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Storms- Autumn Winter 2017


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Well here we go.

Hearing reports of Blood Red skies across the UK.

Sand sucked from the Sahara producing this effect.

Wild seas tremendous winds in places,storm surges etc.

Warnings are in force.

Link.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings

 

Tell us how you are if this storm is effecting you as the day goes on.

Latest.

Hurricane Ophelia: Thousands lose power as storm hits Ireland

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41627442

 

Ex-Hurricane Ophelia: Ireland battered by 'violent and destructive' storm – live

Follow live updates as Tropical Storm Ophelia makes landfall in Ireland where schools and government buildings have been closed after a red weather warning was issued

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2017/oct/16/ex-hurricane-ophelia-landfall-tropical-storm-ireland-red-weather-warning-live-updates

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30 years to the day since the 1987 Storm,i remember it well.

You just cannot tell what may happen.

Southern Ireland getting battered at the moment.Check out this latest wind speed.

Expecting this to spread to many parts as the day wears on.

 

Sting jet likely developing on Ophelia: 191 km/h gust recorded at Fastnet lighthouse, SW Ireland

Peak wind gusts of 191 km/h / 103 kt have already been reported at Fastnet Lighthouse, SW Ireland at 9:56 UTC! This is an extremely high value, more than most high-resolution models indicated and indicates a sting jet is likely indeed present. Peak wind gusts along the southern coast of Ireland may well approach 200 km/h. This is a very dangerous situation!

http://www.severe-weather.eu/mcd/sting-jet-likely-developing-on-ophelia-191-kmh-gust-recorded-at-fastnet-lighthouse-sw-ireland/

 

Reports coming in of one fatality,in Waterford.

A tree fell on the car in Aglish, Co Waterford this morning in which she was the only occupant, according to a spokeswoman for Waterford County Council.

 

A sting jet is a meteorological phenomenon which has been postulated to cause some of the most damaging winds in extratropical cyclones, developing according to the Shapiro-Keyser model of oceanic cyclones.

 

The famous Great Storm cut a swathe of damage across Southeast England in the early hours of the 16th October 1987. It was a good example of a storm with a sting Jet. But what is a sting jet?

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/news/in-depth/1987-great-storm/sting-jet

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Very strange that we have storms on 16th October on the 30th anniversary of the hurricane we had in 1987. We don't even have these coincidences regarding the probability of snow on 25th December.

 

 

I remember Michael Fish misleading the nation about it, and I also remember going to school on the Friday morning, and I felt as if I was being lifted off the pavement as I walked to school, and despite most of the kids living more local to school then I did, very few of them turned up that morning. I suppose that we felt the very mild side of it as I was in the East Midlands, although I know that in the South East, where it was all happening and all hell had broke loose there.

 

 

It's not to be confused with the very little remembered storm from January 1990, in which Allo Allo's Gorden Kaye, (who we lost in January this year), nearly lost his life exactly 27 years before when a plank from an advertising board had smashed against his windscreen as he was driving in the South East.

A CAG member is who I am

I really hate things if they are a [prob-lam]

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Hi George563.

Good memories of the day the winds blew.

One of those days it is hard to forget.

 

Just popped in with news of another storm arriving for some.But it is not all bad news,who will be the first later into next week to say Indian Summer.

But first.

A wet, windy start to the weekend coming up as Storm Brian moves through, but with winds moving into the south later next week, temperatures could climb into the twenties. Spring Tides for some as well.

https://www.netweather.tv/weather-forecasts/news/8513-michael-fish-brian-visiting-this-weekend-but-warming-up-later-next-week

 

Brian is the result of an explosive cyclogenesis, or weather bomb, that took place over the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday. A weather bomb is considered to have occurred when pressure drops by 24 millibars in 24 hours.

 

Met Office Warnings for Saturday.Particularly the South and West.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings#?date=2017-10-21

 

Storm Brian thunders towards south coast of England

Met Office issues yellow warnings for wind across southern and western coast of England from Saturday morning

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/oct/20/storm-brian-south-coast-england-met-office

 

Any memories of past or present storms as they arrive put them down.

I am sure many have interesting tales to tell.

Be careful out there.

Bye for now

Tawnyowl.

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I have always thought that the names of storms seem slightly daft. I know that I believe its an American thing, probably because they have them a lot more often than in Britain - I mean, the 1987 storm didn't even have a name, did it? I don't remember one being used, although I would have named it Michael after Michael Fish.

 

 

The names always seem to be dated names such as Gladys or Doris, probably due to the fact that the tradition of giving storms and hurricanes names go back to when those names were fashionable.

A CAG member is who I am

I really hate things if they are a [prob-lam]

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Hi George563.

Yes storm Michael would be suitable for that storm from hell.

Your post had me looking for the names of the 2017-2018 storm season names.

Here we are.

UK STORM CENTRE

 

Find out the latest information about storms in the UK as we name them as part of our Name our Storms project.

 

Throughout the year these pages will provide the latest updates and information as we name storms which we forecast will have an impact upon the UK.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/barometer/uk-storm-centre

 

So Brian has come and gone.

Caroline is next.

But what about Brian.

A small tale.

After Brian left off i went down to the Shoreline hunting for washed up treasures.

After a storm always there is something to salvage.

Well what a shock,whether direction it came from i do not know.Probably though.

It had swept the beach of everything,like it had been hoovered clean.

Even in summers and winters gone by i have never seen it so bare of treasure.

Thank goodness since then small treasures are turning up again.

I was so shocked i could not speak or write for two days.

Another Tale Of The Unexpected, a Tale Of The Shoreline.

Anyone else got any tales to tell or thoughts let them free.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Caroline has not arrived yet but worth keeping one eye open over the next couple of days.

Rain,plenty of it it has been raining heavily for hours where i am.Mild though at the moment.

Flooding risk for some perhaps.

Winds gathering speed in some areas,snow perhaps for Scotland or parts of Scotland

Met Office weather warnings have been issued for some areas.

Details-With Video.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/

 

And for those that follow Nathan Rao from the Daily Express a lighter look at things.

Trouble is one year he will get it right.

He has been promising Armageddon for years.

UK faces MONTHS of SNOW: Sinking polar vortex to trigger COLDEST winter since GREAT FREEZE

https://www.express.co.uk/news/weather/868795/UK-winter-weather-forecast-2017-snow-long-range-weather-forecast-Met-Office-BBC-weather

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Ah, the great freeze of 2010/11. I thought he meant something like 1977, 1963 or 1947 or even the really great freeze of 1911, 1900, 1895, 1887 and then back to the REALLY GREAT freeze of 1683 where I sold baked potatoes from my stall on the river Thames. Still got a couple left if you are interested, special offer half a groat each

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:lol:

Hi ericsbrother

Sounds like you have had a very interesting long life and your prices are very reasonable.

I will have two baked potatoes please.

But what is a Groat worth now.Do not ask me i have just read this and still do not know.

http://www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk/WhatsItWorth.html

 

Back to the weather.One of those days,dull,wet,windy.I have had to turn a light on the only one in the house.

And not that i am tight but this is disturbing news.

 

Lets have a look at what has been happening today.

Moving to The Daily Mail.

Britain will be hit TONIGHT by eight inches of snow, four inches of rain and 70mph winds threatening rush hour hell tomorrow on roads and rail

Met Office forecasts heavy and persistent snow in Scotland overnight with 8in possible on high ground

Forecasters warn some roads and railways will be affected, with ScotRail services already disrupted

Severe rain warning in place for North West England while all of England and Wales is under wind alert

Environment Agency issues 25 flood alerts and ten warnings for England - with most in the North West

But unseasonably mild weather continued in southern England today with 16C (61F) expected in areas

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5108101/Britain-hit-TONIGHT-eight-inches-snow.html#ixzz4zBOy64V8

 

Now one of those pictures on the link above is one of my favourite beach combing places,usually there about 3 times a week or more.Off down there tomorrow to do a little hunting.And take a few pictures.

Not that keen on early morning beach combing you find unusual things sometimes but i follow the tides.

Take care and keep one eye on Netweather.Pretty good and young Michael Fish is usually hanging around there.

https://www.netweather.tv/

 

ericsbrother selling Baked Potatoes in 1683 from his stall.No old owl resist setting up entrepreneurial venture number 967 bound to fail.

Any news let us know what is happening in your neck of the woods.I am in Lancashire and it is tipping it down.

And has been all day.

Bye for now.

Tawnyowl.

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And ericsbrother was on the River Thames.Which was frozen solid.

Reminds me off a scaffolder friend of mine who went to Russia to find a wife and lit a fire on a frozen lake.Which strangely attracted a Russian girl who is now his wife.

I mean why go to Russia,he could have nipped down the road to his local.

Funny old life and funny old friends.As strange as the weather.:sad:

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I seem to have gone off at a tangent as i do at times.

It was the thought of ericsbrother selling his baked potatoes on the Thames way back when.

Imagination ran away with me.

Back to a few reports from yesterday and today.

 

Snow, flooding and gales hit UK, bringing traffic disruption

Severe weather warning issued for Scotland, with yellow weather warning of heavy rain in northern England and north-west Wales

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/nov/22/snow-heavy-rain-and-gales-to-hit-uk-overnight

 

FLOODY HELL UK weather – Travel chaos as trains are cancelled and roads closed as Britain is hit by flooding and snow

Strong winds have already seen waves crashing onto southern shores and vehicles blown over on main roads

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4974271/uk-weather-britain-winds-rain-snow-polar-air/

 

For those in Northern Scotland a yellow warning.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings

 

Ah well a touch of breakfast now then off down to the shoreline.Should be there by 8am.

I will take a few pictures and put them here later.

Have a nice day and tell your stories and tales of weather happenings.

I am sure many must have them.From now to many years gone by.

Blow away the mists of time and remember dip your quills in ink and write them down.Here of course where else.

Bye for now.

Tawnyowl.

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:lol:

Now one of those pictures on the link above is one of my favourite beach combing places,usually there about 3 times a week or more.Off down there tomorrow to do a little hunting.And take a few pictures.

 

anchorsholm/bispham end i would guess at...

 

is the beams from that old shipwreck still visable? much damage to the new seafront?

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  • I am employed in the IT sector of a high street retail chain but am not posting in any official capacity,so therefore any comments,suggestions or opinions are expressly personal ones and should not be viewed as an endorsement or with agreement of any company.
  • i am not legal trained in any form.
  • I have many experiences in life and do often use these in my posts

if ive been helpful kick my scales, if ive been unhelpful kick the scales of the person more helpful :eek:

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anchorsholm/bispham end i would guess at...

 

is the beams from that old shipwreck still visable? much damage to the new seafront?

 

Hi labrat.

Seafront OK but Storm Brian bent a few off the new outflow pipes at sea,had to order more from Norway.

Your observations have set me off on a few memories.Some people know i like to tell a tale.so here is another one.

Spot on,i am often walking around that area.Sometimes if energised enough from Cleveleys to St Annes but it takes me most of the day.And not if i am carrying half a ton of Driftwood.

Now the wreck you are talking about is the Abana went down 1894 often i visit it touching the wood and the old bolts and mean to do a video amongst it.

Telling a story at the same time.

I even think i have a small piece broken off in a storm.Now the shipwreck you are talking about caused me to write a little story. I did not expect to get involved after researching which ship it was.This led to finding out which Lifeboat made the rescue of the crew of Norwegians and Swedish plus the ships cat and dog,all saved.

I do get a little roused and carried away when writing a story but time marches on and you just hope what you are trying to achieve will happen one day.I have had to move on but a story for a winter weekend.Perhaps someone may find it interesting.

 

History-Heroes- RNLI-Lifeboats Nelson-Shipwrecks and more.

https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?404875-History-Heroes-RNLI-Lifeboats-Nelson-Shipwrecks-and-more

 

And this is how i imagined the rescue that terrible night,a few paragraphs from someone with perhaps to much imagination.

The horses used as you can imagine,when a shout went up for the lifeboat were drawn quickly from many places.

As far as i know,they were not staying next to the Lifeboat perhaps near the crew who must have lived and worked nearby.

There must have been hundreds of horses to call upon.In the heat of the moment they were pulled off the shoreline.anywhere that was nearby and had a horse available must have been drawn upon,harnessed up and off they went racing to the rescue.

Raging winds,slates,god knows what flying around,off they all went.The crew racing to the lifeboat.What must they have thought.Can you imagine getting to the Shoreline.Let us try to think,paint a picture what it was like,still is i suppose,no doubts,it must be,let us imagine what a man must have seen.Think,try,probably impossible but let us try.

 

The Rescue Of The Crew Of The Abana 1894 as i imagined it.

Somewhere out at sea,a severe gale,approaching hurricane even has blown up.

A ship and men on board although calm,deep inside them they worry.The skys are black,the waves break over the ship.Cold hail,thunder snow,sleet a mixture.The captain perhaps,fighting to stay in control.

The ship,the snow,sleet the mixture of everything these storms can throw at you is beginning to freeze.The decks are slippery.

Perhaps the masts had ice forming,icicles forming dropping to the deck.Smashing in all directions.Maybe the spray was freezing even.The sails with the ice,ripping.Hell really.

Even freezing on the mens clothes.Their beards,their hair turning white with the cold.

Do not forget at these times,no lifeboats as such no engines.The ship is tossed about like a leaf falling from a tree in a Autumn storm,but this is 3 days before Christmas Day.Winter.The coldest in memory.

The waves are mountainess,the ship going up and down facing the oceans might.Waves you can not see over.

Suddenly the sails are torn,ripped off with the might of the storm.

Now powerless at the mercy of the storm.

This goes on for hour after hour,what were they thinking of.I should imagine many of them at times like this were thinking of their families back home.All real hope of riding out the storm gone.They knew their fate was sealed,in others hands.

 

Lookouts perhaps,knowing these waters were keeping watch from shore,looking out for ships in trouble,flares noise anything..

Suddenly one spots the ship in the distance or the flare,perhaps seen one before and knows what to do.

Whether flares were sent up,cannon fired or a rider sent to the lifeboat station i can not say at this time.

But the message was delivered.

 

The lifeboat crewmen,how they got to the lifeboat i do not know yet,but many perhaps were working nearby.

Perhaps even had horses of their own,and raced to the lifeboat.

By this time,by the time they got to the lifeboat i should imagine many things were already underway.

Horses rearing,men appearing,horses and harnesses being attached to the lifeboat,the bogey in place.

Chaos and calmness,trepidation,of what was to come.Adrenalin must have been flowing through the veins of these brave men,there is no doubt,and i dare say,the same today.Do not forget a storm was raging on land as well.

Things being blown about,hardly hear what the man next to you was saying.

 

I cannot say how long before the Lifeboat was ready,perhaps ten minutes before with a shout of they raced through the howling gale to the Shoreline.

When arriving at the shoreline what did they see.I can almost hear the hooves of perhaps four or six horses,the Bogey with the Lifeboat creaking and rattling as they raced along.The men on board.They must have been holding on for dear life.

Perhaps giving each other a silent look.The look that does not need speech to convey a thought.

At the shoreline whether tide in or out,the first look at the mountainess seas,the sand perhaps blowing.

Even one particle of sand in these conditions,these winds feel like a needle piercing your skin.It stings.

I have felt this,even moving in these conditions is hard enough.The wind you feel is going to blow you over.You can hardly move.

I have seen myself what looks like a blizzard on the prom,caused by foam from the sea.Perhaps this also was about.

So imagine in those days what it might have felt like.Driving hail and the rest,vertical hitting you.

Lifeboat and men unhitched from the Horses and Bogey finally put to sea,in conditions,well i personally can not imagine.But buffeted about,somehow managing to put the oars out and drive on towards the ship.What must this have felt like.The journey that took perhaps 1 hour or more.We can try .Waves perhaps 10 feet or more

When arriving at the ship perhaps Leeward away from the worst of the storm,next to the ship now,can you think of the skill needed to control the Lifeboat at this time. The ship still tossing and turning,bedlam all around,panic,stress all around.What were the lifeboatmen feeling.

The crew of the ship must have felt relief,perhaps these hard men had tears in their eyes.

Some had been shipwrecked before and must have felt this time my time is up.On my way to Davey Jones locker.

Sliding down ropes into the Lifeboat.Saved from the perils of the sea..

Then the drive back to land which also must have been one hell of a journey,tiredness,aching limbs,still fighting the elements.,still at risk,the boat with the extra weight sometimes scraping the sea floor,up and down with the height of the waves,getting soaked through,men pulling on the oars.Many by this time must be waiting on the shoreline.families,friend s,well wishers half the town i should imagine.No matter what the conditions these brave men go out,even to this day.

 

Well that is the best i can do for now.Remember that is a guess of what things might have been like.Only the date is a fact.

Here is a picture of the wreck i took last year on one of my visits.Can you see the shark fin the little devil was after me perhaps:lol:

Oh well i cannot seem to upload the picture.I can see it below but when trying to view it disappears,how strange

 

vse3og.jpg

 

Thanks labrat for bringing a story back to me.I have many more,have i told you the one about,no i had better stop now:lol:

 

Weather for this weekend.Plymouth first for Nystagmite.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2640194

 

People have been warned to prepare for cold weather as ice and snow is set to hit the country.

 

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for ice in parts of the UK over Friday night and Public Health England has told people to take precautions as temperatures look set to drop.

Latest from the Met Office,Warnings.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings

 

And See where it is snowing in the UK right now on the #uksnow map.

https://twitter.com/uksnowmap

 

Any tales to tell write them down,nothing much where i am in Lancashire a little cold and raining,but on higher ground who knows.

Bye for now.

Tawnyowl.

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sorry for not replying earlier i wanted to look a bit more into it myself as well (plus i used to write a lot and still do so i did wonder at trying my hand at a story of it myself, if i get chance around everything else)

 

one of the things that intrigued me was that the initial warning came from the Cleveleys hotel - now im fairly certain that theres only one main "cleveleys hotel" at the moment and thats the regal... but in my mind that wasnt old enough, nor to my head did it have a good view of the coast even assuming the housing wasn't there

 

the holiday flats i usually stay in were a 1901 build so it couldn't have been them

 

so i went digging and the cleveleys hotel was where victoria market/M&CO was and definitely facing towards the tower so would have been the logical place for it to have been sighted from

 

map date 1981ish

cleveleys.png

 

and yes i spotted the shark :)

took me a while to place what parts of the ship the beams were until i realised it ended on its side

Please note:

 

  • I am employed in the IT sector of a high street retail chain but am not posting in any official capacity,so therefore any comments,suggestions or opinions are expressly personal ones and should not be viewed as an endorsement or with agreement of any company.
  • i am not legal trained in any form.
  • I have many experiences in life and do often use these in my posts

if ive been helpful kick my scales, if ive been unhelpful kick the scales of the person more helpful :eek:

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tawnyowl, a groat was 4d. Still legal tender as part of the maundy coinage given out by the queen every year.

Another pub quiz question- what is the UK's smallest legal tender coin? Most people will say the 5p (18mm) but it is the maundy penny at 11mm, the other maundy coins are still smaller than the current 5p

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Here is another story about rescue which may be interesting as it was before lifeboats were thought of. See Wolraad Woltmade. The are is not known for nothing as the Cape of Storms. There are over 500 wrecks in the bay and in the time I lived there in the fifties and sixties I witnessed three wrecks with on of them being the SS Seafarer which happened about a mile from where we lived.

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Apologies if this isn't the best. I had a spare hour or so at work so threw it together. I haven't spelt or grammar checked it yet either

 

Also it keeps loosing formatting so I'm sorry

 

 

Staring into the eye of the storm the captain could sense as well as hear the noise in the background, it could easily have been mistaken for some as the rain drumming on the wooden decks or the waves as they crashed together but he knew it all too well for what it was, the sound of his sails as the incessant winds did their best to tear them from the spars of the mast.

He had ordered the mains taken down over an hour ago yet not one man had managed to make it to the top of the rails in the wind before admitting defeat and rapidly clambering down the Jacobs ladder to the safety of the deck below. Now, however, the wind itself was doing what the men had been unable to and was slowly tearing the cloth away from the masts, the noise of them ripping away nearly drowned out by the relieved creak of the deck as the strain from the masts was slowly released from them. Despite the loss of expensive sails, he was secretly relieved as he had feared that if the wind had kept up much longer the masts themselves would have torn from the decks, perhaps even tearing loose at the base taking some of the hull with it and dooming them all.

Glancing upwards he could see that the only sail still hanging onto any of the three masts was the small foresail, bulging with the wind it was now the only means of movement and he hoped it would hold else there would be nothing to prevent the ship turning sideways into the swell and possibly tipping beyond any hope of recovery.

Looking outwards to sea he despaired of seeing anything, after a few feet from the rails all vision was lost to the pouring rain impenetrable to the lights of the ship. Off to starboard he thought he could hear the sound of water on rocks and so adjusted a few degrees to port but in reality, he had no firm idea of his position, only that he had set off from Liverpool barely a day ago and that he should be somewhere either around or in the Irish sea.

A sudden burst of lightning light up the sky to starboard and he noticed a tall spire which seemed to be rising from the sea, it was too early for the lamps in the lighthouse to be lit but even so it seemed unlikely to be much else. he started racking his brain for which lighthouse it could be, another flash lit up and he could see that it was on a stone base rising out of the ocean so he reasoned it had to be the Fastnet lighthouse on the southern coast. It would put him in the right area for the amount of time at sea and also offered hope of shelter, if he could wait until just past the lighthouse he would be able to swing around and anchor the ship in the lee of the islands and they would protect him from the worst of the wind and waves.

He passed the orders on and glanced down at the men sheltering on the lower center deck, all of them were hardened by the constant voyages to America and back but even so many of them looked worried by the ferocity of this storm, behind him he could hear the ship's dog, long having given up howling at the sound of the storm it now whimpered in its basket, constantly rustling its bedding while it struggled to settle.

Another streak of lightning cut the sky and he swore softly as he realised he had lost track of the lighthouse, twisting around slightly he waited patiently for another flash until he could confirm how far behind him it lay. When he caught sight of it again he could estimate that it was now over a thousand feet behind him, praying that it would be enough he swung the ship to starboard just as the last sail tore loose, the ship was now at the mercy of the ocean and he could only hope that it would retain enough forward motion to take it behind the island.

His hopes were dashed when the next bolt light up the sea, instead of the quiet island channel he expected there was the white of the waves as they broke over a beach, beyond that lay green fields and a cobbled road. Instantly he tried to swing the ship back to port but without the tug of the sails there was little hope of any real movement. instead, the waves pushed the small barque sideways onto the shore.

He managed to keep his feet simply by hanging onto the tiller however he could tell by the screams from below that some of the other seamen hadn't been as lucky and had instead been thrown either down to the wooden deck or into the sides of the ship, he could only hope that none had been knocked over the side and into the lashing waves.

Even grounded however there was no let-up of the storm, he could hear the grinding of the keel against the sand and even more worryingly the growing sounds of running water suggesting that the planks themselves had been breached and even now the sea was entering into the bilges and holds tightening its grip to ensure the death of the ship and those aboard it. This view was reinforced as the ship started a slow tip to starboard slowly bringing the rails of the deck even closer to the swelling waves. With no other choice ahead the captain carefully reached into one of the deck lockers and fired a flare skywards in the vague hope that someone might see it.

 

Someone else out in the storm was the owner of the Cleveleys hotel, it was barely occupied this close after Christmas and it was just his sheer bad luck that it had been the window of one of the occupied rooms that had broken, now he was trying to board it up from the inside before the storm could wash too much of the rain inside.

Once he had finished he stepped back to admire his work, it was only then that he noticed the red streak in the sky towards Blackpool, dismissing it at first as just another bolt of lighting it wasn't until the second one lit up the sky that he noticed the ship on the shore. At first sight it was barely recognisable as a ship but instead seemed to be some giant piece of driftwood, it was only when you realised that the masts were now at a forty-five degree angle towards the shore that you really started to pay closer attention and could notice the tiny figures scrambling up the sloping deck and desperately clinging to the port rail.

Ignoring the protestations of his hotel guest still bemoaning their belongings soaked from the rain, he grabbed his sou'wester from its hook and hurried out of the door towards Blackpool and the lifeboat station there.

 

The lifeboat station was on the Blackpool seafront, in fact, it was under the shadow of the newly built tower that the captain had mistaken for a lighthouse, built out of strong red iron and with the viewing deck at the top it was understandable how the mistake could be make, even the building it was perched on seemed like part of the coast itself with the bumps and curves of the roofs of various internal halls breaking up its squared lines giving it an even more natural rocky shape.

Suddenly the doors were flung back as the sixteen sailors inside attempted to drag the lifeboat out of the long shed and into the water, it was only at the top of the beach that they paused, the sea itself seemed determined to prevent them from rescuing anyone from its latest in a series of toys. Huge rollers curved over to break on the beach with such force that it seemed to be tearing trenches into the sand. There was no hope of launching the boat in the face of this fury as even before it was afloat it would have been flipped.

Dragging the boat back to the lifeboat shed and into its cradle, the men rushed into the town looking for anyone who might be up and awake and willing to help them drag the boat to a more suitable launching point.

Soon the sound of hooves on the cobbles filled the air as dray horses brought in from the local coal yards began to converge on the wooden shed, finding horses to pull the cart had been no issue in a town of this size, much more trouble had been persuading the animals to give up a quiet dry stable in exchange for the howling wind and blinding rain of the night. Soon, however, the night was broken on by the cries of the men and the whinnies of the horses as they set off up the coastal roads heading ever closer to the wreck. The only light on the road was the cradles lanterns and the occasional spark kicked up as a horseshoe skidded over a cobble, neither seemed enough to penetrate the storm ahead.

The faces of the men driving the horses onwards were all set in a determined grimace, all those heads behind the faces held the same fear, not a fear of the storm but that of failure, the notion that they would get to the wreck yet only find the bodies of men not unlike themselves drifting in the waves. All of them tried to banish the notion yet they all knew it was a possibility, many of them sailed ships themselves or had in the past and all harboured the same fear of being lost in the water knowing that no-one was coming to help. For this reason all the men knew that the boat would be launched that night no matter what, if the water proved too rough at Bispham it would be onwards from there to Cleveleys and if even that shore denied them it would be the Fleetwood estuary and the long row around the coast.

Fortunately at Bispham they managed to find a shallow wedge of beach not yet consumed by the waves, immediately each man sprung into action, the quiet silence belaying the urgency, no shouts were needed as all of them knew their tasks and were determined to continue in them until they were unable to either by exhaustion or death. The long boat was soon in the water and immediately the lifeboat men jumped in, normally they would split shifts and only half would row at any one time but with these seas they were taking no risk and two men grabbed each oar and started heaving the boat out beyond the breaking water, behind on the shore they had other men standing by keeping the lanterns lit to guide them back to safety.

The only sound for several moments was the breaking of the waves and the crash of the oars as they slapped into the water in unison, as they drew closer they could make out the outlines of the ship itself, now leaning far to starboard the tips of the mast spars were dipping into the water each time one of the waves passed by. Now they had to slow as they moved between the debris of the wreck, shards of timbers, loose caskets and even a ships boat went by- unusable due to the amount of water flooding in through a hole that must have been made as it slipped from the deck.

The thick tangle of wreckage and ropes from the mast made approaching the deck impossible and instead they bent to the oars once more and headed towards the rear of the ship, as the deck had sloped the outer hull had taken on a new purpose as a nearly flat expanse of wood on which seventeen men huddled, the lifeboat men could even see one of them holding a dog which seemed to be trying to worm its way back into the cabins via a damaged window.

as soon as the lifeboat clattered against the hull the men looked up and as a group started heading towards the lifeboat, it was a perilous trip between the solid hull to the small tossing boat but one by one the men fell into the boat, one picked up an oar as if to help the lifeboat men row back towards the shore but it was taken from him gently and he was pressed down into the back of the boat with the other shivering sailors. It was not that the lifeboat men didn't appreciate the offer of help but simply that they knew their own skills and those of the others of their team, to add a new member to this might put the others off their stroke - something that could prove deadly in these tossing seas.

Slowly and carefully the lifeboat made its way back around the remains of the ship and started heading back to shore, something that was helped by the natural action of the waves pushing them forward. making their way back to shore carefully keeping between the twin lights of the lanterns both sailors and lifeboatmen heaved a natural sigh of relief as it seemed safety was at hand.

Instead the unthinkable happened, suddenly there was once more the grind of wood on sand as the lifeboat itself grounded on a sandbank, if it was the added weight of the sailors or if the shrinking tide had exposed it more than usual there was no telling. Immediately however one of the lifeboatmen raced towards the rear of the boat and started pushing with an oar to try and free the boat, seeing that the oar only sank a half meter or so before hitting the sand him and one of his fellows jumped into the water and started to push with all their might. At the same time the already soaked sailors started to bail the boat with cups, hands and everything else as waves started to wash over the gunwales threatening to swap the little craft and send everyone back into the waves.

Slowly the boat edged forward a few bare inches with each shove, suddenly it sprung free of the sandbank and once more headed towards the beach, the men in the water quick thrust themselves back over the back of the boat and took up their oars once more. As soon as the boat touched the beach everyone pilled out onto the sand, the sailors standing in a huddled group in the lee of a wall desperately trying to keep warm, the lifeboatmen pulling the boat once more back onto its cradle for the journey back to Blackpool.

 

The owner of the Cleveleys hotel was one of the ones helping the sailors into the red lion inn. Although there were shots of rum on offer to warm them most of the sailors simply slept either on benches or simply laid out on the floor, the warmth of the room having soothed their fears and left only the exhaustion and coldness behind.

In the morning they returned to the shore to see what could be salvaged from the ship, in the yellow light of the dawn it was an even more eerie sight, the ship had settled fully onto its starboard side allowing people to walk straight into the hatches, there were already people on guard here to prevent any casual looting of the cargo, the cabins had been fully flooded and aside from clothes which could be dried out there was little that could be salvaged. The ship's dog refused to even venture on board simply settling itself onto the sand and watching the sailors as they clambered over what had once been their home.

Eventually, however even they had to call it a day and settling on carrying off the ships bell they settled back onto the sand preparing for a long journey back. The captain, however, was ill at ease in his mind, although the ship's dog was a fond companion he doubted that it would ever set foot on any ship again after its ordeal. There was also the fact that all of them wanted to leave something to reward the man who had spotted their flare and who had immediately raised the alarm, after a brief talk with the sailors they agreed on what that could be.

Soon after they set off on the long ride to Liverpool to tell the owner of the ship what had happened, behind they left three things, one was the now empty wreckage of the Abana on the beach at Bispham.The others stayed with the owner of the Cleveleys hotel, the ship's bell hanging in the common room and in the back room a now content dog lay dreaming in front of the fire, occasionally it would twitch as the nightmares came, but they were always gone again when it woke

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  • I am employed in the IT sector of a high street retail chain but am not posting in any official capacity,so therefore any comments,suggestions or opinions are expressly personal ones and should not be viewed as an endorsement or with agreement of any company.
  • i am not legal trained in any form.
  • I have many experiences in life and do often use these in my posts

if ive been helpful kick my scales, if ive been unhelpful kick the scales of the person more helpful :eek:

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The Abana 1894

A

re your story; apparently yes they mistook the Tower for a lighthouse. and all crew were taken to the 'Red Lion, Bipsham, for christmas dinner, plum pudding, beef, turkey'.

Wonder if the Red Lion is still there?

a couple of pictures in

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/lancashire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8460000/8460773.stm

 

and the ships bell still at the church?

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Cut up on the beach in the end if I remember not far from the abana.

 

Not planning a story on that one tho

Please note:

 

  • I am employed in the IT sector of a high street retail chain but am not posting in any official capacity,so therefore any comments,suggestions or opinions are expressly personal ones and should not be viewed as an endorsement or with agreement of any company.
  • i am not legal trained in any form.
  • I have many experiences in life and do often use these in my posts

if ive been helpful kick my scales, if ive been unhelpful kick the scales of the person more helpful :eek:

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Wow.

Labrat EricsBrother Surfer01 Ford great posts and so interesting to read.Many storytellers in the Forums it seems.

Very impressed Labrat with the time you have spent researching and writing.

A great way to fill in between the storms.

I am just popping off to update the Fracking thread and then returning.To comment.

Naturally i have a tale to tell as usual and anyway winters chilly days are suitable for such things.

Now what lifeboat rescued the crew of Nelsons former Flagship the Foudroyant when it just missed the North Pier Blackpool.And was wrecked 1897 or 1898 i think but memory misting.

The locals had the wood away and made furniture out of it.

One of my unfinished stories i have run out of steam with that story.

Hard to believe that the oldest unrestored ex RNLI Lifeboat in Great Britain with such a history is rotting away in this town or was last time i checked.

Back as soon as possible but keep posting your tales,fact or fiction.

And i will read the links left.

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Well I'm sat in a and e at min so not planning anymore stories yet. I have a war chest of about 20-30 stashed away but some of them are far too long for the forum

Please note:

 

  • I am employed in the IT sector of a high street retail chain but am not posting in any official capacity,so therefore any comments,suggestions or opinions are expressly personal ones and should not be viewed as an endorsement or with agreement of any company.
  • i am not legal trained in any form.
  • I have many experiences in life and do often use these in my posts

if ive been helpful kick my scales, if ive been unhelpful kick the scales of the person more helpful :eek:

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Hi Labrat

Sat in A and E i hope you are OK.I was reading a earlier thread of yours about the Dragon.Spotted one on Ebay yesterday,i hope it was the right one,not sure.3 Dragons. but you did write your thread a few years ago.

Not had much time to read the link left about the olden days before lifeboats but will.Approaching Christmas is such a busy time.

Just popped in as the weather has many potentials shortly, like next week.

So a few links.

Milder Few Days, But Rain, Wind And Snow Could All Pose Problems Next Week

https://www.netweather.tv/weather-forecasts/news/8598-milder-few-days-but-rain-wind-and-snow-could-all-pose-problems-next-week

 

Michael Fish: Milder For Now, Cold Returning With A Vengeance Next Week?

Meteorological Winter has begun, and with it, the milder weather has returned. Cold, Arctic air is set to return later next week though, all tangled up with a deep area of low pressure, which may mean more snow, and even blizzard conditions in places.

https://www.netweather.tv/weather-forecasts/news/8597-michael-fish-milder-for-now-cold-returning-with-a-vengeance-next-week

 

You see things on a knife edge many times during winters in the last few years,a few degrees a change of direction of wind and anything can happen.

Who knows what may happen.

I will pop in from time to time if anything is going to happen.Tales will have to wait for now trying to make a few pounds at the moment for the old Turkey i have spotted.

But have i told you how my old friend Vinnie was chased off a farm at least half a mile by a devil of a Turkey once,i will when time allows.

Bye for now,carry on with any tales you have whether weather or anything else you feel like saying.

Adios.

Tawnyowl

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