Working Waterfront - In an apparent effort to demonstrate that it takes the Trump administration’s war on “fraud, waste, and abuse” seriously, the U.S. Coast Guard plans to discontinue—remove—more than 150 buoys and other aids to navigation, such as fixed “daybeacons,” from Maine’s coastal waters.
The Coast Guard’s stated rationale for the planned actions, according to a recent Notice to Mariners, is that it “will result in the most sustainable navigation risk reduction” while supporting “the navigational needs of the 21st century prudent mariner,” thanks to the widespread availability of electronic chart systems (ECS) and “powerful smartphone navigation subscription apps affordably accessible to virtually all waterway users.” Mariners who spend their working lives on Maine’s waters think the Coast Guard is operating in the fog.