After 3 years seeking all the various permits Shell island was finally able to dig out the harbour. The harbour has been pretty badly silted up resulting in some of the boats being unable to get out at all on certain tides. Some mariners even left because of the poor accessibility. A last minute hitch occurred right at the start when we found Snowdonia National Park had not issued a permit because they do not have a meeting in February. Luckily we still had a permit to deposit a smaller amount from the previous dredging back in 2001. We were able to clear about a third of the basin.
Most of the work has now been done and there is just the clearing up of the mess to do.

above
Soft mud being stored on the top of the island
looking NE towards toilets & farmhouse. These storage "ponds" are up to 12ft deep, and the soft mud once hardened will be taken away.

Side
This picture shows the size of the machinery being used. You can see Zoltan one of the biggest boats we have (35ft long) almost  dwarfed by the digger. The wheels on the trucks are nearly six foot high and are big enought to carry a medium sized campervan whole.
Note the mud on the roadway... about 4 inches thick here and about a foot thick in places.

Once all the digging work is completed then the task of resetting all the moorings. much of the old chain has worn over time and has been broken up by the operation, but much is reuseable. The chain will then have to be inspected and assessed and when appropriate disguarded. New chain is on order. and we awaite delivery from Bradney chains. http://www.bradneychain.com/