Aids To Navigation (ATONs) : Along your way you may be able to find
several types of navigation aids to assist you in avoiding
dangers and shoals along with helping you to determine your
position.Navigation aids use color, shape and sound to assist in navigation.
When entering a harbor or going upstream in USA waters, red
marks should pass on the starboard side and green marks should pass on the port side. Remember:
Red Right Returning. Green marks have odd
numbers and red marks have even numbers.
The following navigation aids were found in "Hampton Roads,"
Virginia, USA.
( This information applies to the IALA-B, International Association of Lighthouse Authorities - Region B
Buoyage System, which is found in the
Eastern Pacific, Atlantic and Pacific Coasts of North and South America,
the Great Lakes, the Caribbean, Japan, Philippines and the Republic of
Korea. Most of the rest of the world follows the IALA-A
system (green right returning) which is found
in the remainder of the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean,
Atlantic Coasts of Africa and Europe, and the Mediterranean. )
Charts are for educational purposes only. They do not
contain
recent updates. Do not use for navigation !!!
Sounds:
Some buoys not only have lights but also sound to help you locate them.
Bells and gongs are sounds which are associated with
some buoys. All
sounds are mechanically produced by wave motion. The ringing of a
bell can be heard with minimal wave motion, gongs however require rough
seas to generate the signal. The buoy to the right is green buoy
#3. It has both a green light which flashes every 2.5 seconds and a bell which sounds as the waves
move the buoy (Fl G 2.5s BELL).
Red
daymarks are
triangular in shape and have even numbers. The numbers
are in order with the lowest numbers at the entrance of a channel or
harbor and the highest numbers located deep within Hampton harbor.
The daymark on the right is red daymark #2. This is a lighted
mark which flash a red light every 4 seconds (Fl R 4s 15ft 3M).
It is 15 feet tall and the light can be seen for three nautical
miles on a clear night. Note the radio tower just above the landmark
which can aid in localization of the mark while sailing and note the
rocks whose position is approximate (Rks PA).
View Chart - Red Arrow
#1 -- 270 KB
Green
daymark
have a square symbol and odd numbers. The green daymark to the
right is at the bend of a channel leading to Hampton harbor.
It has a quick flashing green light and is 15 feet tall (Q G 15ft
3M). The light can be seen 3 nautical miles on a clear
night. Note the two red daymarks "10" & "12" which mark the
opposite side of the channel. View Chart - Red Arrow
#2 -- 270 KB
Green
daymarks are
square shaped and have odd numbers. They should pass on the
port side of the boat as you enter the harbor. To the right is
green daymark #13. It is located at the entrance of
Hampton harbor. Note the two osprey
perched on the daymark. Opposite this daymark is a red daymark
"14" which marks the opposite side of the channel. View Chart - Red Arrow
#3 -- 270 KB
Preferred Channel
Daymark: This daymark is present at the junction of two
channels. The color on the top indicates the side of the main
or preferred channel. In the picture on the right, the
daymark should pass to your port side (green
on the top) to navigate in the preferred channel. This
daymark is lighted with a flashing green light. Two flashes
followed by one flash every six seconds. The daymark "SC" is
15 feet tall and can be seen 3 nautical miles on a clear night
(Fl (2+1) G 6s 15 ft 3M).
View Chart - Red Arrow
#PC -- 270 KB
Red
daymarks are
triangular in shape and have even numbers. They should
pass on the starboard side of the boat as you enter the harbor.
To the right is red daymark #18 located deep in Hampton Harbor. View Chart - Red Arrow
#4 -- 270 KB
The
Green Buoy
shown in the far right picture flashes a green light every 4 seconds
(Fl G 4s). This buoy marks the east side of the channel
leading from the sea south to Norfolk, VA. Past this buoy is the
Norfolk Naval Basewhile navigating these waters you must obey the
naval security zones .
The
red
buoy
shown in the far right picture flashes a red light every 2.5 seconds
(Fl R 2.5s). This buoy marks the west side of the
channel leading from the sea south to Norfolk, VA.
Intracoastal Waterway: The Intracoastal waterway which runs from New
Jersey to Texas along the coast, cannot be defined in terms of "returning
from sea." For navigation aid purposes it is assumed that "returning
from sea" is traveling the waterway in a clockwise fashion that is from
New Jersey to Texas. In this direction red marks would be to the
right (shoreward) and green to the left. There are exceptions when
the Waterway runs opposite to the "returning from sea" direction of a
channel. To avoid confusion all Intracoastal Waterway aids are
uniquely identified with a yellow triangle or square. The triangle
always marks the shoreward (normally red) side regardless of the color of
the mark on which it appears.
The daymark shown on the
right represents a mark serving as both a channel and an ICW
marker.
It should be kept to PORT for vessels following the channel inland from
the sea. However, it should be kept to STARBOARD for those vessels
following the ICW
from New Jersey to Texas
(and kept to PORT for those traveling the ICW from Texas to New Jersey).
