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 Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society

Dedicated to Preserving our Shipwrecks and Maritime History
"From Prevention to Preservation"



News Stories

2022 - Spring Bouy - Closing Report

Dale Koziol | Published on 6/15/2022
Closing Report:

One of the important tasks that GLSPS undertakes every year is setting out mooring buoys.  This is done in early June on the R/V Preservation's first cruise of the season when the boat is re-positioned from winter storage at Spirit Lake Marina in Duluth, MN to its summer port at Silver Bay, MN.  Later, in mid-September, the process is reversed when the boat is sailed back to Duluth for the end of season projects and winter storage on land.

So, many of you will probably wonder what the heck is a mooring buoy anyway - and why is it so important.  Others may recognize a mooring buoy as a big white ball with a floating yellow rope that you can hook on to your boat.  But you may not realize how important that is.  Mooring buoys are positioned over shipwrecks provide a stable point to tie off boats visiting the dive site.  Otherwise, an anchor might be used instead, potentially snagging and damaging the wreck.

Putting out the buoys is a major project for the GLSPS