Comments:One killed, many boats damaged in storms on Spanish island of Majorca

One killed, many boats damaged in storms on Spanish island of Majorca
I am from Sant Elm (where the Frenchman was killed), and I just wanted to mention that this all already happened on OCT 29, 2008, 0730J - 0930J, 2 hours of scare. Here (in German) how it affected me (with photos) http://ohlmer.es/blog/140, my car in pieces, my boat capsized and my house w/o roof... Videos of the storm and the effects at: http://ohlmer.es/blog/173

The wind was the worst I have had here in 25 yrs., waves were not so bad (they had no time to build above 3 mtrs with just two hours of storm), but the sheer wind velocity (128 kph on my roof station = ) didnt allow you to breathe when exposed sideways.

I knew the dead man, he had a very nice (but not at all expensive or valuable) boat with two pointed ends (a fiber 3.5 mtr rowing boat, so not really a yacht...) and I had seen him polish it every day. Knowing this, and having been aware of the bad weather coming I even went by his house the day before and tried to warn him and to help him to get the boat out of the water or to one of the safe moorings, but he wasn´t home (myself, I own one of the few -19- theoretically storm safe moorings in the open waters here, this time it didnt work out for me, two cross waves made her hang in the air w/o water contact and then capsize on the way down, after a 7 mtr fall...).

On the morning in question I went out with the dogs in a strong wind, at about 0700J (J = local = GMT+1), when I came home half an hour later the wind had taken on force 10+ and my terrace stuff was in pieces. As the power was out I went to the only open bar i the village to have a coffe, on the way to there I saw the rescue efforts: The guy had jumped into the water to save his - adrift - boat and got crushed between boat and rocks. Horrible sight, his skull was about 3 cm flat, but no blood. Really stupid and sad way to die if you ask me.

By now, everything here is more or less to normal (the sound of chainsaws accompanying us all day still, though) and we are again as close to paradise as you can get if you dont like to pass through earth...

FWIW,

Rattler (Sant Elm)