[c40eb]

I sail out of Friendship, ME in Muscongus Bay...which has one of the largest remaining lobster boat fleets. Sometimes, I swear, I would be able to walk across the bay on the lobster buoys...just a huge, blue field of multi-colored toilet brushes.

So, when sailing, we basically play slalom with the buoys.

Yesterday, while enjoying a nice sail, we saw this small Coast Guard inflatable coming in at high speed...straight towards Friendship Harbor. The harbor is fairly narrow, and the fishermen don't really make a distinction between fairway/thoroughfare, and fishing grounds.

Well...this Coastie just cranked straight on in...then a while later, came back out.

This vid is them coming back out.

YouTube - Coast Guard & lobster pots

I didn't get a vid of him coming in (when they, I believe, were going even faster. The vid doesn't really do justice to how fast he was going).

Now, lobster boats have cages around their props. I, in my sailboat, drive carefully.

How does the CG avoid snagging pots? At that speed, they are not avoiding them. I doubt they have line cutters...as that would really piss off the fishermen. Do they also use cages? For their outboards???

 

[c40eb]

I don't see many lobster buoys in the video. You should see Yaquina Bay when all the recreational crabbers are planting their crab traps! I'm pretty sure that they aren't supposed to be dropping them in the navigational channel but they do. I'm just a 24' sailboat so they don't bother me.

Yeah, this was further out in Mus. Bay...not as thick there. But, get closer to Friendship Harbor, where this guy went, and it gets interesting.

This gives an idea...and even this isn't as thick as some places.

Same w/the navigable channels...no boundaries.

 

[c40eb]

At least one of the line cutter manufacturers advertises that the US Coast Guard is one of their customers.

I can understand with their responsibilities, they would not want to worry about cutting a line in need...but some places they go (if they do indeed snag pots), they would snag a LOT...and I can't imagine the fishermen would appreciate all those cut lines & lost gear.

Hmmm...