Tuesday 10/01/06

Quiet night, but the rain returns shortly after breakfast. Watch MV Muirneag coming into port at 9.30. I look on as she comes to a halt just off Green Island, having taken a course very close to the island. A fishing boat passes by very slowly as Muirneag reverses, then, as a second boat comes past, she goes on. Muirneag again comes to a halt, this time just past the Goat Island jetty. She turns 180° and slowly backs into her berth at n° 1 pier. What a carry-on. Muirneag has difficulty manoeuvering in strong sidewinds. Today's weather is windy, but force 5 is not that bad. It's raining steadily by 11 a.m.. The forecast mentions gales again. Tomorrow morning we can expect severe gales. The weather worsens at midday, with lashing rain and increasing winds. The ferry will not leave Stornoway once it's back from its current crossing from Ullapool. At 2.15, a German chap calls in for a bed for the night. Spray starts to fly across the basin at 2.45. Pity it's going to be dark after 4.15. Waves begin to crash over the causeway. It's a year to the day since the big hurricane of 11 January 2005. Ferries are off again, Oban to Uist; Barra to Eriskay; Mallaig to Armadale; Tarbert to Uig. The rain continues to lash down. When I venture out to the Coastguard Station, it's difficult to tell whether it's rain- or seawater that's flying about. Hardly anyone out on the streets, except in their cars. The wind nearly blows me off my feet outside the Coastguard Station. Hear that power is off in NW Skye, after debris hits the lines. Ferries are also off in Orkney, no sailings to Shapinsay or Sanday. Skye Bridge is closed to high-sided vehicles at 5.30.

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Police issue a warning to residents in the Western Isles to be careful because of severe weather. Busservices may be restricted, schools are closed in the southern isles. Gusts increase to 54 kts at 6pm, with Benbecula at 64. When I go to pick up logs from the backyard, the rain has stopped and the moon is out. The winds increase further. Out in the Atlantic, buoy K5 is bobbing down in waves of 21 ft (6 m), which increase to 35 ft (10.5m) later in the evening. It reports a barometric pressure of 955 mbar, which shoots up to 979 mbar by midnight. Gales are extensive, all the way down the western seaboard of the UK. The depression (shown on the satellite picture in thepreliminary entry) has a central pressure of 947 mbar. Winds are very strong at 7pm, and appear to be veering southwest, now that the initial front has passed. In the darkness, it's difficult to see the seastate, but I can see that the basin is very rough. Have a wee chat with the German guest, who is investigating the attitudes of Gaelic speakers about their language. He goes door to door to interview people. When he goes for a walk, he promptly gets dosed with a shower. Otherwise, it's a moonlit night. Gusts increase to 63 kts, force 12, by 9 pm. Sustained windspeeds 41 kts, force 9. North Rona reports 75 kts, 86 mph (force 12) sustained windspeeds, with gusts of 97 kts, 111 mph. At 11.15 pm, I go for an amble to Goat Island, but it's less windy than at 4pm. A fishbox is blown onto the access road. The moment I step back inside, a shower passes through. Nobody is out on the street. Showers and squalls continue. At midnight, the winds at North Rona are not as strong - gusts of 86 kts are still very severe.