But shallow waters were less appealing to humans who wanted to dredge the waterways for shipping channels.

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The Supreme Court last considered this question in 2005, when it decided that a marine dredge in Boston Harbor was a vessel for purposes of determining whether people essential to its function were covered by maritime labor laws.

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"The Welsh boys obviously want to do well here, " said Dredge, trying to explain why the wait for a Wales Open winner goes on.

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This year, for example, General Electric will dredge 1.8m cubic metres (2.4m cubic yards) of PCB-contaminated sediment out of 60km (35 miles) of the Hudson.

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At the start of the European season Dredge was regarded as Wales' strongest candidate for a place in Colin Montgomerie's line-up at Celtic Manor, Newport in October.

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This year, for example, nearly all 44, 000 Holland America passengers who travel to Fairbanks will visit its Gold Dredge No. 8 via its Gray Line buses, where they will eat a "sourdough" lunch of stew and biscuits, tour the site and pan for gold.

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