Submitted photo

The SmartBay buoy being launched in the outer Bay of Islands in early September.

Those who head out on the waters of the outer Bay of Islands can do so in a little smarter fashion these days.

Earlier this month, following consultations ACAP Humber Arm held with local user groups in 2011, the Marine Institute expanded its SmartBay project to the Bay of Islands.

The SmartBay project involves setting up specialized buoys in strategic locations to help improve the safety and knowledge of local users. The SmartBay buoys provide a wide range of data concerning conditions at the site, such as air and water temperatures, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, wave height and other sea state information.

The buoys are also equipped with Aids to Navigation Information Systems, allowing direct transmittal of the buoys data to nearby vessels via the Internet.

The Bay of Islands buoy began providing data after it was launched just west of Woods Island in the outer Bay of Islands Sept. 10. Since the first SmartBay buoy launched inPlacentia Bay in 2006, similar buoys have been set up near the mouth of Channel-Port aux Basques, as well as in the Bay of Exploits near New World Island and near Cape Spear just outside of St. Johns Harbour in the past year. The buoys will be taken up for the winter when ice conditions warrant it.

Brian Brewer of Corner Brook is an avid sailor. He has yet to have a chance to put the navigational help offered by the buoy in the Bay of Islands to practical use, but will be checking it out next summer. Thats when he plans to sail his late father Gordon Brewers sailboat from Baddeck, N.S. across the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the marina in the Humber Arm.

Sailing anything, just knowing that buoy is there would be a benefit to anybody planning any sort of recreational boating in the outer bay, said Brewer. Its nice to know what conditions are there and how to plan for a trip.

The sea conditions inside the sheltered bay, noted Brewer, is often drastically different from what its like in the outer Bay of Islands.

More here:

Bay of Islands SmartBay buoy to help boaters of all sorts