Maritime Museum offers buoy program

Published 2:40 am Wednesday, March 26, 2008

By Staff reports

Red and green buoys - measuring about 8 feet in diameter and 26 feet in height - sit at the buoy depot at the Coast Guard's facilities at Tongue Point, home to Aids to Navigation Team Astoria and the Cutter Fir. Coastal waters are marked for safe navigation by similar buoys. "Red, right, returning" is the mantra reminding mariners to keep red buoys on their starboard (right) side when entering a waterway from the open sea, and green buoys on their left. Photo by ALEX PAJUNAS -The Daily Astorian

Why do we have buoys, how are they set, how are they moved and what are the different parts of a buoy? To find out about these essential navigation aids, attend “Buoys, Gongs, Whistles, Bells, Lights and More” at 2 p.m. Friday, March 28, at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. This is a free event.

Buoys have been an integral part of safe navigation around the world for nearly 400 years. During that time, much has changed about their design and function. Lt. Stephen Walters of the Coast Guard Cutter Fir will discuss the history of buoys as aids to navigation, how they have changed over the years, and how they will continue to change in the future.

Walters will discuss different types and sizes of buoys, how long between servicing intervals, changes in lighting systems, the general process for servicing a buoy, the use of divers on buoys and how the mooring system of a buoy works. The CGC Fir recently deployed two National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather buoys off the Oregon Coast.

There will also be a family program about the Coast Guard before the presentation, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Families can spell their name in signal flags, climb in a life raft, or tap out a message in Morse code. This program is free with paid museum admission. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors 65 and older, $4 for children ages 6 to 17, and free for children younger than 6.

The Columbia River Maritime Museum is located at 1792 Marine Drive. For information, call (503) 325-2323 or visit www.crmm.org

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