Sand removal at Castle Cove Sailing Club

 

Sand removal at Castle Cove Sailing Club

The sand removal project was successfully completed as planned 29th and 30th March 2021.

Sand had built up over a number of years in the area used to launch keelboats from the Club, to the point that some boats could no longer be launched or recovered.  Something had to be done!

Planning had started in January 2021 and permissions obtained from the MMO, Natural England, SSSI Consent and Portland Harbour Authority.

The weather on the project days was perfect.

Additional projects were completed repairing the surface of the Club car park.  The digger was used on the car park while the tide was too high to work on the beach.  This made the best use of the hire of the digger and its operating crew.

CCSC launch area prior to sand removal


 

Work in progress


CCSC launch area after the digging was complete photo1


CCSC launch area after the digging was complete photo 2

 



Impact on the beach

The sand was deposited in 3 areas, two of which were on the high water line so that the spring high tide could wash and flatten the heaps and living organisms could easily return to the sea.  The cleanest sand was deposited in a third location, higher on the beach.

Some of the sand was grey/ black with smelly decomposed organic matter from seaweed that frequently becomes trapped in the area under the club crane. 

Various other items of debris were mixed in with the sand and have subsequently been cleaned up by club member volunteer ‘beach combers’, as items have become exposed by the tide.

Within a week, the areas of sand deposition on the beach were unnoticeable.


Sandsfoot Beach 29/3/21(Monday)

 

Sandsfoot Beach 30/3/21 (Tuesday – 2 tides later)


Sandsfoot Beach 1/4/21 (Thursday 6 tides later)


Ian Green

Rear Commodore Sailing CCSC

April 2021



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