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Characteristics of Aids To Navigation
Characteristics
The characteristics of ATONs include such things as color, light
rhythms, cycle, number, and sound signal. In the pages that follow,
we’ll discuss these characteristics as they apply to the buoyage system
used in the United States.
Solid Colors
During daylight hours, the color of an aid to navigation tells you which
side of a channel the aid marks, regardless of whether the aid is a buoy,
light, or daybeacon. At night, the color of a lighted aid serves the same
purpose. Only ATONs with green or red lights have lateral significance.
When proceeding in the conventional direction of buoyage in IALA
region B, you may see the following ATONs:
Green buoys (and lights and daybeacons with square-shaped green
daymarks) mark the port side of a channel when returning from seaward.
Green buoys will only have green lights.
Red buoys (and lights and daybeacons with triangular-shaped red
daymarks) mark the starboard side of a channel when returning from
seaward. This is the "red right returning" rule you may have heard of.
Red buoys will only have red lights.
Striped Buoys
Green and red (or red and green) horizontally striped buoys
(daymarks for daybeacons and lights) are called preferred-channel
marks. These aids are used to mark junctions (the point where a
channel divides when proceeding seaward) or bifurcations (the point
where the channel divides when proceeding from seaward). They may
also be used to mark wrecks or obstructions that may be passed on
either side. Here is how they are used in our buoyage system:
If the topmost band is green, keep the buoy to port to follow the
preferred channel.
If the aid is a light or daybeacon and the topmost band is green, the
daymarks will be square-shaped and the light color will be green
regardless of the type.
If the topmost band is red, keep the buoy to starboard to follow the
preferred channel.
If the aid is a light or daybeacon and the topmost band is red, the
daymarks will be triangular-shaped and the light color will be red
regardless of the type.
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