Torbay Lifeboat has been moored here for over 75 years - she is about to move in preparation of the area to receive an alongside pontoon mooring.
This view will change over the next three months!
The boarding steps and outhaul position can be seen
Falmouth divers arrive to remove the fore and aft mooring system used to moor the 'Alec And Christina Dykes'.
A Calm morning.
Engines started and the end of an era approaches - Wednesday 5th September 2007
ON17-28 heads for a temporary mooring on the MDL Marina until Friday 7 September 2007
Falmouth divers start recovering the five anchors, ground chains and risers.
The area of water is now clear for the main contract to start
The All Weather Lifeboat is moored in the shelter of the old oil jetty on the recovered mooring system - safe and sound
Clear water and a view that will change. The 24 metre pontoon will lie just to the left of centre.
The bridge structure to the pontoon will run parallel to the old boarding steps.
Clear water again
The Torbay Boat House and Kiosk remains active in mid September
The fixed end of the bridge will be constructed on this area of the old slipway
Good business for the Kiosk and RNLI - thankyou
And the sun shone.
The Car Park Area that will be taken over for the contract.
Site Agent Ben Porter and his Engineer start marking out key points for the construction
An area below the pontoon requires dredging to achieve adequate working depths for the low tides - this is being carried out by 'Land and Water' who are specialists in this field
This area will not change - the Inshore Lifeboat slipway is unaffected.
A working platform for the grab is constructed using granite blocks fom a local source.
At the top of the slipwa a level pound is created to receive the dredge material before it is loaded into sealed trucks and transported to a licensed disposal site
The second grab is drien onto a barge to carry out the dreging.
There are two hopper barges - the plan is to load one at the dredging position and unload the other at the shore facility.
Fun for boys to watch the toys at work - the dreging starts tentatively and all details checked.
First barge of dredge brought to shore
First lift from the barge
First bucket heads for shore facility
The first 'bucket of dredge' is landed
The observers observe
The initial dredge material mainly a soft sand and some sludge
The site comes together
The construction site and boat house relationship
The dredge area from the Breakwater
The rest should be obvious!
Getting deeper
The lorry fleet - from Wrexham in North Wales
The Barges and boat 'Spot On' come from 'Teignmouth Marine Services'
Marking out the Link Span footings
The Service trench position being prepared
Cutting the Power and Water service trench from the Boat House
Mark keeping the Slipway non slip!
Many stop and gaze.
The last few days of dredging
Life goes on!
The Lifeboat temporary mooring
A fishermans store!
Mat the Mechanic on his daily routine maintenance trip to the lifeboat
Baltic Wharf, Totnes - The Lift
10 am Tuesday 16th October 2007
The Potoon Floats!
The Link Span at Dartmouth - awaiting calmer seas
Awaiting clearance by the MCA before being towed to Brixham - Planned for Wed 17th Oct 2007
The Shore connection and entrance gates.
The fendering system!
The Entrance gate
Fenders for the Pontoon
The Fenders await the Ponton arrival
Temporary mooring - the Events Pontoon
Delivery complete from Aveco at Middlesbrough to Brixham Wed 17 Oct 207
Survey confirms Dredging complete - preparing for divers to do their work on the sea bed
The Link Span arrives - Friday 19 October
And is placed in the compound for a few days
The Link Span/Shore connection arrives
The diver is down and one stands by
The Standby Diver - ready for instant action
How long will the mountings look this clean
Granite blocks are 'dropped' down the red tube for the diver to place - spot the bubbles
The diver can spend 200 minutes working on the gabion system
Shore side footings established
Concrete pour for the shore side link span connection
The 'Seaflex' System for Torbay - eight mooring lines.
They will not be this clean in a weeks time!
The first eight ton mooring block is ready to 'sink'
Positioning is all important
First anchor block lowered
Mooring system connected and coiled on top of the block
Diver preparing to position 'sinker'
Walking on Water!
All spliced up and ready to go!
The shore side connection goes into place
Gently does it!
Floats mark where the anchor blocks are positioned
It's Coming together
Just some of the 'ballast' waiting to be placed in the pontoon to achieve the 'trim'
The specialist fender panels.
31st October 07 - Pontoon placed to attach mooring system
Work continues on the electrical and water services.
Mooring line about to be connected from sinker block
Thursday 1st November - the day the pontoon is connected to shore - a suitable crane for the task
The first lift out of storage and closer to the shore side connection
Crane repositioned for second lift
The final lift
Aligning the shore connection
Align pontoon end
Connection made! Lunch time Thusday 1st November
Awaiting the finishing touches - expected completion Friday 16th November 2007
And there we are - its the right size!
A few tasks to finish off but essentially operational. Well done by all concerned.
