Cardinal Marks
North Cardinal
White Light, Very Quick Flashing or Quick Flashing, Continuous, Pass to the North side of this buoy.
East Cardinal
White light, Very Quick or Quick Flashing 3 every 5 or 10 seconds, Pass to the East side of this buoy.
South Cardinal
White light, Very Quick or Quick 6 flashes plus a long flash every 10 or 15 seconds, Pass to the South side of this Buoy.
West Cardinal
White light, Very Quick or Quick 9 Flashes every 10 or 15 seconds, Pass to the West side of this buoy.
A cardinal mark is used in conjunction with the compass to indicate the best navigable water. It is placed in one of four quadrants (north, east, south, or
west) from the best water. A cardinal mark takes its name from the compass point in which it is placed.
The mariner is safe if he/she passes north of a north mark, east of a east mark, south of a south mark, and west of a west mark. A cardinal mark may be used to do the following:
1. Indicate that the deepest water is an area on the named side of the mark.
2. Indicate the safe side on which to pass a danger.
3. Draw attention to a feature in a channel, such as a bend, junction, branch, or end of a shoal.
Topmarks
By day, topmarks are the most important features of cardinal marks. The arrangement of the cones must be memorized. For north, the points of the cones is up; and for south, the points of the cones is down. An aid to help you memorize the west topmark is that it resembles a wineglass. Cardinal marks carry topmarks, whenever practical, with cones as large as possible and clearly separated.
Color
Black and yellow horizontal bands are used to color cardinal marks. The position of the black band, or bands, is related to the point of the black topmarks.The black and yellow horizontal bands are used as follows:
1. North—Black bands above yellow bands
2. South—Black bands below yellow bands
3. West—Black band with yellow bands above and below
4. East—Black bands above and below yellow band
The shape of a cardinal mark is not important; but in the case of a buoy, it will be pillar or spar.
Light Characteristics
1. North—Very quick flashing (VQ) or quick flashing (Q)
2. East—Very quick flashing every 5 seconds (VQ (3) 5s) or quick flashing every 10 seconds (Q (3) 10s)
3. South—Very quick flashes followed by a long flash every 10 seconds (VQ FL (6) + LFl 10s) or quick flashing followed by a long flash every 15 seconds
(Q (6) + LFl 15s)
4. West—Very quick flashing light every 10 seconds (VQ (9) 10s) or quick flashing every 15 seconds (Q (9) 15s)
As a memory aid, associate the number of flashes in each group with a clock face (3 o'clock, east; 6 o'clock, south; and 9 o'clock, west). The long flash immediately following the group of flashes from a south cardinal mark is to ensure that its six flashes cannot be mistaken for three or nine.
Quick flashing lights flash at a rate of either 50 or 60 flashes per minute. Very quick flashing lights flash at a rate of either 100 or 120 flashes per minute. It is necessary to have a choice of quick or very quick flashing light to avoid confusion. Two north buoys that are placed near enough to each other to be
mistaken is one example where the quick flashing or very quick flashing lights would be needed.
Lateral Mark
Region A.
Region A is used in Europe, Africa, and most of Asia, including Australia and New Zealand. The major rule to remember when using region A is that the lateral mark will be red buoys to port and green buoys to starboard when entering from seaward.
Port Hand Lateral Mark
Red Light, Any Rhythm except 2 +1, Going with direction of Buoyage, alter to starboard and take the buoy down your port side.
Starboard Hand Lateral Mark
Green Light, Any Rhythm except 2 + 1, Going with direction of Buoyage, alter to port and take the buoy down your starboard side.
Port Hand Lateral Mark Preferred channel to Starboard
Red Light, Flashing 2 +1, Going with direction of Buoyage, alter to starboard and take the buoy down your port side, you can go up the wrong side of the buoy if you have a shallow drafted vessel and have local knowledge of the area.
Preferred channel to Port Starboard Hand Lateral Mark
Green Light, Flashing 2 + 1, Going with direction of Buoyage, alter to port and take the buoy down your starboard side, you can go up the wrong side of the buoy if you have a shallow drafted vessel and have local knowledge of the area.
Region B
Region B is used in North, Central, and South America, plus Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. The rule to remember when using region B is the exact opposite from using region A: Lateral marks will be red to starboard and green to port when entering from seaward.
Port Hand Lateral Mark
Green Light, Any Rhythm except 2 +1, Going with direction of Buoyage, alter to starboard and take the buoy down your port side.
Starboard Hand Lateral Mark
Red Light, Any Rhythm except 2 + 1, Going with direction of Buoyage, alter to port and take the buoy down your starboard side.
Port Hand Lateral Mark Preferred channel to Starboard
Green Light, Flashing 2 +1, Going with direction of Buoyage, alter to starboard and take the buoy down your port side, you can go up the wrong side of the buoy if you have a shallow drafted vessel and have local knowledge of the area.
Starboard Hand Lateral Mark Preferred channel to Port
Red Light, Flashing 2 + 1, Going with direction of Buoyage, alter to port and take the buoy down your starboard side, you can go up the wrong side of the buoy if you have a shallow drafted vessel and have local knowledge of the area.
Isolated Danger Mark
White Light, Group Flash 2, You can pass either side of this buoy, preferable altering to starboard and take the buoy down your port side.
An isolated danger mark is erected on, or moored above, an isolated danger of limited extent. An isolated danger mark has navigable water all around it. The extent of the surrounding navigable water is not important. The isolated danger mark can, for example, indicate either a shoal that is well offshore or an islet separated by a narrow channel from the coast.
A black double-sphere topmark is, by day, the most important feature of an isolated danger mark. Whenever practical, this topmark will be carried with
the spheres as large as possible, mounted vertically, and clearly separated.
Black, with one or more red horizontal bands, is used for isolated danger marks. The shape of an isolated danger mark is not significant, but in the case
of a buoy, it will be either pillar or spar.
When lighted, a white flashing light showing a group of two flashes (FL (2)) is used to denote an isolated danger mark. The association of two flashes
and two spheres in the topmark may be a help in remembering these characteristics.
Safewater Mark
White Light, One of four flashes Isophase, Occulting, Morse A, Long flash every 10 seconds, You can pass either side of this buoy, preferable altering to starboard and take the buoy down your port side. Long Flash is between 4 6 seconds.
A safe-water mark is used to indicate there is navigable water all around the mark. Such a mark may be used as a centerline, midchannel, or landfall buoy.
Red and white vertical stripes are used for safe-water marks. The vertical stripes are used to distinguish them from the black-banded danger marks. Spherical, pillar, or spar buoys may be used as safe-water marks. Whenever practical, a pillar or spar buoy used as a safe-water mark will carry a single red
sphere topmark.
When lighted, a safe-water mark exhibits a white light. The phase characteristics of the light will be occulting, equal intervals, one long flash every 10 seconds, or Morse A. The association of a single flash and a single sphere in the topmark may help you to remember its characteristics.
Special Mark
Yellow Light, Any Rhythm not used for any buoys with white lights in the area.
A special mark may be used to indicate to the mariner a special area or feature. The nature of the special area or feature may be found by consulting the chart, Sailing Directions, or Notices to Mariners. The use of a special mark includes the following: Ocean Data Acquisition System (ODAS) buoys carrying oceanographic or meteorological sensors Traffic separation marks. Spoil ground marks. Military exercise zone marks. Cable or pipeline marks, including outfall pipes. Recreation zone marks.
Another function of a special mark is to define a channel within a channel (for example, a channel for deep-draft vessels in a wide approach area where the
limits of the channel for normal navigation are marked by red and green lateral buoys).
Yellow is the color used for special marks. The shape of a special mark is optional but must not conflict with a lateral or a safe-water mark.
When a topmark is carried, it takes the form of a single yellow X. When a light is exhibited, it is yellow. The phase light characteristics may be any other than
those used for white lights of cardinal, isolated danger, and safe-water marks.
No comments:
Post a Comment