My observatory has no roof

[sharkmelley]

This is where it landed:

It weighs well over half a ton but these crazy winds in Kent have just lifted it off.

Equipment is all soaked but moved indoors now and hopefully undamaged once dried out

Mark

[SniffTheGlove]

Sorry to hear this. The weather has been very wet and windy for quite a while and more to come

[Clockwork_Orange]

That is not a pretty sight at all, Gutted for you Mark,

John

[Gina]

OMG   I know the feeling but it looks like yours faired a lot worse than mine

[astronymonkey]

ouch ! I hope you manage sort it out.

Was it locked into position or was it just its weight keeping it on?

[Peter Drew]

It doesn't look too badly damaged, yet!, can you lay it down and put some weight on it or secure it somehow until the wind dies down. Hopefully it can be refurbished.

[Chris]

Sorry to hear this Mark. I hope your kit is ok and you can get the obsy fixed soon. You must be absolutely cursing! I think I'll just pop out and check my obsy roof the wind is howling so this has got me worried

[sharkmelley]

It's firmly wedged into two trees and I can't get it back flat - certainly not in this wind.  I've lashed it with ropes to ensure it doesn't come loose but it is beginning to break up now.

Mark

[Luke]

Sorry to hear about that, Mark. Hope at least your astro kit will all be okay and hopefully something can be done with the roof.

I was out for an hour trying to patch up fence panels in the peak of the winds and rain earlier today, sounds like Round 2 is starting in earnest out there now

Keep safe, folks.

[cantab]

Da-yum.

I suppose it's fortunate it didn't hit anybody or anything valuable.

Here's hoping the gear is alright.

[skywatcher58gb]

It looks like it will take a bit of sorting out, however I see there are more storms on the way, I hope you get it up and running soon.

Some strengthening looks certain as the weather seems to be getting worse each year. Best of luck mate.

Dave

[r3i]

Sorry to hear about the roof Mark - hoping all your gear that was inside is undamaged, but most importantly thankfully nobody was in the flight-path of the roof when it flew off.

What method were you using to secure the roof? 

[Naemeth]

Sorry to hear about your roof . Here's hoping the weather calms down soon so you can get to the repairs .

[SnakeyJ]

Gutted for you Mark, but hope all the kit dries ok and the roof is salvageable once the weather abates.   There but for the grace of god and sure it's got all of us wondering just how secure our roofs are..

[wxsatuser]

Not a nice thing to face.

I am just going down the garden to check mine, 5.00am here and wind has finally dropped.

Had a maximum gust of 74kmh, not to bad as we are protected by the South Downs.

Fingers crossed.

[Kirscovitch]

WOW! That's crazy!

[Beulah]

Amazing. I hope that can be recovered and that you removed your valuable kit before the storm hit.

It's been very stormy here too and the lads at the water board have been up all night pumping water to avoid the houses down the road from flooding. (the sewerage system gets overwhelmed, nice!). The pump generators have been running all night and is still running now. Those lads are going to be exhausted tomorrow!!!

[yesyes]

Sorry to see that and I hope you can fix the roof.

These apex roofs are shaped like an aircraft wing, so no wonder they just lift off in strong winds.

I'm glad I incorporated r3i's captive mechanism in mine. It has held up well so far ...

[LeeWilky]

Oh no   Gutted for you mate.

This country is determined to ruin our hobby at the moment.

[tony]

hope you get it all sorted in the end buddy

[nytecam]

Stay safe Mark - another storm due after Xmas :=(

[Zakalwe]

Yikes. Thats not a good sight to behold.

I lay in bed last night listening to the wind howling and worrying about my roof. Fortunately it was still on this AM. Ive been out and ratchet-strapped it down to the pier. This won't do the polar alignment any good, but if it lifts off then it has to take the pier with it!

[sharkmelley]

Power came back on at 3pm this afternoon, so here's an update.

I lashed the roof to the main observatory framwork as best I could with rope.  I was awake all night until the winds died at 4am, checking it every so often.  The structure broke apart quite significantly.  This morning I dismantled it and put a tarpaulin over the roofless shed.  Mopped up all the water inside.

Equipment is all drying out and I'm hoping no permanent damage.  Scopes were OK - just a little water inside the C11.  Haven't switched the mounts or laptops on until completely dry.

Here's a pic from this morning:

I'm still amazed that the wind managed to lift it and break it free of the runners.  Next time I have a roof, I will securely clamp the roof trusses themselves to the shed structure.

Mark

[Gina]

Oh dear - that's dreadful   What a mess   Looks like you'll need to build a new roof.

[sharkmelley]

It's a write off and it's also a shock to see 3"x2" timbers splintered like matchwood!

Mark