2023 OWNER’S MANUAL
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44
READING BUOYS AND
OTHER MARKERS
The waters of the United States are marked for safe navigation
by the lateral system of buoyage. The markers and buoys you
encounter will have an arrangement of shapes, colors, numbers
and lights to show which side of the buoy a boater should pass
when navigating in a particular direction.
The Uniform State Waterway Marker System has been devised for
these waters. This system uses buoys and signs with distinctive
shapes and colors to show regulatory or advisory information.
The markings on these buoys are oriented from the perspective of
being entered from a seaward direction while the boater is going
toward the port. Red buoys are passed on the starboard (right)
side when proceeding from open water into port, and green buoys
are passed on the port (left) side. When navigating out of port,
your position to the buoys should be reversed: red buoys to port
(left) and green buoys to starboard (right).
Uniform State Waterway Marker System
Green or Black Channel Marker Buoy: Traveling upstream, you
should pass to the right of the buoy as it marks the left side of
the channel.
Red Channel Marker Buoy: Traveling upstream, you should pass to
the left of this buoy as it marks the right side of the channel.
Junction Buoy (Green over Red): Means two channels are coming
together and you should pass to the right of the buoy as you travel
upstream.
Junction Buoy (Red over Green): Means two channels are coming
together and you should pass to the left of the buoy as you travel
upstream.
Passing Daymark (Green): A sign mounted on poles in the water
or on the bank which is used in the same manner as a channel
marker buoy. In this case it marks the left side of the channel as
you travel upstream.
Passing Daymark (Red): A sign mounted on poles in the water
or on the bank which is used in the same manner as a channel
marker buoy. In this case it marks the right side of the channel as
you travel upstream.
Channel Crossing Daymark (Green): A sign mounted on poles in
the water or on the bank which means the channel is crossing from
the left bank to the right bank as you travel upstream.
Channel Crossing Daymark (Red): A sign mounted on poles in the
water or on the bank which means the channel is crossing from the
right bank to the left bank as you travel upstream.
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