In 1977 the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities – IALA – adopted two systems of buoyage across the world. These are referred to as “Region A” and “Region B”. With the exception of the Americas and parts of Asia, the system used by the rest of the world is “Region A”. In England and Wales, buoyage is provided by Trinity House and conform to “Region A”. In Scotland and the Isle of Man the buoys are maintained by the Northern Lighthouse Board. Buoys can be distinguished by:
The marking system has been devised that a buoy may be identified if the light is not working or the top mark is missing.
Lateral Marks
Lateral marks can best be described as those buoys that tell you where you should and should not be! They mark the navigable part of the channel and are divided into Port and Starboard marks. Port marks are red in colour and shaped like a can, while starboard marks are green and conical in shape. In Europe, the position of each buoy is such that on exiting a harbour or channel the red marks or Port marks will be kept on your right hand side, while on entering a harbour or buoyed channel the green or Starboard mark will be kept to your right. A simple way of remembering the direction is “POSH” Port Out, Starboard Home.
The direction of buoyage is marked by an arrow on a chart
Port Lateral Mark
Flashes red at night
Starboard Lateral Mark
Flashes green at night
Cardinal Marks
Cardinal marks get their name from the cardinal points of the compass – North, South, East and West. They indicate where the safe water is and are used in conjunction with a compass. On seeing a North cardinal, the vessel should look to keep to the north, a south cardinal to the south and so on.
Cardinal marks are distinctive in that they are black and yellow in colour with two black cones. At night, a white light flashes in sequence and can either be quick (Q) or very quick (VQ)
North Cardinal – pass to the north
Continuous flashing. Q or VQ
East Cardinal – pass to the East
3 flashes every 5 or 10 seconds. VQ or Q
South Cardinal – pass to the South
6 plus 1 long every 10 or 15 seconds. VQ or Q
West Cardinal – pass to the west
9 flashes every 10 or 15 seconds. VQ or Q
Isolated Danger Mark
The isolated danger mark is used when there is clear water all round the object of concern but the danger lurks directly below the buoy or pile. The day mark is identified as two black balls and the overall colour is black and red. An easy way to remember the mark is that Dennis the Menace’s T-shirt is black and red!
Two white flashes
The Fairway or Safe Water Mark
This mark usually denotes the start of a buoyed channel, while there is safe water all round, be on the look out for the start of a buoyed channel with port and starboard lateral marks.
White occulting, isophase,LFl 10s
or Morse “A”
Special Mark
While of no navigational significance, special marks are used widely to denote such things as bathing areas, marking outfall pipes and race turning marks. They are solid yellow in colour, although orange marks may be also found, particularly in the Solent.
Flashing yellow
Emergency Wreck Buoy
The Emergency Wreck Buoy is a new addition to the buoyage system and is used, as it’s name implies, to mark the site of a wreck. It is positioned as close to the wreck as possible and will remain in position until:
The main characteristics of the bouy are:
Alternating blue and yellow flashing lights