Although many people got of lightly when Storm Angus made his way across the Isle of Wight, those on the coastline took the brunt of it at the weekend.
The beautiful bay at Castlehaven in Niton took a battering with at least three boast lost or destroyed.
Roy Batcoe, the Harbour Master at Castlehaven, told OnTheWight that he received a call at 6am on Sunday morning.
He went down to check out the damage and see what had happened. The bay may look like a pretty picture on a good day, but Roy pointed out that it’s also very exposed and wild.
Click on images to see larger versions
Roy told OnTheWight,
“Sadly, the first thing I noticed was that the sea defences – which the local community had put in place after two years of planning – had partly been destroyed. This is because we have to cater for westerly prevailing winds and unfortunately, this was a south easterly.”
Click on images to see larger versions
He went on to say,
“This caused most of the destruction, attacking at the vulnerable side of the haven, three boats were lost or destroyed, plus lots of pots, nets etc damaged and approximately 10 tonne of rock spewed onto the walk ways.
“We, as a community, work punishingly hard sometimes to maintain this lovely location, but mother nature is always our best friend and worst enemy.
“Aspects like the super tides and wind direction contributed, as normally we can withstand large storms and the definite signs of a rising sea level leaves us concerned that inevitably we will lose Castlehaven in the future.
“As we did in February 2014, we will have to repair and carry on. We have a strong team to keep going.”
Click on images to see larger versions
Flying scaffolding planks
Meanwhile further around the coast in Sandown, the Sundial Cafe suffered damage as a result of flying scaffolding planks and the high tides.
Thanks to Claire Speight for sharing this photos that show the damage.
Click on images to see larger versions
Image: Castlehaven images © Roy Batcoe
