Experienced cruiser, Jim Healy, shares the wisdom of his experience in response to a question posed on AGLCA’s Forum. Thank you Jim!

The question:

It is not always floating ATONs giving inaccurate information. We have witnessed several places along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts where fixed ATONs (on poles driven into the bottom) show as much as 10 yards of mud between the waterline and the marker at low tide.

Jim’s response:

This is common in the southeast. The marker is posted on the dryings. However, it’s not necessarily “inaccurate information.” If you look at the charts for these markers, it’s clear they are not marking the edges of the waterway; they are well outside the “suggested” channel. It’s different on the Chesapeake, where laterals tend to mark channel edges. But in the Southeast, you need to actually look at where the channel itself is charted.

My approach? I tend to stay well away from laterals mounted on pilings, and I tend to favor floaters. Floaters usually mark the edges of the danger zone, at least until the shoal progresses. This strategy has worked for us… individual captains must do their own due diligence…
Jim
Monk 36 Hull #132
MMSI #367042570
AGLCA #3767
MTOA #3436