TWO boats on the River Tamar slipped their moorings over the weekend as the height of Storm Darragh hit Saltash.
One yacht breached on the Plymouth side of the river at Saltash Passage, while a second yacht was found pounding against the pontoon on the Saltash side at midnight on Saturday, December 7.
Local boatowners and residents on Saltash Waterside worked in high winds to try and secure the yacht believed to be called Luna. Footage from the work to recover the boat shows ropes attached to a car in the boat park trying to pull the yacht off the floating pontoon.
During the day, the damage sustained by the pontoon at Saltash's Jubilee Green is clear to see, as well as damage to a powerboat.
A local resident said: “The pontoon has severe structural damage as a result of Storm Darragh, and the steels underneath are bent and in certain areas ripped apart and potential damage to the floating steel drums which keep it afloat.
“All in all it’s much more severe than the previous incident when the boat went down under and caused damage.” Saltash Town Council which operates the pontoon at Jubilee Green on the Waterside were unavailable for comment.
Saltash Sailing Club recorded very strong winds on the river during the day and were warning people not to take to the water.
Wind speeds in excess of 65 mph caused the main deck of the Tamar Bridge to be closed to high-sided vehicles and motorbikes for most of the weekend. Peak speeds have now weakened and lane restrictions on the Tamar bridge were finally lifted at 2.15pm today (Sunday, December 8).
The Torpoint ferry service was reduced to just two ferries at the height of the storm with the conditions making the running of the scheduled three ferry service impossible.