Buoy changes in 2014 and beyond

[Bizer]

Bizer had a meeting with the Marine Patrol on February 21st. I thought I'd share with you some of the changes that are in place for 2014 as well as anticipated changes.

What prompted the meeting was a phone call that Bizer received last fall. The Marine Patrol is considering decommissioning (removing) many buoys over the next few years. There are a fair number of buoys that have been around for eons and nobody knows whether the need exists. In many cases, it was a case of a shorefront owner knowing the Commissioner of Safety and having a buoy placed in front of the shorefront owner's property to keep boats away. The Marine Patrol will be creating a list of buoys they feel are superfluous. The Marine Patrol will be allowing the public to comment before actually removing the buoys.

Meanwhile, the following buoy changes should be in place for the 2014 boating season.

• The black-and-white buoy on the north side of Sandy Island, which has been missing for two years, will not be replaced. The buoy was close to shore and marked a rock that was more than six feet down.
• At the western end of Moultonborough Bay there were three black-and-white buoys aligned north-to-south. The middle of these three has been missing for two years and will not be replaced.
• There used to be a red-and-white buoy about 80m east-northeast of light #56 at the lower end of Paugus Bay. This buoy marked the intake for the Laconia water supply. It did not mark a boating hazard. This buoy has been decommissioned. When the companion buoy at light #56 changed from black to red a few years ago, the traffic pattern was altered and boats no longer approach this red-and-white buoy.
• The easternmost of three black-and-white buoys off Dockham Shore Road in Gilford has been decommissioned and will not be replaced.
• There is a new no-rafting zone. The area north and northeast of Ledge Island in Meredith, which includes three coves, is now a no-rafting area. Ledge Island is northeast of Stonedam Island.
• Currently there are three No-Wake buoys near Meredith center. These will be adjusted slightly and a fourth No-Wake buoy will be added in 2014. This is in response to a few boaters who failed to notice the No-Wake buoys as they approached the Meredith Docks.
• The lone buoy off Ellacoya State Park has been eliminated.
• The red-and-white buoy in Greens Basin will be moved about 100m north. It will be returned to its pre-2001 location to mark a submerged rock. In this photograph, the camera is facing south looking at a man standing on the submerged rock.
• 

Also: A boater asked me what happened to the bouy at the Barbers Pole. A buoy that looked like a barber's pole was placed just north of light #17 back in 2001. It was maintained by a local resident. That resident passed away and the family did not want to assume the responsibility of maintaining the buoy. It was removed as it had no navigational value.