BOAT owners in Gorey breathed a collective sigh of relief after vessels escaped relatively unscathed from the biggest threat faced by the harbour in years.
Some feared that numerous boats would be lost as severe gale-force-nine south and south-easterly winds sent huge waves straight into the port during Wednesday night’s high tide.
The harbour is rarely tested by such extreme weather, as the vast majority of storms hitting the Island generate winds from the west, leaving Gorey relatively sheltered.
Despite huge waves crashing over the pier – and generally rough conditions within the harbour – only a few small boats sank during the night.
Paul Achler, chairman of the Jersey Boat Owners Association, said: “We were worried because during the night the wind was from the south and south-east, which is the worst direction for Gorey. Obviously we have had strong winds from that direction before, but nothing like that.
“My boat is actually up on the pier and I was worried that it might get blown off.
“There were some huge waves coming over the wall and it was pretty scary for Gorey.
“A few of the smaller boats have sunk but we seem to have generally fared quite well given the wind direction.”
