I can remember one of my earliest boating trips as a youth. The fog came on thick and I had to pick my way home through shallows. I managed OK, using a compass and the flasher-type Ray Jefferson depth sounder (that should date the event for some of you), but as soon as I saw that green 17 can materialize out of the mist, my stress level dropped tremendously.
Today, despite owning a boat equipped with every modern bit of navigation electronics, times two, I still appreciate the sight and sound of a navaid.
The question being posed by the United States Coast Guard is whether I still need that navaid, or Aid To Navigation (ATON) as buoys and markers are officially known, or can marine electronics substitute for them? If I am running toward a waypoint, does it need to be a physical object on the ocean’s surface?
The Coast Guard has proposed to remove hundreds of navigation aids from District 1, which is the Northeast Atlantic Coast from New York to Maine.
District 1 just happens to be the most rock-bound of all the Coast Guard Districts.
A private firm, Great Harbor Digital, created an interactive map of the ATONs being considered for removal. We have not verified each one, but have spot-checked this map and it appears accurate.
In the Local Notices To Mariners of April 15 (LNM District 1; Week 16) the Coast Guard listed the locations of buoys that would be discontinued.
The buoys targeted for removal mark harbor entrances, ledges, and other routes and hazards. Some are lighted, while others have gongs, bells or whistles, according to detailed descriptions in the notice.
According to the Coast Guard, most, if not all of these ATONs would be removed to modernize a constellation of navigation aids “whose designs mostly predate global navigation satellite systems, electronic navigation charts, and electronic charting systems.”
The intention, the Coast Guard says, is to “support the navigational needs of the 21st century prudent mariner … Deliver effective, economical service — manage vessel transit risk to acceptable levels at acceptable cost.”
This will “support and complement modern mariners, today’s much larger ships, ECS [Electronic Charting Systems] availability and requirements, and powerful smartphone navigation subscription apps affordably accessible to virtually all waterway users.”
I am of two minds on this topic. On the one hand, I feel nostalgia, resistance to change, and possess good memories of navaids helping me find my way on the water.
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Against this, I have my own experience running boats all over North America, and beyond, and can say that GPS is almost always working. It doesn’t always work, but, then, it’s not uncommon for buoys to be missing, off-station, or have their lights out.
I do not recall the last time I experienced a complete failure of all the electronics, built-in, and the portable backups.
My mind also dwells on the reasoning for this, which is to cut costs. Commercial shipping, with its electronic charting ( ECDIS) and backups upon backups, will probably miss physical ATONS less than recreational boaters. What do the rest of US taxpayers think about paying for buoys for boaters?
What do you think?
The Coast Guard is accepting public comment until June 13.
