Rastagirl777 - A strata is like a condo association you'd have in the States. We are part of the Point Village strata, live there most of the year, and have a great interest in what goes on down the beach. I am still studying the proposal. My background as an engineer (retired) makes me want to take some time to fully understand what they are proposing and to check for any mistakes. So far, I must say that I am impressed with the depth of thought that has gone into the proposal.

I am not convinced the barriers they propose will have the desired effect of controlling sand shifting. The problem with any engineering study of this type is that it is based on historical data. All it takes is one odd storm to mess things up pretty fast. However this seems like a good idea. The jetty is not an open door to cruise ships or other 'over improvements'. It fixes a problem Sandals has currently. The other choice for them is to relocate and let that part of the beach return to natural (like that will happen).

Now perhaps I should qualify that I am not against improvements in the Negril area. Too often such studies have been neglected. They are needed and it is important for many to review them. Just recently, we had a small craft operator try to dump stone into the sea to build a private boat ramp at Point Village. He thought he could get away with it on a Sunday. He did not do any sort of analysis of the effect of his dump. Unfortunately most of the stone was dumped before the police could be summoned to stop him. Now we have a small pile of gravel and a questionable coast. I suspect most of the stones will just displace towards the deeper channel over time. The weight of the stone will cause the sand/coral underneath to shift etc...

Studies like that done by Sandals, with a full environmental impact analysis is exactly what is needed. Sandals property has a problem - just walk that part of the beach (we do it several times a week) and you will see what I mean. Especially after a strong storm. Most of their beach near the north end washes out exposing the sand bags or they get filled up with sea grass. Will the barriers help? I suspect they will be doing more dredging than sand bagging to maintain the geometry they propose however it is intriguing.

Related cartoon: http://www.rastacrab.com/index.php?name=RastaCrab050