weather station measured the record gust, and the new battery, which is now home to the national coastwatch institutionep watch looking out for anyone in danger. i've come inside the new battery here at the needles now, where the national coastwatch institution do their vital work keeping watch over the waters and the coastline here. now, annette, you are one of the volunteers here for the nci. you also live on the island as well. so, what are your memories of that day? just how windy was it? very windy. i live about two miles away. it was very noisy, certainly lots of wind, lots of gusts, i had some superficial damage around the house. yes, it was very windy. and what is it about this particular spot here at the needles that makes it just so exceptionally windy? we're incredibly high. the old battery is 80 metres above sea level. that wind is coming straight from the english channel, whizzing up the headland and then across and down, funnelling down into the solent and across the rest of the island. and this is what annette is talking about — a south—westerly wind has an unbroken path over hundreds of