Heavy winds have put a big dent in St. George's this week, Mayor Michael E. Jones said yesterday.

Without any of the cruise ships paying a visit due to heavy wind gusts, Mayor Jones said the Old Town felt “devastated”.

“(Cruise ships) are our life blood. It is very traumatic.

“Without them it is very difficult to survive,” he said.

The Mayor said he is currently looking at options for getting the ships into port no matter what the weather.

“We are looking at artificial underwater walls called training walls,” he said.

He said the walls funnel the water away from the sides of the channel, to stop the ship from veering too much to either side, making it safer for large ships to enter the channel in heavy winds.

On Monday, winds forced the Horizon and the Empress of the Seas away from St. George's.

The Horizon went to Hamilton while the Empress of the Seas went to Dockyard.

And yesterday, for the first time ever, the Norwegian Majesty bypassed the Old Town.

Due to the ship not arriving, Market Night was cancelled.

Joe Simas of Meyer Shipping said wind gusts of up to 35 knots were recorded in St. George's harbour.

Bermuda Weather Service spokesperson Ian Currie said the strong winds were caused by a “combination of a high pressure to the north and Hurricane Jeanne down to the southwest.”