Shifting Sands

Last Sunday, I was enjoying some summer boating on the Annisquam River when I felt the boat slow measurably off the typical no-wake pace. As I pulled back on the throttle and looked behind, it appeared that the sandy bottom was being disturbed in my wake. Fortunately, just moments later, the boat regained its normal speed, and I was able to relax and reflect on the incident. Now, I was easily within the channel clearly marked by the navigational buoys, and the boat was lightly loaded with minimal draft. My conclusion was that the sandy channel had filled in during previous months, making the navigational buoys slightly less accurate than before. With this in mind, I offer the following suggestion – maintain your general confidence in the navigational buoy system, but be aware that conditions can and will change between buoy maintenance procedures, and it’s up to you to practice good judgement and make adjustments on the fly. Happy boating!