MAINE PUBLIC • August 22, 2023
Fishermen are being asked to watch out for two robotic sailboats that will be cruising in the Gulf of Maine starting next week. The wind and solar-powered boats, called Saildrone Voyagers, will operate at low speeds between a series of predetermined survey lines. Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the 33-foot unmanned boats, which are bright orange in color, will collect data needed to make high resolution maps of a 1,900 square mile stretch of seafloor in the Gulf of Maine. NOAA officials said the area is known to contain deep sea coral habitat, and it's also of interest to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management as a potential site for commercial offshore wind development.