Having had a meeting with United Utilities yesterday 4th December 2009, I can confirm that their original plans to remove 10,000 – 12,000 tonnes of material to create a passage between the road and the island are to proceed. Dennis Shevelan accompanied the United Utilities representatives and myself onto the berm and reviewed the proposed plans. From the sketch provided by United Utilities a channel will be excavated between the areas at the top of Farm mark through to Naze. The plan indicates that it will be approximately 26 metres wide and 3 metres deep ensuring that there will be enough water in the channel to create an island during the continuing works on the spillway. United Utilities advised that the work should commence in January and be completed in time for when the gulls return to start breeding in late February. Most of the material will be redistributed in a depression adjacent to the wall near the inlet from the ponds on the other side of the road. Whilst not as wide as we had originally hoped, it will mean that we will have a navigable channel under normal seasons water levels and enable us to utilise the passage between the road and the island for racing.
Having taken advice from both Dennis and Geoff it was been decided to postpone the removal of the sand/mud from the ramp on the main jetty until next season as if it is done now it will most likely require removing again next season.
Cheers
Keith Roberts
Vice Commodore
