As reported by the Caribbean Security and Safety Net

Posted 25 February 2010

Several of the 30 some mooring buoys installed two years ago at the north end of Prince Rupert Bay have been damaged and/or lost significant pieces of gear.

Rather than replacing the damaged and missing pieces, the buoys have simply been retired and all gear above the seabed removed. This removal does not include the sand screws which anchored the buoys and there are no marks indicating where those sand screws remain.

Additionally, several of the mooring balls themselves have been replaced with one to three other markers, including small fuel cans and markers such as those used by the fisherman for their pots. These markers are not on a single line attached to the ground tackle but may be on as many as three different lines.

During a two-day period of west winds this week, several yachts anchored to the west wind, and when they turned with the prevailing easterlies, the yachts’ ground tackle became entangled in these spider webs of markers.

Yachts choosing to anchor amidst the mooring buoys should take care to allow 360 degrees of swing room to avoid entanglement with these markers.