These were the scenes on Burnham-On-Sea beach on Thursday (August 7th) when a huge buoy that has been in place for many years in the waters off the town was ‘retired’.
‘Number two buoy’ has been a familiar sight (pictured right) for boat owners at the northern end of Stert Island, warning them of the dangers that lurk under the water.
But the huge 3.5 tonne metal structure, pictured here, has been formally ‘retired’ and on Thursday was taken away and replaced by a new high-tech buoy instead.
“I suppose it was the end of the era,” Dave Saunders told Burnham-On-Sea.com, who runs a Burnham-based charter boat service and was tasked by Bridgwater Bay’s Harbour Master with removing the buoy.
“It has been in place for a long time and was a familiar sight on the skyline looking out to sea,” he said.
The operation to move the huge buoy onshore began late on Wednesday. Mr Saunders, on his boat Kelly’s Hero, cut it free from its anchor at 5.45am on Thursday at low water. It was then towed to Burnham beach and lifted by a cherry picker onto a truck to be taken away.
Burnham-On-Sea.com reported earlier this year how a number of changes have been made to buoys in and around Bridgwater Bay, with several new ones being introduced and others being removed.
Harbour Master Chris Spencer told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We’re modernising the buoys and markers all along the estuary and number two buoy has been removed to be replaced by a new one.”
A similar buoy called ‘number one buoy’ was removed earlier in the year when it was washed up on Burnham beach during winter storms.
Once on the beach, the huge 3.5 tonne buoy was attached to metal chains and lifted onto a trailer to be towed away
The rusty base of the structure was home to several colourful anenome
