Who stole all of the channel markers on Barnegat Bay?

[Vince_nj1]

I launched on Sat morning and drove my boat from Lanoka Harbor back to my house in Brick. I idled out of the marina and couldn't find any channel markers to get out to the bay. Fortunately, I had turned on tracking on my GPS and was able to follow my course line from last Nov. I made it without running aground and once I hit 5 ft. I got on plane. As I headed North, I didn't see any floating markers, just a few fixed markers South and North of the Rt. 37 bridge. When I got back to my location, I found that all of the channel markers were missing. (there were at least 10 or 12 last year) At first I thought that boats must have hit them over the winter, but then I a light bulb went off and realized that the ICE must be the culprit.

Who is responsible for replacing these? They are going to be very busy this year.

 

[Mr Salt]

Who is responsible for replacing these? They are going to be very busy this year.

Let's hope it is not the State of New Jersey otherwise Barnegat boaters are in trouble. There was front page article in the Press of Atlantic City a few weeks ago about theGreat Egg Harbor inlet and how the markers are out of place. Advise from all authorities, excerise caution, go slow and wear your PDF.

 

[Vince_nj1]

The dangerous thing is, many of the markers are still in place. They have just been knocked over, with the red triangle or green square torn off sitting under the water at a 45 degree angle. Much like this:

 

[rondds]

Vince
I can't think of any floating markers along the ICW from LH to your part of Brick. There are several leading into Toms River for maybe a mile and quite a few north of the Mantoloking bridge if you take the west route around to the canal, but the ICW is all fixed PIPE markers.

If you're talking about the crappy bamboo stick daymarks with balsa wood triangles, squares and a bicycle reflector, I'd say probably 50% of them perennially perish over the winter. I've seen them being put back in leading back into my marina in Brick - couple of goons on an unmarked longboat with a water pump. One guy injects water into the muck and the other guy wiggles the stick into place. Not real scientific - I'm not sure what "agency" they are from. Probably Men In Black.

They do all seem to get replaced sometime btwn Memorial Day and Independence Day. Then you get the clowns that hit them during the season and knock them out/over. Always lay down your breadcrumbs and hope your GPS is accurate to 3 meters!

 

[comsnark]

I know all the no wake bouys and the Orange-white barrels generally are installed in the June time frame, and disappear in Late September. Can't speak to the (non-pole) green and Reds that mark the small harbors.

 

[vandal]

The ice pulled them out when it was breacking up in feb. the state aids to navigation from lacy will put them back in ????????????????????????.