Local Notes to Mariners-Upper Buzzards Bay

[harveyr933]

Just a heads up to those of you sailing Buzzards Bay. The Dry Ledge #2 buoy (Red Nun) is off station. We where coming out of Wareham heading for Cataumet when we struck the ledge. We were about 25 feet south of the buoy and should have cleared the rocks but struck it doing about 5 knots, putting a gash in the keel and doing significant damage to our rudder.

It is listed in the latest USCG District 1 LNM week 27-27
Chart 13236

[Jim Walsh]

Yikes! That must have been scary. Glad no one was injured.

[harveyr933]

My wife and I were both seated at the time and were thrown about six inches in the air. Only injury was to my ego. The surveyor retained by the insurance company said we were fortunate to be in a Cape Dory......"they're built like tanks"

[mgphl52]

That's a big OUCH! Glad no one was hurt (save for ego...).

[Joe Myerson]

Ouch!
As a Buzzards Bay-based sailor, I'll be sure to give the buoy plenty of room. Thanks for posting.

[Neil Gordon]

We all do it, but here's what the Coast Guard says: "Prudent mariners will not rely on any single aid to navigation, particularly a floating aid."

Glad no one was hurt, and that the water stayed outside the boat, where it belongs!

[Joe CD MS 300]

Just looked at Dry Ledge on my Garmin app. That is nasty placement of ledge/ rock right in the middle of the bay. What were you using to navigate at the time, charts, electronics, both, neither? Usually mishaps are a combination of multiple events.

[Steve Darwin]

Thanks for this important (for Buzzards Bay sailors) info. I've been scanning recent LNM because the Coast Guard has changed or plans to change several buoys in southern New England, mainly to remove sound signals or permanently disestablish. Incredibly, they proposed last year the removal of all buoys in Robinson's Hole, but evidently that plan was dropped (for now, at least). This afternoon, someone called CG Woods Hole on the radio to report a buoy off station, and was informed that the buoy in question had been disestablished, so keep your charts (paper and/or electronic) up to date!