Linear Moorage Eases Demand in Washington

Stretched across Echo Bay, in Washington State’s Sucia Marine Park, is a series of buoys with what appears to be a line stretched between them. Atop each buoy is a flashing light that blinks around the clock. Boaters have mistaken the strange sight for everything from a fish farm to the landing site for an alien aquatic life form. What they’re really looking at, however, is a unique moorage system that is now being used in a number of locations in the Pacific Northwest. Known as linear moorage, the system comprises three spar buoys, with parallel tether lines between them. In accordance with Coast Guard regulations, each spar buoy has a solar-powered light that flashes 24 hours a day. Attached to the tether lines are a series of mooring rings, and it is to these that vessels can tie up. One of the strengths of a linear moorage system is safety. It is very secure because each spar is anchored directly to the seabed with what is termed an anchor screw system. The anchorage system consists of a big, auger disc 34 inches in diameter and a 10-foot shaft that is drilled into the bottom. Linear moorage systems can accommodate even the largest of private vessels, while standard mooring buoys are limited by the Sucia Marine Park to boats under 45'. It’s not uncommon for a 100’ boat to tie up to the linear moorage at Echo Bay. The systems are more expensive to install than mooring buoys but far less so than docks. Upkeep is minimal, barring the occasional occurrence of a boater accidentally running over the tether line, which can cost about $8,000 in equipment and many hours of park employee time to repair. The first linear moorage system in Washington State was installed temporarily in Seattle, followed by a permanent installation at Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island. In the mid-1990s, another system was installed nearby at Blake Island; this was recently removed for repair, and plans are unclear as to whether it will be re-installed. Other linear moorage systems are in service—with most having been installed within the past three years—at Echo Bay, Stuart Island, Prevost Harbor and Reid Harbor. Linear moorage systems are supplied by Ocean Spar of Bainbridge Island, a company that also specializes in offshore aquaculture. Visit them online at www.oceanspar.com.

 

< Prev		Next >