Monday, June 09, 2025

Mini-Post: Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

Doggie cut the Coast Guard budget so now they have to find "the waste" and what they found were buoys! You little minor things that tell boats not to go there because the water is shallow? Who needs them? We all now have GPS! Well anyone who lives near a navigable body of water knows sand moves.

But hey... these computer wizzes don't know nothing about ships and boats. But they cut the budget anyhow,
By Denise Coffey
Cape Cod Times
June 9, 2025


Key Points:
  • The U.S. Coast Guard plans to remove 60 navigational buoys from Duxbury to Provincetown, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket sounds and Buzzards Bay.
  • The Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates voted to oppose the plan and will send a letter to stakeholders.
  • The Coast Guard maintains the removals are part of a modernization plan.
The Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates has until June 13 to make its opposition known to the U.S. Coast Guard on the service's plan to remove navigational buoys in Cape Cod coastal waters.

At its meeting Wednesday, June 4, the Assembly heard from Chatham and Yarmouth harbormasters who are opposed to parts of the plan. 

The assembly voted their opposition to the plan and will coordinate with the Barnstable Board of Regional Commissioners on a letter affirming their opposition, according to Speaker Randi Potash of Chatham. 
Recent history on the Cape...
May 29, 2025


Key Points:
  • A new break has formed at the tip of North Beach Island in Chatham, following a nor'easter on May 22.
  • Local officials are urging boaters to avoid the area due to unsafe and unpredictable conditions caused by the break.
  • The break is considered part of the natural shifting of the barrier beach system and is being monitored by officials.
The powerful May 22 nor'easter has reshaped Chatham's coastline, creating a new break in the Outer Beach at North Beach Island — just south of the usual boating route to the ocean.

With the breach showing no sign of closing back up, local officials are urging boaters to steer clear because of unsafe and unpredictable conditions.
Yeah, yeah, I know... lets remove the buoys! We can save some money!

The ocean changes so fast that GPS and the nav charts can't be kept up-to-date, the only thing that gets update in almost real time are the buoys.

Not every boat has GPS, such as small sailboats or a skiff and they rely upon buoys/
“In our area you're going to have people that rely a lot on the visual sight of a buoy, the audible sound in low visibility. Anyone that's been out at night or disoriented in the fog when you shine that light across and you can see that buoy, it's pretty comforting to know that you are where you think,” said Holm. 
But hey,,, these are computer wizzes not ol' salts.

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