Felixstowe Front September 19/20 20008

Friday 19 September

On a sunny September afternoon, people stretch out to soak up the rays ... and watch the containers being loaded! Tugs are hanging around waiting for trade.

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With its mirror-like sea and rows of tugs, the picture reminds me of the sequence in 'Teletubbies'!

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A ro-ro ferry enters harbour, past Landguard Point and up the Orwell towards the Port of Felixstowe.

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In the middle of all this maritime activity the foot ferry from Harwich docks on the steep shingle beach!

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The featured ship is being loaded, but the activity is largely out of sight.

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The tugs get their call! Quickly they leave their holding station and into the channel  Harwich International is behind the right-hand shot.

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A large container vessel nears the Point and is met by two tugs ... then we had to go!

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Saturday 20 September

Felixstowe front has been re-seeded with 200,000cubic metres of sand and gravel, delivered by July 2008, and now in the process of being redistributed along the front. Rip rap is still being moved around and most of the promenade is fenced off. Green navigation markers have been placed on most of the groynes in the low tides of August.

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21 fish-tailed groyned are to be constructed from boulders and 19 are either finished or nearing completion. The shape is, however, more of a 'T' than a fishtail.

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There has been some initial re-alignment of the beach nourishment charge by the sea, left, whilst hard engineering does on. The structure is a ramp, although it  appears to go below beach level .. indicating the final beach level will be lower.

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26 September 2008

A foray into the nature reserve at Landguard Point, with views over the container terminal.

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The land is  generally flat, but with a stabilised dune system also present.

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Steel sheet-piling has been introduced to protect the higher dunes' southern flank and leads to the town sea wall to the north and fronting the high dunes.

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New defences are still being completed in Felixstowe, such as these rock groynes. The two photographs on the right give an overall idea of the defensive lines of sea defences at Felixstowe.

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