Navigating Manchaug Pond is a challenge for today's motor boaters! Boats are bigger than they used to be. This vessel was seen on the lake Monday, its size dwarfing the pontoon boat to the left.
Witnesses report that when it left the lake through the channel, it hit the end of the wall/rock/bottom sending the vessel and occupants rocking!
Mass Dept of Fish and Game/MassWildlife's bathymetry map of Manchaug Pond shows its shallow depth - 6 to 8 ft around much of the shoreline. Not show on the map in these areas are the large boulders just under the surface, the Blueberry Island sandbar, and other potential hazards to unknowing boaters.
Thanks to the 3 gentlemen who put in the green and red channel markers this afternoon to help boaters get through the causeway. The new buoys mark the end of the wall with their colors indicating the way to the ramp or the lake: "red, right, return" is the rule of thumb out on the ocean when navigating your way home from the open sea.
Check out this link for the Mass Boaters Handbook, the online boat safety course, and for more information on navigational buoys:
http://www.boat-ed.com/ma/course/p3-7_navaidsbuoys.htm
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