2016 OWNERS MANUAL / 049
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 encoun-
ter will have an arrangement of shapes, colors, numbers and lights
to show which side of the buoy a boater should pass when navigat-
ing 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.
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