Great Round Shoal Buoy Washes Up On Nantucket, Again

The four-day storm event that pummeled Nantucket with sustained 40 to 50 mph winds last week also brought a familiar visitor back to the island.

The Great Round Shoal buoy was discovered washed up along Nantucket's eastern shoreline, just south of Great Point. The massive buoy is the same one that washed ashore on Nantucket near Quidnet beach in March 2018 following a powerful nor'easter.

Island residents Allyson and David Bold discovered the buoy as they were driving to Great Point on Friday, and shared these photos and videos with the Current.

Coast Guard Station Brant Point Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate Andrew Babione said the Coast Guard is aware that the buoy is back on the island, and the Coast Guard's Waterways Management Office is working on a plan to recover it. The plan will likely involve a "large buoy tender" to return the buoy to its designated location, Babione said, but a date has not been set.

The Great Round Shoal Channel is located between Monomoy Island, south of Cape Cod, and Great Point. It is used by numerous large fishing vessels transiting Nantucket Sound from New Bedford to Georges Bank, according to NOAA.

Back in 2018, it took more than a year to get the buoy moved off the beach, and the operation required a team of Coast Guard personnel along with a Connecticut Army National Guard unit. Below is a video captured by Nicole Harnishfeger of the recovery operation in 2019.