Did the earth move for you?
I’ve updated this page to take into account the speedy beach recovery to date.
Note that no timetable for the work has been made public, so these dates remain my best guesstimate.
Cancún’s beach reclamation project looks well on schedule to finish before April 30th, the ‘delivery’ date in Jan de Nul’s contract.
Lee Taylor took this photo (right) a few days ago during a brief sojourn at the Royal Islander.
I have to admit, I’ve become a beach recovery photo junkie. I’m no marine engineer [laughs], but I’ve found the whole spectacle… well, a spectacle.
I do not think I’m the only one finding myself ‘lusting’ over "trailing suction" dredgers and earth-moving equipment [?]. Maybe it has something to do with the fact cancunenses have waited seventeen years - since Hurricane Gilbert - to witness such theatre.
Or maybe I’ve been writing this stuff for too long!
Whatever. For those of you, like me, who may be interested in learning a little more, and / or wish to dazzle your friends with the how’s and wherefores of beach "nourishment", you could do worse than consult this comprehensive guide to managing coastal erosion in beach/dune systems published by Scottish Natural Heritage.
Phew! Now I’ve got that out of my system…
Edited by 
February 28th, 2006 at 11:51 pm
Thanks for all you are doing Steve, I’m lovin’ the “after” shots I can find of the beach recovery. I’m sure you’ve checked out the Royal Resorts galleries, the Islander beach is delicious!
March 1st, 2006 at 10:54 am
Thanks for your encouragement! Yes, I’ve seen the gallery; here’s the link for the benefit of others…
http://www.royalresorts.com/gallery.php
March 15th, 2006 at 10:42 pm
[...] The dredgers, bulldozers and tractors kept us all mesmerized for weeks - I said as much last month - as they miraculously restored miles of beach. [...]