Jet Ski Rental Boating Exam Study Guide

Seeing this marker means it is safe to pass through the waters surrounding it. While you’re out on the water, you see a white marker with black vertical stripes. A white buoy or sign with an orange circle and black lettering indicates a controlled or restricted area on the water. The most common controlled area within Voyageurs National park is ‘Slow-No Wake’ speeds. ‘Slow-No Wake’ means operating your boat at the slowest possible speed necessary to maintain steerage, but not greater than five miles-per-hour.

For lateral buoys, the IALA Maritime Buoyage System divides the world into two regions, “A” and “B”. Within Region “B”, which includes Canada, starboard hand buoys are red and port hand buoys are green. Within Region “A”, the application of these colours is reversed with red to port and green to starboard.

A cautionary buoy marks dangers such as firing ranges, underwater pipelines, race courses, seaplane bases and areas where no through channel exists. When facing upstream, or coming from the open sea, the red buoys are located on the right side of the channel; the green buoys will be on the left side of the channel. The colors and numbers have the same meaning regardless of the kind of buoy or marker on which they appear. Red Colors, Red Lights and Even Numbers. These mark the edge of the channel on your starboard side as you enter from open sea or head upstream.

A light in which identical flashes are repeated at the rate of 60 flashes per minute . A light in which the total duration of light in a period is shorter than the total duration of darkness and is regularly repeated at a rate of 15 flashes per minute . At night, the colour and flash character of a buoy’s light indicate its function. During daytime, the colour and shape of a buoy indicates the buoy type, function and therefore interpretation by the mariner.

Likewise, green buoys are kept to the port side . 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. Inside the orange circle is a black symbol indicating the restriction a nucleotide is composed of type you must observe when navigating the waters. For example, you may see an orange square non-lateral marker with a left-pointing arrow with the text ‘MARINA’ above it and a right-pointing arrow directing you to the beach. An information marker buoy provides you with a piece of information you may find interesting.

An east cardinal buoy is located so that the safest water exists to the east of it. The exclusion area marker also has a diamond but with a cross inside the diamond. It indicates an area that is off-limits to boats. First, the information marker gives information or directions relating to the surrounding area, such as which way to go in order to find food.

If you spot a white marker with orange diamond and black lettering, it would be best to proceed with extreme caution. Swimming buoys mark the area where people can swim and enjoy other water-related activities. It would be unsafe for them if you trespass this area. A safe water buoy is one of the easiest navigational aids to spot and understand. Read our step-by-step guide to boating safety and boating navigation.

Each boat alters course to starboard and passes port to port . A boat approaching from your starboard side has right of way. If you are approaching another boat from its starboard side, you have right of way.