What are the 3 Rs of boating?

Practice the three Rs—Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Many marinas provide facilities for recycling oil, aluminum, glass, and antifreeze. Use these services whenever possible. Carry reusable items, such as plates, silverware, cups, and glasses, on board to reduce waste.

What side do you keep green buoys?

Likewise, green buoys are kept to the port (left) side (see chart below). Conversely, when proceeding toward the sea or leaving port, red buoys are kept to port side and green buoys to the starboard side. Red buoys are always even numbered, and green buoys are odd numbered.

What do the red and green buoys mean in the river?

Returning means coming upstream from the ocean or the mouth of the stream. Keep the red buoys on your right as you travel upstream. That means the green buoys will be on your left. If you are going downstream, just reverse this. The red buoys will be on your left, green buoys on your right.

How should you pass a fishing boat?

When you're passing a fishing boat, it's the same. According to the US Coast Guard, you should always make an effort to pass on the port side (left) of the vessel. This means you must steer toward starboard, that way both vessels are passing each other on their port sides.

What does 5 horn blasts mean?

Five (or more) short, rapid blasts signal danger or signal that you do not understand or that you disagree with the other boater's intentions.

What does 3 short blasts of a boat horn mean?

One short blast tells other boaters "I intend to pass you on my left (port) side." Two short blasts tell other boaters "I intend to pass you on my right (starboard) side." Three short blasts tell other boaters "I am backing up (operating astern propulsion)."

When you see a red buoy What should you do?

A type of red marker is the cone-shaped nun buoy. Red and green colors or lights are placed where a channel splits in two. If green is on top, keep the buoy on your left to continue along the preferred channel. If red is on top, keep the buoy on your right.

What does a red buoy mean in a lake?

All-green (also known as Cans) and all-red (also known as Nuns) companion buoys indicate the boating channel is between them. The red buoy is on the right side of the channel when facing upstream.

What does an orange buoy mean?

Danger: A white buoy or sign with an orange diamond warns boaters of danger – rocks, dams, rapids, etc.

What does a yellow buoy mean?

Yellow buoys indicate special markings such as traffic separations, international boundaries, anchorage areas, dredging, fish net area, etc.

What color buoy indicates safe water?

Safe Water Markers: These are white with red vertical stripes and indicate unobstructed water on all sides. They mark mid-channels or fairways and may be passed on either side.

What does a blue buoy mean?

Mooring Buoys

These are white with a blue horizontal band, usually placed in marinas and other areas where vessels are allowed to anchor. You may tie up to these buoys; they are the only ones where you can do that. Water buoy markers give you a clear and accurate picture of the waters you're traveling.

What does a red and black buoy mean?

All Black: This buoy marks one side of a well-defined channel. Go between it and its companion “all red” spar buoy. All Black Buoy. All Red: This buoy marks one side of a well-defined channel. Go between it and its companion “all black” spar buoy.

What do the buoy colors mean?

Inland waters obstruction markers have black and white stripes, showing ships where hazards are underwater. 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."

What do yellow buoys mark?

For those who are paddling or boating on intercoastal waterways, yellow buoys are used to designate a channel. When someone sees a yellow square, this is a sign that they need to keep the buoy to the port side. On the other hand, yellow triangles should stay to the starboard side of the boater.

What does a green buoy indicate?

The Green Buoy: The Open Seas

Green means go, which means go out to sea, in this case. In those cases, green buoys are called cans because they have a flat top, making them look like cans. The green buoys should be marked with odd numbers and contrast the red buoys, usually marked with even numbers.

Do boats pass on left or right?

If you meet another boat head-on: Under the boating rules of the road, vessels approaching each other head-on are always supposed to pass each other port to port — or left to left, just like on the road.

What should you do if a fire breaks out in the front of your boat?

What do red and green markers indicate?

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).

What must you do when anchoring at night?

Why do boats pass port to port?

Ships with cannon pass port to port on entering/exiting a port, theoretically less likely to fire on each other.

What are the sound signals for boats?

What does a rapidly ringing bell every minute mean on a boat?

Limited Visibility Signals

You are not anchored but you are not making way. Five Seconds of Rapid Bell Ringing: When your vessel is at anchor, ring the bells rapidly for 5 seconds at intervals of 1 minute.