Coast Guard Sets Weather Buoys In The Chesapeake

5th District Public Affairs

U.S. Coast Guard

Photo Release

Date: March 16, 2010

Contact: Public Affairs Det. Baltimore

(410) 576-2541

NOAA your weather

Coast Guard, NOAA set seasonal buoys to gather weather data

BALTIMORE - The Coast Guard along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducted seasonal buoy replacements Monday in the Chesapeake Bay.

The Coast Guard Cutter James Rankin, a 175-foot coastal buoy tender homeported in Baltimore, maintains approximately 375 aids to navigation and conducts fall and spring buoy replacements annually.

Weather buoys collect data and report real-time environmental information including wind speed, temperature and wave height. The buoys also serve as interpretive buoys that mark the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historical Trail that runs throughout the Chesapeake Bay.
"The weather buoys provide valuable weather information during peak recreational boating seasons," said Lt. Dave Lewald, the commanding officer of the Rankin. "The buoys also provide historical data which can benefit researchers collecting information on how to clean up the bay."
Click on the photos above to view a higher resolution version and more specific caption information on the Coast Guard Visual Imagery site.
For more information visit www.ndbc.noaa.gov or visit http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44043 to view data from the weather buoy pictured above.

Installing a Power Inverter

There may still be cruisers out there that light their way with oil lamps, use a bucket instead of a head and sail without a motor, but in 18 years of cruising we have not met them. Today, most cruisers are like us, preferring to take the comforts and conveniences of life ashore with them when they cast off the dock lines to sail off into the sunset. Long ago we made the decision to cruise in comfort and not turn our sailing trips into a camp out on the water. This meant we would need a means to power our small appliances, power tools and entertainment devices. There is more than one way to accomplish the same end depending on the level of your power consumption and what your budget might be. For us the requirements were simple. The cost needed to be kept down, the system needed to be as simple as possible, and we needed to be able to install and maintain it ourselves. Additionally, it should not interfere with our piece and quiet, or that of our neighbors. OK, maybe not so simple after all.