Storm Johannes hit over the weekend and with the winds coming from the northwest, Saaremaa's south coast, including the island's capital, Kuressaare, was more sheltered.

Local seafarers say they had never before seen such a large number of vessels taking shelter from a storm in the area.

On Tuesday, silhouettes of several cargo ships could be made out in the gray weather, off the Sõrve peninsula, in the far south of Saaremaa. The vessel-tracking website MarineTraffic could give the more precise figure of 15.

The weather conditions made things hazardous for cargo ship crews, mainly due to the risk of cargoes coming untethered.

"Certainly deck cargo is what poses a risk right now, and the deck is slippery as well. For many, this is the first storm of the autumn. And it's also the first time there's been such cold, which creates a dangerous situation for deck cargo — it can fall loose. To my knowledge, maximum wave heights of 7.5 to 8 meters were measured," said Valter Tahk, senior pilot in the Väinameri area, a more enclosed stretch of water between Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.

One vessel at harbor was carrying a consignment of timber, which could naturally come loose with pretty dire consequences if it did.

The storm by Tuesday may have subsided so far as land-dwellers go, but a heavy swell was still observable at sea.

"A swell like that can last another four to five days, unless the wind suddenly swings round 180 degrees, which would start to calm it more quickly. So whereas yesterday the waves were 7 to 8 meters, today they can easily still be 5 to 6 meters — it doesn't matter that the wind has eased off. The waves are still high, as in winter the air pressure is low, and that creates higher swell," Tahk explained.

While the sheltering gives crews a rest, it wreaks havoc with schedules, as Roomassaare harbour master Andrus Saat noted.

"It definitely disrupts things. Right now one ship we have in port — the Estland — has already been here for the fifth day. Normally we handle such a ship in a day and a half. But where are you going to go when the weather isn't suitable? The ship can leave the port, but it goes right next to those 15 others, drops anchor, and waits for the sea to calm so it can continue on toward the Gulf of Bothnia," Saat said.

Of the 15 ships sheltering from the storm off Sõrve on Tuesday morning, only one decided to continue its journey by the evening.

Storm Johannes made landfall last Saturday and by overnight into Sunday had left over 14,000 electricity customers without power. Most of these had been reconnected by Tuesday, however. It also disrupted ferry schedules, though not those linking to Saaremaa – a short journey, but rather the Hiiumaa timetables.
Ferries to Estonia's second-largest island were canceled on the Saturday morning, but back in service in the afternoon.

Cargo ships were also seen sheltering at other locations during and after the storm, for instance in the lee of Naissaar, in the Bay of Tallinn.