Sarasota’s New Pass Not Safe For Boaters: Coast Guard

SARASOTA, FL — Boaters who have become accustomed to using New Pass to access Sarasota Bay since it reopened last year are being advised to adjust their navigational plans. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the channel is no longer safe for use.

“We reestablished this channel in September 2016 after dredging was complete,” Chief Warrant Officer Darren Pauly, explained in a media release. “In nine months, the channel has become unsafe due to shoaling that was intensified following the major storms during the 2016 hurricane season.”

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That shoaling, Pauly said, has created hazardous conditions for boaters. As a result, the coast guard is unable to “safely mark the ‘best water’ in this channel.”

The coast guard has announced plans to close New Pass and remove its navigational markers between June 12 and June 16. Since the weather for next week is unpredictable, the coast guard said it cannot nail down an exact date for when the marker removal will begin. It intends to broadcast a notice to mariners before removal starts and when it is completed.

New Pass is one of three channels that lead into Sarasota Bay. It cuts between the two keys past Mote Marine Laboratory. All told, nine buoys will be disestablished or removed. Two channel lights will also be converted into “Danger Shoal” markers. These markers will have quick, white flashing lights that should be visible for up to 3 nautical miles, the coast guard reported.

“We’re asking the boating community to not use the New Pass channel,” Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse, coast guard spokesman, told Patch. “We want everybody to boat safely.”

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Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard