Boating Tips: Handy Hints for BeginnersThis section of the website will be updated frequently with an ever growing list of Boating Tips.Although we were experienced sailors, when we got to England and bought our first boat there, we decided to get our Yachtmaster's Certificates. We studied for two years - everything from meteorology to astro-navigation to rules of the road. We will share some of those subjects with you as we expand this section. Boating Tip # 1 When we returned to the US and sailed on the Chesapeake Bay, we noticed that a large number of boaters do not seem to know about the "rules of the road", and so we decided to start there. What are "rules of the road"? When we drive a car we know that, in the US and most other countries, we must drive on the right hand side of the road. We must stop at red lights and stop signs; and if we come to a 4-way stop sign, we know that if two of us arrive at the same time, then the one on our right hand should go first. Boating has similar rules except that, out on the water, there are no painted lines and no stop signs or red lights (except in certain major ports.) However, there are navigational aids such as buoys and other markers, and there are rules that have been established in order to prevent collisions. Depending on the country, these rules may not be the same, and in some countries the inshore rules and markers are different from the offshore ones. We'll start by outlining some of the basic navigational aids. Buoys and markers have specific shapes and colors. The ones that we need to pay most attention to as beginners are the "green cans" which are cylindrical, and the "red nuns" which are truncated cones. These mark the edges of channels and the entrances to rivers and harbors. You will need to be aware of these as, depending on the draft (how deep the boat is below the waterline) of your boat; you may go aground if you go outside of these. The "rule" in the US is "red right returning". That means that if you are entering a river or a harbor, you must keep the red nuns to your right. If you are going upstream in a river or a channel, then you must keep the red nuns to your right. It also means that the green cans must be to your left under those circumstances. At night, some of these kinds of buoys have lights on them - the red nuns have red lights and the green cans have green lights. And, as with driving on roads, the general rule is that you need to keep to the right of the channel. |
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