Robots on the Lake

Mid-August. Ninety degrees on a windless late afternoon on Lake Washington. Nothing is moving. A melting Mount Rainier looms over the southern horizon. The local fleet of J/24s is literally standing stock still, waiting to start its weekly race. Sails, lines, and tempers are slack. Patience is pressed. But wait. Something is moving! Large round, bright orange balloon-like buoys are creeping across the lake at 4 knots. Who is directing them? Where are they going? Folks watching the choreography from the T-dock are agog. Scenes of “The Prisoner”—the cult classic TV series starring Patrick McGoohan as Number Six, a British intelligence agent who is held captive in a nameless village and is monitored by a  large floating, all-knowing balloon—comes to mind.

What we are witnessing is the deployment of sailing marks which leave the Leschi Marina under command of CYC (Corinthian Yacht Club). Meaning they are directed by an app on a cell phone! These round, 5-foot x 3-foot inflatable race buoys move silently, sitting on two blue pontoons, powered by a battery-driven electric motor. They are equipped with the latest GPS navigational aids that allow them to be controlled by the committee boat which sets the courses for the sailing races. Using the buoys, race officials can assure the starting line is square to the wind. The Leschi J/24s are now required to have a display unit (for a cool $1000) that alerts officials if their boat is over the start line early (a tough call for the human eye when 19 boats vie for position at the exact same time). The MarkSetBot buoys, developed in the Midwest about 10 years ago and part of the Leschi scene for the last four or so years, are also used for windward and downwind marks in the races. They don’t drift or require handling or anchors so represent a more sustainable method than previous racing practices.

Unfortunately, the day we went to check them out, three of the four robotic wonders were out of service because over the previous weekend thieves had stolen their prized batteries. We saw the cut wires and the holes where the batteries should sit. The CYC official at the Leschi Marina who showed us the damage shook his head sadly. These batteries are useless for anything but what they are designed for. If you see anything resembling a small car battery in white casing, please contact CYC.

~Anne Depue