Lighting the way in

Keeping the marine lights around the Virgin Islands up and running is a year-round job for Ports Authority marine technician Derick Barzey and divers Glenn George, Darryl Frett, and Elliston George.

 

The crew spends its working hours hauling dozens of channel markers in and out of the waters for maintenance, ensuring that they’re fit to guide travellers safely through the territory’s harbours.

When this reporter joined the workers in their boat Raven, the jobs of the day were to reattach a Road Harbour marker that had received maintenance at the Ports Authority facilities, as well as replace a 10-foot segment of chain connecting a channel marker to the harbour floor 35 feet below.

The first task was reinstalling the freshly painted and scrubbed marker, switching it out with the temporary buoy that was floating in its place. To do this, the three divers suited up and took to the water.

See the July 17, 2014 edition for full coverage.

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