This comes our way from the Bainbridge Harbormaster. I agree with assessment completely. That is a bit of a tricky area for unfamiliar boaters (which most people are) and those buoys are what people follow. They assume if there’s no buoy its deep enough and that’s wrong but they do it. I think the USCG will end up spending more money dealing with boats run aground there than they would if they left it installed.
Hello Boaters,
There is a USCG proposal to discontinue the Red #2 buoy at the entrance to Eagle Harbor. This was sent out to the notice to mariners by way of link below.
The link is: This message is being sent to you by the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation
Center to notify you that the USCG District Thirteen Local Notice to
Mariners <http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/lnm/d13/lnm13432008.pdf> (43-2008)
is available for download.
If they remove the #2 red buoy at Eagle Harbor, we might see more vessels going aground on wing point even using the charts. We may see: a. boaters crossing the point seeing what is now listed as the #4 buoy; b. boaters approaching the shoal marker as the preferred channel from the north leading them over the wing point reef. There may also be increased congestion and conflict with ferry traffic for vessels attempting to use the Tyee Shoal to locate the preferred channel. If you have a comment about this buoy, please send it to the Navigation Center team by the November 21, 2008 deadline.
The comment period is open until November 21, 2008. The email address is d13-PF-LNM@uscg.mil. Their mailing address is 915 Second Ave. Seattle, WA 98174-1067. Their phone number is 206.220.7280 and fax is 206.220-7265.
Thank you
Tami Allen, Harbormaster
City of Bainbridge Island
