More on the Spill

It seems most boaters stayed off the water this weekend — some by choice, some because their marinas were boomed off — which undoubtedly helped oil recovery efforts. When boats pass through patches of coagulated bunker oil, they break up the more easily recovered big tarballs into millions of tiny tarballs, making full recovery nearly impossible. The Coast Guard’s latest report claims 12,271 of the 58,000 gallons of spilled gunk have been collected and more than 4,000 gallons have evaporated.

Meanwhile, the feds have stepped in. This weekend, the National Transportation Safety Board took over the investigation of the Cosco Busan‘s impact with the Bay Bridge and resulting oil spill, and are considering criminal charges. Very little information has been made public but click this link to watch the AIS track of the ship when it hit the bridge.

Though we still can’t recommend taking your boat out, park officials have reopened Angel Island to the public, including the docks and mooring buoys (the beaches are still closed). For a full list of beach closures, go to http://www.uscgsanfrancisco.com/go/doc/823/182034/.