The U.S. Coast Guard's proposal to discontinue 154 navigational buoys in Maine, with 12 in the Quoddy area, including all of the buoys in the Lubec Channel, is being opposed by some local mariners, who say they are a critical aid for piloting in waters with strong currents and plenty of fog.
      Of navigating through the channels Downeast, ship's pilot Bob Peacock of Eastport says, "You don't want to depend on one thing. If you're only looking at the GPS and the chart plotter, you're not looking out the window. It's always better to be looking out the window. The buoys around here are a great asset."
      "You've got to use everything you've got at your disposal," Peacock adds, with mariners needing the Global Positioning System (GPS) and other electronic aids, radar and buoys. "If you take one out you're just screwing yourself."
      On May 1, Peacock gave Matthew Baker, commander for Coast Guard Sector Northern New England, a tour of the local waters aboard the Eastport pilot boat so he could see for himself the importance of the buoys for pilots, fishermen and recreational boaters.
      Baker notes that while the proposal is a national initiative, each Coast Guard district is in charge of its own efforts. "We want to make sure we're being the best stewards of the taxpayer dollars," he says, referencing the Coast Guard's costs for maintaining the navigational aids. While buoys have been along the coast for a long time, technology has improved in recent decades and it's possible "that mariners are not relying on buoys as much as they used to," he says. "Although mariners rely more on electronic navigation in some places, here they are truly critical."
      Among the area buoys that would be removed, from north to south, are the St. Croix River Light, the Frost Ledge bell buoy off Pleasant Point, the Bucknam Ledge and Shackford Ledge buoys off Eastport, the Hersey Ledge and Birch Point buoys in Cobscook Bay, the six in the Lubec Channel, the West Quoddy Head bell buoy, the Sail Rock whistle buoy, the Bailey's Mistake whistle and entrance buoys, the Little River entrance buoy off Cutler, the Brothers Passage bell buoy, the Mark Island bell buoy and the Nash Island whistle buoy. The 350 buoys proposed for discontinuation in the First Coast Guard District, which covers eight northeastern states, represent about 6% of the 5,640 federally maintained aids to navigation.
      With the buoys removed, "fishermen would all have to have good chart plotters and their head down" and not be looking up to see where hazards may be, Baker says. Not all mariners have those electronics, and recreational boaters not familiar with local waters may not know where all of the hazards are located, particularly if they are no longer marked by buoys.
      Peacock says, "Anyone can look at a chart plotter, but when you are on the water the buoys tell you more than where a hazard is. You can gauge the current and visually understand how close the bow and the stern of a ship are to a hazard."
      For freighters docking at the Estes Head pier, Peacock says the buoys off Buckman Head, Shackford Head and Treat's Island are all necessary. He notes, "We fought tooth and nail to get the buoys where they are. To take two of them out is crazy. It's nuts."
      He says the pilots use the buoys as guides to see how strong the currents are running and how to approach the pier. When ships are leaving the pier, the buoy marking the shoal off Shackford's Head is essential. "You want to make sure you're clearing that shoal," he says, as the ships draw 40 feet and the depth of water over the shoal could be only 25 feet. "When you're swinging the ship around in the dark and the wind's blowing, that buoy is a critical one. The system we have is very safe and works."
      Another buoy, off Frost Ledge near Pleasant Point, is used by pilots aboard ships headed to and from the Port of Bayside. "They use it both ways to stay off the ledge. It's lit and is a radar guide."
      As for the Lubec Channel, Peacock notes he has run sardine carriers and yachts through the Narrows, which can have currents up to 11 or 12 knots, some of the strongest in the state. "It's very narrow, not deep and it's unforgiving. You will end up on a sandbar if you're not paying attention to the buoys." He estimates there could be as many as 100 boats going through the Narrows on some days during the summer. "When it's foggy it can be nasty." Even if you can't see in the fog, the buoys show up on radar. "Some are critical in the fog, so you can tell if you're where you're supposed to be." He adds that the sound of bell buoys also "really helps in the fog."
      Butch Harris, who fishes out of Eastport, agrees with Peacock about the navigational buoys, stating, "I think it's important in this area to have them," referencing the region's strong currents and fog. Even for fishermen who are familiar with the waters, the buoys are helpful, particularly in places like the Lubec Channel. "They're something to go by on radar when it's foggy." Noting that a GPS signal can be lost, he says the buoys that you can see are a significant aid. "You can get pushed to the side real easy with the current and not know it," he says of the Lubec Channel, especially if it's foggy or at night.
      Just using GPS and a chart plotter is not a good idea, Peacock says. Mariners have concerns about the GPS system remaining stable and staying on. "It's not that secure," he says.
      Ralph Dennison, the Lubec harbormaster, agrees, noting that modern electronics "can go out at any time. Seeing the buoys makes you pay attention to where you are." Of the navigational aids, he says, "I don't see any reason they shouldn't keep them maintained." While local fishermen who know the waters may not need the buoys to head through the channel, they may have only three or four feet of clearance over the bottom. "But if you don't go through there all the time, the buoys are very helpful." He receives calls from crews on sailboats about whether they should attempt going through the Lubec Narrows. Depending on their experience, he may recommend they proceed, but either on the flood or close to high tide. "I tell them to stay in the channel and stay between the buoys. I don't recommend doing it in the fog."
      Coast Guard Commander Baker says it will be a multi-year process before a decision is made about discontinuing the buoys, and it could be that some buoys but not all are removed.
      The Coast Guard is requesting that all comments on the proposal be sent by June 13. Those sending comments are asked to include the size and type of their vessel, whether it's recreational or commercial and how they use the aid to navigate. E mails, referring to Project No. 01 25 015, should be sent to D01 SMB DPWPublicComments@uscg.mil.