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BuoysAidstoNavigation Menu

Home(http://gosailing.info/)
LateralAidstoNavigation ASA101&103StudyGuide
(http://gosailing.info/asa101
Aidstonavigationconsistofastandardizedsystemoflightstations,buoys,anddaybeaconstoassistvesselsin
determiningtheirpositionorcourse,markchannels,toalertavesselofdangersorhazards,andtoindicatethe 103studyguide/)
preferredroutewherechannelsintersect. ASA106StudyGuide

ChannelBuoysPortandStarboardareRedandGreenlightsorbuoysmarkthesidesofchannels.Itis (http://gosailing.info/asa106
importanttoknowwhetheryouaregoingupstream,intooroutofharborandwhichwaythetidecomesin(flood). studyguide/)
ThiswilldetermineonwhichsideyoushouldpassRedorGreenchannelmarkers.
Anchoring
Whenenteringaharbororbay,proceedinginthesamedirectionasthetidalfloodorgoingupstream,redchannels (http://gosailing.info/anchoring/)
markersaretobepassedonyourstarboardside(redrightreturning).greenchannelmarkersaretobepassedon
BooksonSailing
yourportside.
(http://gosailing.info/bookson
Ifleavingaharbororbay,proceedingagainstthedirectionofthetidalfloodorgoingdownstream,Greenchannel
markersaretobepassedonyourstarboardside.Redchannelmarkersaretobepassedonyourportside.
sailing/)
BuoysAidstoNavigation
Asidefromcolor,theshape,numberandappearanceofabuoyisveryimportantinidentifyingthetypeofbuoy.All
greenlightsorbuoysarenumberedwithanoddnumberandallredlightsorbuoysarenumberedwithaneven (http://gosailing.info/buoysaids
number. tonavigation/)

CharteringaSailboat
(http://gosailing.info/chartering
asailboat/)
CollisionRegulations
COLREGS
(http://gosailing.info/collision
regulationscolregs/)
CrewOverboardRecovery
(COB)
(http://gosailing.info/crew
(http://gosailing.info/wpcontent/uploads/2015/06/Nav
Lights2.jpg) overboardrecoverycob/)
PortandStarboardLateralAids CYALearntoCruise
Standards
Theshapeofabuoycanbecylindrical(calledacanbecauseofitsshape),conical(cone),sparandpillar.
(http://gosailing.info/cyalearn

tocruisestandards/)
CYACoastalNavigation
Standards
(http://gosailing.info/cyacoastal
navigationstandards/)
CYA/ASASailingInstructor
(http://gosailing.info/cyaasa
(http://gosailing.info/wpcontent/uploads/2015/06/Nav
sailinginstructor/)
Lights12.jpg)
PortandStarboardBuoyShapes GlossarySailingTerms
(http://gosailing.info/glossary

sailingterms/)
Greenlightsorbuoyswillhaveaflattopcan,sparortopmark.Redlightsorbuoyswillhaveapointedtop GybeaSailboat
cone,sparortopmark.
(http://gosailing.info/howto
 gybeasailboat/)
BifurcationBuoyscanbefoundwhereonechannelbranchesoffintotwochannelsorwhereonechannelmeets HeavingTo
another.Thebifurcationbuoymarksthepreferredchannel(typicallydeeperandwider). (http://gosailing.info/heavingto/)
HeavyWeatherSailing
(http://gosailing.info/heavy
weathersailing2/)
Knots
(http://gosailing.info/knots
sailing/)
MooringtoaDock

BifurcationBuoys (http://gosailing.info/mooring/)
NavigationLightsCOLREGS
Allbifurcationbuoyswillshowmarkingsofeithergreenoverredorredovergreen.Thetopcoloristhedominant (http://gosailing.info/navigation
color.
lightscolregs/)
Aredovergreenbifurcationbuoyindicatesthatthepreferredchannelcanbetakenbyleavingthebifurcationbuoy
PartsofaSailboat
tothestarboardsideofyourboat.Tokeepthebuoytothestarboardsideoftheboat,youmusttakethechannelto
theleft(port). (http://gosailing.info/partsofa
sailboat/)
Agreenoverredbifurcationbuoyindicatesthatthepreferredchannelcanbetakenbyleavingthebuoytotheport
sideoftheboat.Tokeepthebuoytotheportsideoftheboat,youtakethechanneltotheright(starboard). PointsofSail

(http://gosailing.info/pointsof
sail/)
IsolatedDangerBuoysmarkareasofisolateddanger.Steerwellclearofisolateddangerbuoysandalways
consultyourchart(preferablyinadvance)todeterminethenatureoftheisolateddanger,itsdepthanddimensions. RelativeBearings
(http://gosailing.info/relative
Isolateddangerbuoysarecharacterizedbyflashingwhitelights(iflighted)andblack,red,black(BRB)horizontal
lines.Thetopmarkonanisolateddangerbuoyconsistoftwoballsordiscs,oneovertheother. bearings/)
SailboatClassifiedAds

(http://gosailing.info/sailboat
classifiedads/)
SailingLessons&Courses
(http://gosailing.info/sailing
lessonscourses/)
TackingaSailboat
(http://gosailing.info/tackinga
sailboat/)
TellTailsSailTrimming
(http://gosailing.info/telltails
(http://gosailing.info/wpcontent/uploads/2015/06/Nav sailtrimming/)
5.jpg)
TideandCurrent
IsolatedDangerBuoy
(http://gosailing.info/tideand
current/)

SafewaterorMidChannelBuoysindicatethatthereissafewaterinalldirectionsaroundthebuoy.Theyare VHFRadioMarine
typicallyusedtomarktheentrancetochannelsorthecenterlineofchannels. (http://gosailing.info/vhfradio

Fairwaybuoys,whenmarkingthecenterlineofchannels,shouldalwaysbekepttoport. marine/)
SiteMap
FairwayBuoysareidentifiedbytheirredandwhite(RW)verticallines.Thetopmarkconsistsofonesingleballor
disc.Iflighted,thelightwillbeawhitelightflashingeithertheletterAinMorseCodeorasingleflashingspaced (http://gosailing.info/sitemap/)
10secondsapart. NauticalJewelry
(http://gosailing.info/nautical
jewelry/)
CrystalynsGradDirections
(http://gosailing.info/crystalyns
graddirections/)

(http://gosailing.info/wpcontent/uploads/2015/06/Nav
6.jpg)
SafeWater/MidChannelBuoy

SpecialBuoysincludecautionary,anchorage,mooring,scientific,swimmingandgeneralinformation.Special
buoysvaryincolor,sizeandshape.

ACautionaryBuoyisyellowandisusedtomarkareasofdangersuchasfiring
ranges,underwaterpipelines,exposedcables,racecourses,seaplanebasesorareas
wherenothroughchannelexists.

Alwayscheckyourcharttodeterminetheparticularusageofayellowcautionarybuoy
andthenatureofthedangerbeingmarked.

CautionaryBuoy

MooringBuoysarewhitewithanorangetopandareusedforsecuringvessels.Never
passbetweenaboatandthemooringitissecuredto.

MooringBuoy

AnchorageBuoysareyellowandareclearlyidentifiedby
theshapeofananchorontheside.Anchoragebuoysmark
theoutsideperimeterofdesignatedanchorageareas.

(http://gosailing.info/wp
content/uploads/2015/06/Nav

9.jpg)
RegulatoryBuoysarewhitewithorangemarkingsandare AnchorageBuoy
usedtoidentifyexclusionareas(keepout),speedlimitsor
boatwashrestrictionsandgeneralinformation(nameofarea
ormarina,markerforcampsites,etc.).

(http://gosailing.info/wpcontent/uploads/2015/06/Nav10.jpg)
RegulatoryBuoys

CardinalBuoysindicatethelocationofahazardandthedirectionofsafestordeepestwaterinrelationtothe
namedcardinalbuoyusingthefourcardinalpointsofthecompass(North,South,East,West).Accordingly,aNorth
cardinalbuoyindicatesthatthesafestwaterliestotheNorthofthebuoy.Itisalwaysimportanttokeepacardinal
buoybetweenyourselfandtheareaofdanger.

 (http://gosailing.info/wpcontent/uploads/2015/06/Cardinalbuoy
1.jpg)
CardinalBuoys

Cardinalbuoysareidentifiedbytheiryellowandblackhorizontalbandsandconicaltopmarks.Eachbuoyis
markeddifferentlytodistinguishitfromtheothers.

Northcardinalbuoyshaveblackoveryellowwithbothtopmarkspointingup.Southcardinalbuoyshaveyellow
overblackwithbothtopmarkspointingdown.Eastcardinalbuoyshaveblackoveryellow,overblackwiththe
topmarkspointingawayfromeachother.Westcardinalbuoyshaveyellowoverblack,overyellowwiththe
topmarkspointingtowardseachother.

(http://gosailing.info/wp (http://gosailing.info/wp
content/uploads/2015/06/CardinalbuoyS.jpg) content/uploads/2015/06/CardinalbuoyN.jpg)
SouthCardinalBuoy NorthCardinalBuoy

(http://gosailing.info/wp (http://gosailing.info/wp
content/uploads/2015/06/CardinalbuoyE.jpg) content/uploads/2015/06/CardinalbuoyW.jpg)
EastCardinalBuoy WestCardinalBuoy