T&T: IALA Buoys Region A & B

[Peter Bennett]

The Canadian Aids to Navigation booklet says that the lateral bouyage
system is laid out relative to the "upstream" direction, and describes
"upstream" as proceeding from seaward toward the headwaters of a
river, into a harbour, or with the flood tide. Then it says that in
general, "upstream" is southerly along the east coast, northerly along
the west coast, and eastwards in the Arctic - I describe that as
"clockwise around North America".

Here in the PNW, "upstream" will be southwards in Puget Sound, as that
is clearly into a harbour, but northwards between Vancouver Island an
the mainland, although the flood tide flows southward in the northern
portion of that area.  They wouldn't want to change the "upstream"
direction in the middle of Georgia Strait.

Saturday, January 5, 2008, 9:50:00 AM, Jonathan wrote:

JDT> At 12:11 PM 1/5/2008, Mike Maurice wrote:
>>. . .  there does not appear to be any requirement in the IALA
>>specs as to the manner of numbering buoys and Lateral Marks. In the US
>>red buoys are numbered with even numbers and green with odd.

JDT> This leads to another question that I have never had fully 
JDT> resolved.  In US waters we are generally taught to adhere to the 
JDT> "three R" rule -- Red, RIght, Returning.  However this does not help 
JDT> for thorofares and other passages between bodies of water where 
JDT> neither side is more "shoreward" than the other (quite common here in 
JDT> Maine).  Early on in my boating education it was helpfully pointed 
JDT> out to me that a small tweak to the 3R rule almost always helped - 
JDT> "Red, Right, Rising".  I.e., you're usually good in thorofares if 
JDT> when the buoy numbers are rising you keep the red on the right (and 
JDT> conversely, when the numbers are decreasing, you keep the red on the 
JDT> left).  I have however found a small number of exceptions (notably in 
JDT> the Canadian Maritimes).  My question for the collective wisdom is 
JDT> whether the "red, right, rising" is in fact a systematized convention 
JDT> or if it is merely ad hoc?  If a convention, how often can exceptions 
JDT> (errors?) be expected?  In general it has served me very well, but as 
JDT> with all things boating I always approach it with lots of caution.

JDT> Jon Taft


-- 
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI    Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Ennos 31 "Honeycomb"
GPS and NMEA info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter 
Vancouver Power Squadron: http://vancouver.powersquadron.ca