Buoys & marks

Red right returning

In IALA region B — the Americas, and most of the Pacific — keep the red marks to starboard when you're returning from sea. Green to port. That one phrase has saved more boats than any instrument.

red     starboard side · returning
green   port side · returning
can     green, cylindrical
nun     red, conical

The marks that guard the bar

Channel marks lead you through, but the lateral marks at a river mouth shift with every storm. Recheck them against the latest survey before you commit the keel.

When the light blinks

Every buoy has a light character — quick, occulting, isophase — and the character is printed on the chart. Count the flash, match the chart, and you know exactly which mark you're passing.