Watchet Dredging

Sneds

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Any more progress made? Would love to get down there this year and I’ve a long weekend off at the end of this month, draw 1M
 

donm

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Just come back from a week there and all good. My boat draws 1.5 metres long keel sailing craft and I was halfway down B pontoon and just aground when gate was shut, but mud is very soft.

I left the berth to leave about 20 minutes after gate opened so had 2 hours of flood tide (and they were neaps) easily enough to get me back to Barry.
Pontoons clean and power and water available. It’s a bit noisy from the shore works but that won’t last.
And have they moved some mud !!!!!!! Very very impressive and much more to come so they clearly will beat it

Watchet is back
 

Allan

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It's good to things progressing. We draw 1.9m can we get in about the 17th June? We will be heading to Cardiff.
 

donm

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Should be ok but I would give them a call on the landline to check. Their number has changed to 01984 322230. They always answer the telephone but, as was always the case, calling on VHF meets with varying success!
 

sarabande

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I called in yesterday around 1500 to chat to the office about an overwinter berth, as Watchet is 90 minutes nearer home than my present mooring.

Prior to talking to the marineros, I went along the East pier and took some photos.

It looks as if getting on for 50% of the pontoon berths are now dredged and fully usable. In fact, I was told that over the weekend a sailingboat drawing 2m had moored on B pontoon and at low tide there was still good water depth below the keel.

The office confirmed that work on the inner harbour is proceeding well, with dredging on every tide removing around 300 tonnes of mud. They expect to complete the inner harbour by end-ish September. Loos, showers and parking (£10) for a long term space adjacent to the marina) are in full operation, so visitors from Wales, Bristol, and any passing cruisers will find Watchet to be an effective stopover or refuge.

BTW the Watchet festival and 'event' season is about to start, so plenty of entertainment, pubs, reasonably good restaurants will be to hand.

All looking very positive after years of neglect and indecision.

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No affiliation save that of being a sailing Somerset resident delighted with the renovated facilities and hence considering to be an overwinter user.
 

Sneds

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Great pics thanks for taking the time to post them
Not sure what YBW have against Watchet but I love the place and can’t wait to go back
 

Birdseye

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Watchet is back

Great news, thanks!
Need to be realistic. The issue isnt the mechanics of shifting mud - thats easy. The issue is being financiially able to do that constantly along with maintaining harbour walls and other infrastructure, on an income the size of the maraina's. In other words can it be made viable? Remember - according to a University of Bristol investigation years ago, there is a deposit of mud of over 30 tonnes per tide!

Nominally there are 250 berths. Pick a likely average mooring fee out of the air and work out the sums for yourself.
 

38mess

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Need to be realistic. The issue isnt the mechanics of shifting mud - thats easy. The issue is being financiially able to do that constantly along with maintaining harbour walls and other infrastructure, on an income the size of the maraina's. In other words can it be made viable? Remember - according to a University of Bristol investigation years ago, there is a deposit of mud of over 30 tonnes per tide!

Nominally there are 250 berths. Pick a likely average mooring fee out of the air and work out the sums for yourself.
The other marina's in the group will subsidise it I would imagine
 

Graham_Wright

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Need to be realistic. The issue isnt the mechanics of shifting mud - thats easy. The issue is being financiially able to do that constantly along with maintaining harbour walls and other infrastructure, on an income the size of the maraina's. In other words can it be made viable? Remember - according to a University of Bristol investigation years ago, there is a deposit of mud of over 30 tonnes per tide!

Nominally there are 250 berths. Pick a likely average mooring fee out of the air and work out the sums for yourself.
Quote;- Sarabande "with dredging on every tide removing around 300 tonnes of mud"
 

SaltIre

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Need to be realistic. The issue isnt the mechanics of shifting mud - thats easy. The issue is being financiially able to do that constantly along with maintaining harbour walls and other infrastructure, on an income the size of the maraina's. In other words can it be made viable? Remember - according to a University of Bristol investigation years ago, there is a deposit of mud of over 30 tonnes per tide!

Nominally there are 250 berths. Pick a likely average mooring fee out of the air and work out the sums for yourself.
The video posted here about wall repairs states the customer is Somerset West & Taunton Council, which suggests the marina isn't paying for it.
 

Sneds

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The video posted here about wall repairs states the customer is Somerset West & Taunton Council, which suggests the marina isn't paying for it.

Just the wall repairs as the council are the landlord and own the infrastructure, the marina operator are using their own dredger at their cost to clear the mud
 

Temujin

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You would assume that Marine Group are aware of the costs of ongoing dredging works and that, to a certain extent, for them it would be paper dollars. Like everyone else I’m delighted to see it coming back to life.
 
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