Missing State Park Mooring Buoys in San Juan Islands

[DayBreak]

Last week we were in the San Juan Islands. Discovered that many mooring buoys in the state parks are missing.

Prevost Harbor, Stuart Island: Last month there were 5, last week only 3
Spencer Spit: Last year there were 5 on the south side, last week only 3
Matia Island: Last year 2, this year none!
Patos Island: Last year 2, this year none!
Echo Bay, Sucia Island: No count, but some appear to be missing.

Anyone know what is going on?

Note that there were a few small red marker buoys in a few of the bays: 1 at Matia, 1 or 2 at Prevost.
We know the state parks stress test the buoys every year, but this usually results in just a few buoys being temporarily removed.

[thataway]

Any good mooring field will have all of the moorings pulled each year, and critical parts changed out, with inspection of the rest of the parts.

[DayBreak]

Thank for the reply Bob. The checks you are speaking of usually occur in May and fixes are addressed before the summer season starts. We have watched them do it and chatted with WA State Park staff about the process.

What has happened this year is completely out of the ordinary. I'm looking to see if anyone has uncovered why so many balls have disappeared. So far all internet searches and talks with locals have been fruitless. Park websites still list the mooring buoys as present. I am awaiting a phone reply from park staff, but hoped someone else might be in the know.

Question ... Has anyone used the balls at Matia or Patos this year prior to their removal? I know that some of the balls at Prevost were there in mid-May but no longer present by end of June.

[johnr]

Well, I certainly hope they replace the ones at Patos. That's not a place I feel comfortable anchoring for any length of time. On the plus side, there seem to be quiet a few more around Cypress now.

[Sea Skipper]

There were the normal two in Active Cove, Matia Island on May 12, 2021. I moored to the inner one. While I prefer anchoring, I agree with the previous poster, will only stay if a buoy is available in Active Cove. Years ago I spent one sleepless night in Active Cove during a major thunder storm hanging on two anchors and one shore tie. Next morning the boats was covered with pine bows. Several times over the years I have left Active Cove in the early AM when the NW winds unexpectedly picked up.


Hank Brooks
Alpine Mist RF-246

Formerly Sea Skipper CD-25

[MikeR]

The buoys in Fossil Bay have slowly been vanishing for years. There’s supposed to be 14 and currently about 7. Also noticed the missing buoys at Matia this weekend and the red marker in its spot. Meanwhile DNR at Cypress seems to be better about adding new buoys than WA State Parks, there are 4 new buoys by Elephant Rock and 2 on the other side by Eagle Bluff and the DNR buoys are free to use unlike the State buoys which are $15 / night! Maybe more red tape involved for the Parks dept to replace buoys than DNR? It only took 10 years to replace the tiny state dock at Doe Island after a storm. I keep paying the moorage and buoy fees when at the parks in hopes they’ll use the money to replace the buoys someday! Meanwhile I’m getting pretty comfortable at anchoring. Active Cove a definite exception!

[DayBreak]

ANSWERED!

Just received a call from Steve, a State Park Employee for Sucia.
Apparently the 3 guys that have been doing the buoy checks for many years all retired at once. Since they couldn't get a new team together with all the required skills, they have contracted the testing with an outside vendor. This explains why testing and repair are behind schedule.

The extremely high number of buoys that were removed did not pass their tests:
(1) because the time between tests was longer due to no testing team available
(2) maybe because many buoys were put in at the same time and have aged at the same rate
(3) maybe because the outside vendor is applying a stricter standard

Bottom Line: All buoys are scheduled to be replaced ... but Steve does not know the timeline. I'm thinking that it will take some time since so many buoys are needing replacement.

Additional note: I found a study online, the San Juan County Public Mooring Buoy Project, that indicates a plan to add county buoys to minimize the damage to the seafloor from constant anchoring. Not only do they want to add buoys alongside the existing park buoys, but also in other areas. It was a 2020 study, but I don't know if it was approved or whether it will be implemented.

By the way, this is Colleen, the other half of DayBreak.

[hardee]

I just received an email notification from RBAW about the mooring ball rehab program: