The hurricanes have come and gone, but in the waters surrounding the Florida Keys they have left a field of debris and destroyed nav aids that can make cruising there difficult, if not dangerous. Indeed, the Coast Guard has designated an area one nautical mile from shore “a regulated navigation area” throughout the Keys until Oct. 1, meaning you have to operate at low speeds (not on plane) because there’s so much junk in the water.
“Fenders, lobster traps, you name it, it’s in there,” an officer of the Coast Guard Auxiliary on a mission in the upper Keys told the Miami Herald. The Auxiliary patrol was looking at a thick weed line near Alligator Reef, outside Islamorada (pictured above) that was a thick mat of sargassum weed and seagrass heavy enough to hold solid objects.
The Auxiliary also reported damage to the Alligator Reef lighthouse and missing nav aids on Molasses Reef and the Hens and Chicken Shoal. At least 12 of the 29 yellow buoys marking the corners of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary were gone.
For more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article175394031.html
