Crew Photo: Pictured (l to r) Coxswain Jim Thomas, and crew members Brian McArdle and Don Gallagher.

Recently Coast Guard Auxiliary Boat from Flotilla 33 discovered a buoy adrift and heading to the main shipping lanes of the Chesapeake Bay.  The buoy was adrift in the currents and was heading for the Rappahannock Cut.   This is the “traffic” lane for the large freighters and tankers traveling north and south in the Chesapeake Bay.  A buoy of this size could have the potential of causing a major accident.

Flotilla 33’s winter patrol crew, consisting of coxswain Jim Thomas, and crew members Brian McArdle and Don Gallagher, recognized the buoy was out of position.  They determined this by consulting their charts and GPS coordinates.  

A call to the USCG’s Aids to Navigation Team (ANT) at Station Milford Haven was made.  Realizing the danger to navigation, the Coast Guard crew responded quickly. 

Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team BM1 George Rau and BM1 Matthew Avery capturing the loose buoy.

While waiting for the ANT boat to arrive on scene, the Auxiliary crew tracked the lost buoy by recording GPS coordinates.  By calculating the distance traveled the crew determined that within an hour the buoy had drifted a mile and a half.

“We realized that with night coming soon, this unlit buoy could have caused a lot of damage,” said Jim Thomas, coxswain of the Auxiliary vessel. “We really appreciate and applaud the Coast Guard for responding so quickly.”

Coast Guard crewman took the buoy in tow and headed back to Station Milford Haven.  Due to the size of the buoy, it was going to take awhile for the crew to return.  We hope they kept their supper for them.

It was later learned that the buoy was the #2 buoy out of the Great Wicomico River.

Buoy #2 under tow