and mangled it; (a brand new roof too!) Everything inside the shed was awash with sea water when we arrived at 9:00am and waves were still coming in through the roof two hours after high tide had past. We got a good drenching as we inspected the damage and tried to salvage anything valuable.
The RNLI were having similar problems. The big red wooden doors of the old stone lifeboat station which houses the inshore boat and tractor had been severed and thrown around by the shear force of the incoming sea.
The sea around the lifeboat station was awash with debris and young kittiwakes enjoying themselves in the surf. To see this level of damage is very unusual and some of the lifeboat crew said they had not seen anything like it in 30 years. Fingers crossed that tonight’s high tide doesn’t cause any further probelms and that there hasn't been any sigificant damage on the island itself.
And so as the storms continue into a third week; Greg, Dewi and I are marooned in St Davids. We will update you from the island if and when it is safe to return.