A lighted bell buoy that marks the entrance to New Harbor, Maine, bobbing on placid waters just after sunrise. — Tristan Spinski/The New York Times
WHEN the electrical system on Dominic Zanke’s 13m fishing boat Tyrant suddenly failed one day this spring, the veteran lobsterman was 56km out to sea, with no radio or radar to guide him home.
Zanke, who fishes out of Stonington, Maine, wasn’t worried. He knew he could fall back on a centuries-old safeguard: the Coast Guard’s network of navigational buoys that dot the coastline from Maine to New Jersey.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Save 30% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
