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How do you read red and green channel markers?

7 min read

Asked by: Carrie White

The memory aid of “red, right, returning” will help you interpret the channel marker correctly. Basically, red marker buoys should be on your right (starboard) as you return from open water. Conversely, green channel markers should be on your starboard side as you head out into open water.

How do you read preferred channel markers?

Firstly, remember what the top color means. If the top is green the preferred channel goes right. If the top is red the preferred channel goes left. Pretty easy.

What side of the red and green markers indicate?

When travelling upstream or away from the sea: keep port (red) marks on your port-hand side (left) keep starboard (green) marks on your starboard-hand side (right).

How do I remember my channel markers?


That is how you would navigate this channel all the way to the end of the bay there. Red right return is the most important rule to remember.

How do you read Australian channel markers?

Marks are used to show well established channels indicating the port (left) and starboard (right) hand side of channels.



Lights (white)

  1. 3 o’clock = East Cardinal = 3 flashes.
  2. 6 o’clock = South Cardinal = 6 flashes + 1 long.
  3. 9 o’clock = West Cardinal = 9 flashes.
  4. 12 o’clock = North Cardinal = continuous flashing.


What side of the green buoy do you pass?

A green can buoy means pass to the right, and a red nun buoy means pass to the left when moving upstream. A diamond shape with a “T” inside it on a buoy means “keep out.” Buoys with circles are control buoys, usually indicating speed limits.

What does a buoy with red and green bands mean?

Red and Green buoys and lights indicate primary channels. If the green horizontal band is on top, the primary channel is the right (starboard). If the red band is on the top, the primary channel is to the left (port) side. This marker indicates the primary channel is on the starboard.

What do green and red markers mean in boating?

The clarity of navigation and beacons



As most of you know there are two main coloured buoys and beacons Green (Starboard Side) and Red (Portside) these indicate the port and starboard sides of navigable waters or channels.

How do you read channel markers in the Intracoastal Waterway?

Intracoastal Waterway



The conventional direction for buoys is clockwise, meaning north to south along the East Coast, and south to north following the Intracoastal up the west side of Florida, west to east along the top of the Gulf of Mexico, and back north to south along the coast of Texas.

What does red and green mean in boating?

All Red and Green markers provide safety with lateral significance. That is, the red and green markers tell boaters to pass on one side or the other safely. Reading the markers and knowing WHICH side is paramount! Only red and green markers provide “sides to pass on” (lateral information).

How do you navigate red and green buoys?

Basically, red marker buoys should be on your right (starboard) as you return from open water. Conversely, green channel markers should be on your starboard side as you head out into open water. The red marker buoys also have a triangular shape.

How do you know if you are going upstream or downstream?

Downstream means towards where the flow ends, at the opposite end of the waterway from the source. If you are boating from Kingston to Toronto, for example, you are heading upstream. If you are going from Kingston to Cornwall, you are travelling downstream.

Is green a starboard?

The red light indicates a vessel’s port (left) side; the green indicates a vessel’s starboard (right) side.

How do I remember port and starboard?

So if we know port is red and left then starboard has to be right and green a good way to remember this is by using logical connections. What is poor. Most people think of port as red wine.

When in a narrow channel where should you navigate your boat?

When boating in rivers, and approaching a blind turn or a narrow channel, always keep as far to the starboard (right) side of waterway as is safe. Power-driven craft and sailboats less than 20 m in length must give way to less manoeuvrable crafts while navigating on a river.

Why is port left and starboard right?

Since port and starboard never change, they are unambiguous references that are independent of a mariner’s orientation, and, thus, mariners use these nautical terms instead of left and right to avoid confusion.

Why is the toilet called the head?

Since the wind was blowing from the rear to the front, the “head” (or front) of the ship was the best place for sailors to relieve themselves. So, when the shipmates went to the toilet, they went to the head.

Why is it called the stern?

Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section of the ship, but eventually came to refer to the entire back of a vessel. The stern end of a ship is indicated with a white navigation light at night.

Do pilots use port and starboard?

Yes. They use left/right. Port/starboard is useful when you have a crew of people running around doing jobs aboard a three-dimensional ship. Pilots are never more than two people sitting in fixed seats facing forwards.

Do ships always dock on port side?

Ships can dock on either port or starboard side, depending on the layout of the port itself, the direction you are sailing in, and individual government regulations about how cruise ships can be arranged on a pier. It’s also often at the discretion of the captain to choose how to position the ship in port.

What do you call left and right on a plane?

port. noun. the side of a ship or plane that is on your left when you are looking forwards. The part that is on your right is starboard.

Why do we have to raise airplane window blinds before landing?

While there are plenty of other intuitive reasons a flight attendant might encourage passengers to raise or lower shades (to help people stay awake or stay asleep, or to appreciate a cool view of the Alps, perhaps), they ask for them to be open during taxi, takeoff, and landing because of safety.

Why do you open windows during takeoff?

Therefore, airlines require passengers to open their window shades during takeoffs and landings to allow for eyesight adjustment. It acclimates passengers’ eyes to the outside environment so that they can exit the airplane if an emergency occurs.

Why lights are dimmed during takeoff?

Airlines are today required to turn off plane lights during takeoff and landing. The reason this is done is because of the time it takes for our eyes to adjust to the dark. It can take our eyes between 10 to 30 minutes to adjust to darkness.

Can pilots open windows while flying?

Opening the window



When the aircraft is not pressurized, either on the ground or if depressurized during the flight (intentionally or due to accident), then they can be opened. On most modern aircraft, the opening procedure is the same.

Can pilots smoke in the cockpit?

Pilots can and sometimes do smoke in the cockpits of business jets. These can be as large as airliners (see BBJ), but usually aren’t. Even when a country and/or airline ban smoking in the flight deck, some pilots will ignore the ban and still light up.

What happens if you open the emergency exit on a plane?

An open door would create a catastrophic “explosive decompression”. Explosive decompression, while rare, has occurred. One such instance happened in 1988 when a section of the airplane’s roof burst open.