Last week  in Furber Strait  we saw two large arrays of white buoys and examination revealed no markings.

I inquired of Bud Field our harbormaster as to their purpose. He left me a message the other day to explain after checking up at the Port.

The buoys will be used to  anchor containment  booms in case of an oil spill.

Update 7/8/11

The white buoy array has been altered  due to Coast  Guard concerns given their placement near  a navigation channel. They are now employing a buoy that is more visible by day and  fixed with  beacons for those transiting the area at night.

I had a note from NH DES today regarding this  work in progress. They will be conducting exercises  to determine the correct angles and array positioning to protect the Great  Bay in the event of a spill. You can imagine given the powerful tidal flow that this work is difficult.

Mike