Navigation Question

[Cuchulainn]

This is something and should know, and was probably taught by the late Dave Bowen, but have forgotten.

I entered the Sound of Islay from the East on Sunday and came across the first Green midchannel marker buoy. Now I know where the hazards are and was in no danger but it got the kids talking.

From which direction do you obey a Starboard marker buoy. Do I keep it on my starboard going up the sound (north) or do I keep in on my starboard travellling down the sound (south)

Is there a simple rule

[Paul Glatzel]

Hi

Keep the red port marks to your left (port) as you enter a harbour. Correspondingly therefore keep them to your right (starboard) when exiting. What is into or out of a harbour is not always obvious so it would be worth having a chart to hand to tell you the "direction of buoyage"

Paul

[Cuchulainn]

Thanks Paul. I am aware of the Red/Green Port/Starboard issues but entering the Sound of Islay from the East the Port marker is not clearly visible and is quite a bit further up the channel.

I was enquiring as to whether there is a general rule on the direction of buoyage ie a North/South rule.

It was just something that crossed my mind if I had been in a location in which I wasnt familiar. I highlighted the bouy on the chartplotter but it gave no info.

Thanks anyway for your assistance

[Jimbob]

To add

Look on a paper chart, this will show you all you need, e.g where they are, what colour, direction and hazards

[jwalker]

I'm sure Paul will correct me if I'm wrong but I have a recollection that, in general, the buoyage is up the west coast and down the east. However, I can think of south facing U channels where you can enter from a southerly direction into either end and you do, therefore, need a chart.

[Simon Hawkins]

Interesting posts. The direction of bouyage will always be in the direction of a flood tide, ie green starboard buoy to your right and red port buoy to your left when entering a river.

Hope this helps

[geoff]

I was just about to post when Simon Hawkins beat me to it. Spot on answer. Admiralty Charts show a large arrow with two small circles either side marking the direction of buoyage.

[Jimbob]

Very interesting about the flood, i dont have the chart in front of me, but there is a green and red near selsey (hounds is it?). Or in English come out of Chicester and turn left.

Does that follow the flood rule, becuase the direction is towards Brighton,,,without the chart i'm struggling , but it often makes me think that set.

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by Simon Hawkins

...The direction of bouyage will always be in the direction of a flood tide,..

That can't always be true, surely, because there are areas which flood from both ends. Is there a rule to cover this situation, eg. the first end to start the flood?

[geoff]

A good example of a stretch of water that floods from both ends is the Solent. In the West Solent the flood tide heads east and in the East Solent it heads west. So when you are in the West Solent the starboard buoys should be to your south and when you are in the East Solent the starboard buoys are to the north.
And when you are in the middle make sure you have checked the chart carefully before making assumptions about port and starboard marks...

[Jimbob]

Geoff, what about the two i am on about, i know what you are saying and agree about the solent and where they meet, but not sure that rule applys to those two. I will have to check the chart tonight when i get home.

Interesting tread this one

[Jimbob]

so the two i was on about were street (port) and boulder (green), near the looe (selsey bill). i suppose this is borderline, e.g i would have expected it to be flooding into the solent, however the direction on the chart is towards brighton

[Ribald]

Jombob, I think you will find that those two bouys are classed as being in the main English Channel and therefore conform to the tide flooding towards the Dover Straits from the west.

[Pete7]

There is another on the Caledonian Canal, Loch Oich or Loch Lochy were you exit from a lock going SW and meet a change in channel markers. Really confusing as there is only a red Port post and no green Starboard marker we took a guess went to Port and crawled round the post watching the echo sounder.

Pete

[jwalker]

Funny you should say that, Pete, I was looking there earlier. On the Caly canal it appears to be south to north.

[jwalker]

I go with the flood tide thing. There are a few anomalies but it mostly seems to be the case.

[geoff]

I found the perfect example. Round the back of the Isle of Sheppy the tide floods from both ends so the channel markers switch in the middle. Notice the green marker top left and the red markers bottom right.

[Jimbob]

Ribald

If thats the case with those two, then i'm with the flood thing, always like to test these things than assume

[ashbypower]

Hi All,

[ashbypower]

Hi All,
Been watching this thread with intrest.
http://www.sailtrain.co.uk/Buoyage/lateral_marks.htm gives a good expanation of the IALA Bouyage around the world.

Brian