Oceans of stories on boats and weather. Have a look at the animated images below and you can see the clear circulation of cloud showing the formation of a compact low over the Bay of Biscay, driving south west then westerly winds onto the French coastine. Images courtesy of UK Met Bureau. 70 knot winds Winds gusting to 70 knots were reported with sustained 50 knot winds, while the rainband to the north caused rivers in northern England to rise again, bringing misery to areas threatened by flood waters since the last storm on October 30. In fact, parts of Kent and Sussex first flooded on October 12, after a trough system overhead caused flash flooding.
Residents there have yet to dry out.
The Bay of Biscay is no treat either in these kind of conditions. With relatively shallow water in the northern half of the bay, waves driven out of the Atlantic rear up and the distance between them grows shorter. In bad conditions skippers will run downwind, and in the Bay of Biscay that means heading for shore - and certain disaster. On top of this, the Open 60 monohulls that dominate this race right now do not go to windward well. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott visited people in afflicted areas of Kent but warned climate change will make floods a 'regular feature'.