A navigational buoy that washed ashore at the north end of Ocean City on Sept. 9 stands guard over the beach as it awaits a tow from a Coast Guard cutter.
The buoy helped mark the channel out of Great Egg Harbor Inlet less than a mile from the beach. It broke free in a northeast gale that coincided with a full-moon tide two weeks ago.
Maintenance of the buoy typically would fall to the Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team in Cape May, according to Petty Officer Nick Ameen, spokesman for the local Coast Guard district. But because the buoy is so big, the team is waiting for the Coast Guard cutter Elm, a buoy tender, to assist in the job, Ameen said.
Even with the cutter on site, freeing the buoy from the beach and across the shoals of the inlet to the cutter will be a feat that could require a separate towing operation, he said.
The Elm is based out of Atlantic Beach, N.C., and the work in Ocean City is not yet scheduled.
The Coast Guard is still investigating what exactly caused the buoy to break free from its mooring.
The solar-powered lights on the buoy are still working.
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