Breaking mooring lines and getting no sleep - the storm

We knew that it was going to be a fun day from the forecast:

The land based forecast was no more tempting - have a look at the forecast gusts:

So, we took off the bimini cover just in case, put out a couple of long spring lines and started to get bumped around a little. Here is the topless boat:

Archie the Lakeland terrier was on board with John and Irene for the evening and was not happy - his tail went down. The wind was around 40 knots by then (46 mph for landlubbers):

and there was plenty of movement going on.

Later on, it got really serious. The wind picked up. Sleeping was proving impossible, noisy ropes and 40+ tons of boat being thrown around. Then it got dangerous, one huge gust and a surge from a big wave, we were violently thrown away from the pontoon and then back onto it. Some stuff that stays put on countertops quite happily when we are out to sea fell on the floor. So, we went outside to find one of the 7 mooring lines had snapped:

This rope was new last year and only gets summer season use. 22 mm diameter stuff with a quoted breaking strain of 11,000 kg. Yes it was rough. We doubled up the bow and stern lines, added a long head rope and put every fender we had down the side as the fenders were being squashed totally flat every time the waves and wind pushed us hard against the pontoon. There were white horses on the waves coming down the marina area - not nice.

The yachts ahead of us on opposite sides of the big breakwater, were rolling so much and in opposite directions that the masts and rigging touched but luckily came apart OK. The poor folks on a small yacht ahead of us were having a horrendous time. They reported sitting inside and seeing the hull flexing as it was rammed against the pontoon. No sleep for us from about midnight to 5am when the wind finally dropped to a force 7 from the force 9.

You can see how many fenders we had deployed - normally we use only 4 per side:

At least the hull is still shiny.... Thanks to Michael and Louise for the stuff known as A-Glaze.

We have to say that it was our worst night afloat ever. We have been on board when the wind was a force 10 but in much better sheltered spots like Penarth. Memo to 'selves - another reason to avoid Dunstaffnage!