CHATHAM – The Barnstable County Delegates has voted to oppose a plan suggested by the US Coast Guard that would remove navigational buoys around Chatham waters.
The buoys in question are located in Stage Harbor, the Chatham Harbor entrance, Pollock Rip south of Monomoy, and near Chatham Roads in areas that the coast guard has deemed redundant and unnecessary.
The vote in opposition comes after Chatham Harbormaster Jason Holm and Yarmouth Harbormaster David Condon, President of the Cape and Islands Harbormasters Association briefed the delegates and described the buoys as serving a key safety function as navigational aids in a region known for frequently changing sea conditions.
“The Coast Guard preaches to all mariners that you can’t rely on one source of navigation, your chart plotter or the buoys,” said Harbormaster Condon. “But to think that the Coast Guard would take away one of those options in quite alarming.”
This is not the first time that the presence of buoys in the area has been brought into question; about five years ago the public opposed and prevented a previous Coast Guard plan to remove buoys in Chatham’s waters.
In light of the vote, the Assembly and the Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners will work together to craft a letter in opposition.
Public comment on the issue will remain open until June 13.
About Matthew Tomlinson
