Meet the American beacon stranded on a beach in Ars-en-Ré
On February 17, 2014, a six/seven-ton red marine beacon flanked by the number 10 was spotted floating near Jars beach. A few days earlier, it had already made news by sailing along the northeast coast of the Ile d'Oléron.
This beacon is not French, but comes directly from the United States! At least 6,000 km separate it from its homeland, and it took between six and eight months to reach Ré.
To identify her as an American, we had to look at the details: her lantern at the top read "US Coast Guard, District 5". As you'd expect, the US Coast Guard is the US coastal surveillance service. As for "District 5", we know that it encompasses the states of New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and North Carolina.
Finally, despite letters sent to the US embassy immediately after her arrival, she has still not been claimed.
And unlike the French standard, this is not a port buoy that is red, and green if it had been starboard. This is a starboard buoy, because the colors are reversed on the other side of the Atlantic.
And last but not least, you won't want to miss the graffiti applied to it by a mysterious stranger. For today, Captain Haddock watches over this special heritage from elsewhere.
This beacon is not French, but comes directly from the United States! At least 6,000 km separate it from its homeland, and it took between six and eight months to reach Ré.
To identify her as an American, we had to look at the details: her lantern at the top read "US Coast Guard, District 5". As you'd expect, the US Coast Guard is the US coastal surveillance service. As for "District 5", we know that it encompasses the states of New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and North Carolina.
Finally, despite letters sent to the US embassy immediately after her arrival, she has still not been claimed.
And unlike the French standard, this is not a port buoy that is red, and green if it had been starboard. This is a starboard buoy, because the colors are reversed on the other side of the Atlantic.
And last but not least, you won't want to miss the graffiti applied to it by a mysterious stranger. For today, Captain Haddock watches over this special heritage from elsewhere.
