The Coast Guard is proposing to remove hundreds of navigational buoys along the northern Atlantic Coast — from the New York metro area to the Maine-Canada border — as part of a broad effort to “modernize and right-size” the existing buoy system.
Released April 15 by the First Coast Guard District, the proposal is raising concerns from the BoatUS, which warns that some of the affected buoys are in notoriously hazardous waters.
The Coast Guard said the move reflects advances in GPS and electronic navigation, suggesting that many legacy aids to navigation are redundant. However, among the proposed removals are buoys in such places as Maine’s Penobscot Bay and Massachusetts’ Woods Hole — known for their navigational complexity.
“Because local AtoNs are primarily the concern of local boaters, it’s important they have their voice heard,” David Kennedy, BoatUS manager of government affairs, said in a statement. Kennedy emphasized that boaters should explain how and when they rely on specific buoys to help the Coast Guard evaluate the impact of the proposed changes.
Boaters can review the proposed changes using the Coast Guard’s Local Notice to Mariners interactive map, available at the NAVCEN website. Click the “layers” icon in the upper right corner of the map and select “Proposed Notice of Change.” Zoom in and click an individual buoy to see details of the proposed change.
Public comments are being accepted through June 13, and BoatUS encourages boaters and other marine interests to weigh in, particularly those in the affected regions. Comments can be emailed directly to the Coast Guard at [email protected].
