As John Wagman guides his dual-console cruiser out of his canal through Cranes Bayou and Buttonwood Harbour, his goldendoodle Huk stands at the bow like an oversized hood ornament, and green and orange signs guide his way.
The numbered and color-coded navigation markers aren’t put there by the United States Coast Guard, the county, the town or the West Coast Inland Navigation District, but by a group of boaters who live on Longboat Key.
The Buttonwood Harbor Channel System is an organization that goes back decades with the goal of marking a safe path for boaters to and from the Coast-Guard-marked Intercoastal Waterway. When a boat strays outside of the navigational markers, the depth changes from 4-7 feet to 1 foot or lower. That’s a hazard for many boaters.
“Running aground isn’t just getting yourself pulled off. It’s damage to the engine, potential damage to the hull. If you hit abruptly, people on the boat can get injured,” Wagman said…