PHILADELPHIA – As the boating season draws near, the U.S. Coast Guard reminds boaters and mariners to exercise caution while traveling the Intracoastal Waterway between Barnegat and Cape May.
Twenty aids to navigation pylons that were damaged by winter ice have been marked with wreck buoys to alert mariners to their presence below the water’s surface.
Boaters are reminded that the buoys can shift during tidal fluctuations and are recommended to transit using the center of the channel where applicable.
“Our primary concern is for the safety of the maritime community and the waterways,” Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay Commander Capt. Scott Anderson said. “Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Cape May has removed six of the original 26 aids which were damaged by ice, and currently our teams are in planning stages to remove the remaining 20.”
Boaters who believe they encounter an unmarked damaged pylon may report them to Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay at 215-271-4807.
