The buoy on the sand in Carolina Beach, NC was recovered this week by the US Coast Guard. The crew brought the large boat very close to the shore then they launched two smaller power boats to carry the pull rope across the water to the crew on the beach. Once the buoy was tied up securely the large vessel slowly backed up and tipped the buoy over to face in the right direction so that it could be towed back to its spot in line on the intercoastal waterway crossing over to the Cape Fear River.
The Coast Guard couldn’t have picked a better day to recover the buoy; with the light misty fog hanging in the air the ocean was like glass with tiny waves softly lapping the shore. All of these conditions made for a very successful recovery.
Watching the buoy being towed away from the beach made me a little sad. We have been listening to the horn blow almost everyday for the last month and a half; I will miss that mournful sound.
