Yachtsmen in North Wales are returning to normal following the Force 11 storms that ripped through the region last month.

Dozens of boats were blown off moorings across Anglesey and Gwynedd as the strong winds, that gusted up to 84mph in Aberdaron, combined with an exceptionally high tide to cause chaos.

Barmouth, along with Pwllheli, Abersoch and Porthmadog, was one harbour hit by the weather and its harbourmaster, Glyn Jones, said: ‘It was very dramatic, the combination of a high tide and very strong winds caused havoc in the harbour.

‘We even had waves coming over the patrol hut. I have seen it this bad, but never in July.

‘It was just a case of watching and hoping for the best, but in terms of damage to boats I think we were lucky.’

Mr Jones added that many moorings had been ripped up and it has cost the harbour a considerable amount to re-establish them.

Thousands of homes also suffered power blackouts and fallen trees blocked roads.

In Portmadog a 38-foot yacht had its mooring lines ripped from the pontoon and it then caused havoc as it blew around the harbour.

The RNLI crew from Criccieth had to transport its inshore lifeboat by road to the harbour to transfer three crew members onto the boat to street it to safety.

Chris Fisher, helmsman at Criccieth, said: ‘The mooring lines were still attached to the boat, as the strength of the wind and tide had ripped the cleats from the pontoon.

‘The yacht had drifted up the harbour and was in danger of being slammed against the Britannia Bridge or damaging other craft.’