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Welcome to bournemouthreef.com dedicated to the watersporting mecca of Bournemouth & Poole and the Bournemouth Reef / Boscombe Surf Reef (also known as Weight's Reef in honour of David Weight, whose passion for the concept of artificial reefs has driven the project locally) due for completion in October 2008! This site intends to be the #1 resource for anyone who is visiting
Bournemouth and Poole for water sports or just to have a good time which is proving to be the case with over 10,000 hits last month!
Work on the reef has now started and should be ready by the planned Autumn deadline.
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August 6th 2008 - 10 tonne first reef section is concertinaed
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After days of waiting patiently for the high winds to drop, and despite blustery winds and miserable weather, ASR Ltd completed a highly visual part of the land-based reef construction process yesterday (5th August). Huge cranes folded the first section of the reef, measuring approx 50m by 40m, which makes up one fifth of the total volume, several times into a concertina. This was to enable ASR Ltd to move the reef section onto a barge. The reef section which normally weighs approximately 5 tonnes and makes up a third of the base layer of the reef, weighed 10 tonnes after getting water-logged after heavy rainfall.
Click on the pictures to zoom in
What happened yesterday?
Shackles and extra straps were added to each third of the reef section.
Two giant cranes lifted two 30m spreader beams. Each beam weighed 3 tonnes.
The straps attached to the reef section were then attached to various points of the spreader bars.
The cranes then lifted the first third of the reef section and folded it.
A second lot of straps, along the next third of the reef section were then attached to the spreader bars and the reef section lifted. This process was repeated until the reef was concertinaed up. The cranes then moved the reef section onto the barge. When weather conditions are absolutely flat and perfect (there is no swell or wind), the barge will be brought to Boscombe.
The reef was concertinaed up to enable one end of the reef to be attached to anchors on Boscombe seabed. The barge will then be pulled out from under the reef, so that the section lays on the sea’s surface. It will then sink and be pulled taut into place with accuracy.
Information, videos and updates on the surf reef construction can be found at www.bournemouth.co.uk
Meanwhile, what’s going on in Boscombe?
Sand is being refined before it will be pumped at high-speed into the bags. This has been collated into a huge mound. The 260 metre-long flexible pipe used to pipe sand from Boscombe beach out to the reef section when it is in place is being bolted together. Pumping and diving machinery is being prepared.
It will take up to 4 hours to fill each bag. 55 bags in total will make up the entire reef.
Information, videos and updates on the surf reef construction can be found at www.bournemouth.co.uk
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July 2008 - The work begins
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Work has now commenced on the building of the reef at Boscombe beach. The geo-mat (which is
the size of a football pitch) is being rolled out and sewn together ready to be put on a barge
and taken out to sea. Webbing is then sewn onto the mat which the geotextile bags are then attached to. The
bags act as a ramp to push the waves up as the natural waves hit the reef construction. In total the reef is made
up of five bags which will be filled individually (with sand), taken out and attached to the webbing. This will take approximately
three months. Come back soon to see pictures of the work going on at Boscombe beach.
Click the image below to see the BBC video about the reef construction:
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12th May 2008 - Contracts signed for the construction of the surf reef
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Bournemouth Borough Council has today contracted New Zealand-based ASR Ltd to construct the first artificial surf reef in the northern hemisphere in Boscombe. The contract is performance-based, to ensure the reef will perform to pre-stated standards. The contract also requires the reef to be completed by 31st December 2008 at the latest. The core construction period will be July-October and the estimated completion date remains the end of October, depending on weather conditions.
Councillor Stephen MacLoughlin, Leader of Bournemouth Borough Council says: "The deal has been done to bring the long-awaited surf reef to Boscombe to revive the area. It will be the most innovative sports and tourist attraction in the South. The public can be assured that the reef will definitely be completed at the latest by the end of this year. ASR Ltd had previously been commissioned as designers of the reef and will now use their expert knowledge in this highly complex marine construction project to achieve the performance requirements specified by the Council."
The first delivery of construction materials, which includes the webbing base and the first consignment of geo-textile bags, is due to arrive in Southampton Docks in late June. The bags will then be transported to an undisclosed area in Dorset where they will be assembled onto the webbing base at a harbour-side location. They will then be loaded onto a barge for deployment at the Boscombe site.
Nick Behunin, Managing Partner of, ASR Ltd says: "We are pleased to be introducing Europe’s first artificial surfing reef as part of the Boscombe regeneration plan. We believe our ground-breaking technology will be integral in increasing tourism to the area. It’s exciting to see how Bournemouth Council is going further than the other destinations in the world where we have built surf reefs, with significant additional investment in the infrastructure and facilities surrounding the reef. The regeneration of Boscombe, with the revitalisation of the Pier, Overstrand and new surfing facilities, restaurants and shops are really transforming Boscombe into an exciting surfing destination in the UK."
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1st April 2008 - From Australia to Boscombe - Surf Reef bags ordered
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Bournemouth Borough Council has announced it has now placed orders for the specialist bags and webbing base for the construction of the artificial surf reef in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset.
The reef, the first of its kind in the northern hemisphere, is being built in Boscombe, Bournemouth this year and is set to put the holiday resort firmly on the UK surf map. The reef will also be enjoyed by kite-surfers, wind-surfers, kayakers, snorkellers and SCUBA-divers.
The reef will act as a ramp, pushing waves upwards, doubling their size and improving their quality for surfers. As a result, the number of good surfing days will be doubled. Bournemouth already has an established surfing community, but the reef will act as a draw for visitors to the area, enhancing water sports on offer including kite-surfing, windsurfing, wake-boarding, kayaking, SCUBA-diving, paddle-boarding, sailing and skim-boarding.
The contracts with a total value of over £500,000 have been let with ELCO, the Australian-based geotextile* bag manufacturer and Unique, the New Zealand based webbing manufacturer. The companies have developed these specialised products in associated with ASR Ltd, the New Zealand-based company which has designed the reef.
The webbing base and 55 bags, which vary in length from 15 metres to 70 metres will cover an area the size of a football pitch, and be positioned underwater 225 metres out to sea to the east of Boscombe Pier.
The first of three consignments, which will include the webbing base and first section of the bottom layer of bags, will arrive in the UK at the end of May 2008, having travelled 12,000 miles (19,000 km) by sea. The reef will be constructed during the summer months, when there are calmer sea conditions. The sand needed to construct the reef has been harvested from the beach replenishment programmes that took place in 2007 and 2008, and is being stored on Boscombe beach.
New Zealand-based Dr Kerry Black is the designer of the reef. ASR Ltd, Dr Kerry Black’s company, has been revealed as the constructor of the reef, on a performance-based contract, ensuring the reef will perform to pre-stated standards.
Stephen Macloughlin, Leader of Bournemouth Borough Council says: “The idea of building Europe’s first artificial surf reef in Boscombe, Bournemouth has been transformed from an exciting proposal, to a reality. The construction timetable is on track to allow the reef to be completed, providing there are favourable weather conditions, by the end of October this year. As ASR Ltd has been commissioned on a performance-based contract to construct the reef, this is the most efficient, lowest-risk strategy for the Council and simply makes sense.”
Updates on the surf reef and the construction process can be found at: www.bournemouth.co.uk
* Geo-textile bags are environmentally inert and so the material will not harm marine life. The outer layer of the bag is in a coarser material which will encourage colonization by marine life.
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