Don't defend Fish. He got it wrong on the day and even had the temerity to try and heap all the blame onto Bill Giles when Fish himself retired a short while ago.
When I landed at about 7.30 that evening the Jersey met men were only calling for gusts of 50 knots or so overnight.
It seems nobody had a clue what was about to happen apart, I am led to believe, from the French forecasters who were warning about the outcome a short while before it happened.