Have you ever been boating and wondered what a green can shaped buoy mark means? This guide will give you all the information you need on how to react to these buoy markers.
So, if you are looking to get all the correct information for when you are boating, this guide will ensure you know how to correctly react to these green can shaped buoy markers!
Knowing this information is important to boating correctly and efficiently, so keep reading to get all the correct information to ensure you do not make any dangerous mistakes!
For the quick answer, it is actually true that all can shaped buoys will usually be green, and on top of this, they will nearly always have odd numbers on them.
These green can shaped buoy markers will be utilized for marking the edge of the channel on your port side, or on your left side, this is if you are entering from the open sea, or alternatively heading upstream.
These are useful for knowing where you are going and for navigation. The odd numbers on the side will increase as you are returning to the right direction upstream or away from open sea. Knowing how to utilize these buoys is useful to ensure you are going the right way!
However, this is only one element of using buoys and navigation markers when you are boating, and because of this there is actually a lot more to learn which you should try and memorize.
So, if you want to make sure that you know everything you need to when boating when it comes to buoys and navigation markers, then you want to make sure you learn all of the content in this guide to ensure that you do not make any dangerous mistakes!
More Information On Navigation Markers And Buoys
If you want an easy way to remember what green buoys are for, you can actually do this quite easily by remembering the opposite.
As established previously, green buoys are used to mark out what should be on your left if you are heading upstream or leaving open water. But, as you can imagine, there are other types of buoys that are on your right to mark out the same thing.
On your right there should be red buoys, and instead of having odd numbers, these will instead have even numbers. This means there should be buoys on either side. Because of this, some people have a simple mnemonic to help remember what these different buoys mean.
This is simply ‘red, right, returning’ this is referring to the red color of the buoy, that it will be on your right, and this is the case if you are returning from open water.
This means that the opposite of this is true, that if you have the green markers on your left, then you are also returning, so keep this in mind when you are sailing!
Using methods like this, it is a lot easier to remember how to use lateral buoys like these. It is also worth noting that these red buoys will not have the same distinct can shape that the green ones do.
Instead, these will be cone shaped at the top. They will still have markings in a similar position, but this different shape helps it stand out as well. While the green buoys are often referred to as can buoys, these red buoys are called nun buoys.
The buoys we just went over in the previous section are often referred to as lateral buoys as a label, and this means that they help you when it comes to navigating in specific conditions like the ones we described when going over the previous section.
However, while knowing what these different markers mean is important, there are other markers which you should know when you are boating.
If you know the meanings of different buoys, you will be able to more easily navigate the waters and know what you are doing and avoid mistakes.
When looking for other types of buoys and navigation markers which you should know the meaning of, there are also safe water markers.
You can recognize safe water markers because they are white and they will have red vertical; stripes on them. These markers are used to indicate that there is safe and open water on either side of it.
You can also find these safe water markers being used to mark the center of a channel that is navigable. When you see one of these you can pass on the port or the starboard side and they can sometimes be spotted having a white light as well.
The final type of buoy we are going to cover in the guide are inland water obstruction markers. These are markers which are used to make you aware of any hazards in the water, and because of this, you should not pass between them and the nearest shore.
You will find them being fitted with lights, and these lights will flash in a certain way to let you know what the best side to pass them by is.
For example, if they flash 3 times, you should pass to the east, if they flash 6 times ending with a long flash, then south, 9 times indicate you should pass by west, and if it is continually flashing, then pass by the marker north!
Summary
Hopefully this guide has given you all the information you needed on how to navigate around green can shaped buoy markers.
Knowing that these green can shaped buoys represent that if they are on your left or port side, that you are returning from open water, or instead heading upstream, then you should be able to navigate better.
You should also know the opposite as well being the red cone shaped buoys that will be on your right when you are returning. The red buoys will have increasing even numbers, while the green will have odd numbers!
