Coast Guard changing aids to navigation in Carteret waters

The Coast Guard is making more than two dozen changes to aids to navigation near Shackleford Banks and Harkers Island in Carteret County.

Changes for 25 aids to navigation were set to begin earlier this month for Shackleford Slue and the Middle Marshes, Harkers Island Channel West and Core Sound Channel.

The Coast Guard said the intent is to make the lateral aids – the red and green buoys — more readily comply with the “red, right, returning” direction of travel in an area where there are several converging channels from sea and around various barrier islands.

Chief Warrant Officer Chris Winters, the officer in charge of aids to navigation for waters served by Coast Guard Station Fort Macon, told Coastal Review that the significant changes were “in response to worsening conditions in Core Sound, the heavy flow of recreational vessel traffic from Beaufort Inlet to Taylor Creek via Shackleford Slue and to make the waterway easier to understand for mariners not familiar with the area.”

Winters said the changes were the result of a recently completed waterway analysis in which the Coast Guard solicited and received feedback from local power boating groups, commercial salvage operators, charter captains and the public.

“We also utilized historical AIS (automatic identification system) data, surveys and other data sources to craft our proposal. The changes were advertised to the public beginning in February via the Local Notice to Mariners and only positive feedback was received,” Winters said.

For vessels that provide automatic identification system data, the information can include their heading, latitude and longitude and speed.

At Shackleford Slue/Middle Marshes, the following aid changes were planned:

• Shackleford Slue Light (LLNR 29415) change to Green Squares, Fl G 4s, and rename Shackleford Slue Channel Light 5.
• Middle Marshes Daybeacon 4 (LLNR 29326.1) change to Green Squares and rename Shackleford Slue Channel Daybeacon 7.
• Middle Marshes Daybeacon 3 (LLNR 29326.1) change to Red Triangle dayboards and rename Shackleford Slue Channel Daybeacon 8.
• Middle Marshes Daybeacon 1A (LLNR 29326.01) change to Red Triangle dayboards and rename Shackleford Slue Channel Daybeacon 10.
• Middle Marshes Daybeacon 1 (LLNR 29326) change to Red Triangle dayboards and rename Shackleford Slue Channel Daybeacon 12.

In Harkers Island Channel West, the following changes will be made:

• Middle Marshes Junction Light MM (LLNR 34325) change to Black & White Diamonds, Fl W 4s, and rename Harkers Island West Light HW.Harkers Island West Channel Daybeacon 3 (LLNR 34735) change to Red Triangles and rename Harkers Island West Channel Daybeacon 2.
• Harkers Island West Channel Buoy 1A (LLNR 34730.1) change to Red Nun and rename Harkers Island West Channel Buoy 4.
• Harkers Island West Channel Light 1 (LLNR 34730) change to Red Triangles, Fl R 4s, and rename Harkers Island Straits Light 6.

Core Sound Channel from Core Sound Light 60 to Core Sound Light 37A will be renamed Harkers Island Straits, with a direction of buoyage returning from Beaufort Inlet. The following changes were planned:

• Core Sound Light 60 (LLNR 34775) change to Green Squares, Fl G 4s, and rename Harkers Island Straits Light 1.
• Core Sound Light 58 (LLNR 34745) change to Green Squares, Fl G 2.5s, and rename Harkers Island Straits Light 3.
• Discontinue Core Sound Buoy 56B (LLNR 34741).
• Core Sound Daybeacon 56A (LLNR 34739) change to Green Squares and rename Harkers Island Straits Daybeacon 5.
• Harkers Island West Channel Light 1 (LLNR 34730) change to Red Triangles, Fl R 4s, and rename Harkers Island Straits Light 6.
• Core Sound Light 56 (LLNR 34723) change to Green Squares, Fl G 4s, and rename Harkers Island Straits Light 7.
• Core Sound Light 55 (LLNR 34705) change to Red Triangles, Fl R 4s, and rename Harkers Island Straits Light 8.
• Core Sound Buoy 51 (LLNR 34700) change to red nun and rename Harkers Island Straits Buoy 10.
• Core Sound Daybeacon 50 (LLNR 34695) change to Green Squares and rename Harkers Island Straits Daybeacon 11.
• Discontinue Core Sound Daybeacon 48 (LLNR 34690).
• Core Sound Daybeacon 47A (LLNR 34681) change to Red Triangles and rename Harkers Island Straits Daybeacon 12.
• Core Sound Light 47 (LLNR 34680) change to Red Triangles, Fl R 4s and rename Harkers Island Straits Light 14.
• Core Sound Light 46 (LLNR 34675) change to Green Squares, Fl G 4s, and rename Harkers Island Straits Light 15.
• Core Sound Light 44 (LLNR 34770) change to Green Squares, Fl G 2.5s, and rename Harkers Island Straits Light 17.
• Core Sound Light 42A (LLNR 34650) change to Green Squares, Fl G 4s, and rename Harkers Island Straits Light 19.
• Core Sound Daybeacon 42 (LLNR 34645) change to Green Squares and rename Harkers Island Straits Daybeacon 21.
• Core Sound Light Buoy 41 (LLNR 34640) change to red nun, Fl G 4s, and rename Harkers Island Straits Lighted Buoy 22.
• Core Sound Light 39 (LLNR 34635) change to Red Triangles, Fl R 4s, and rename Harkers Island Straits Light 24.
• Core Sound Light 37A (LLNR 34650) change to Black & White Diamonds, Fl W 4s, and rename Core Sound South Light SS.

The Coast Guard advises mariners to refer to local notices to mariners available online and to regularly update electronic charts used by chart plotters and smartphone apps.