Aids to Navigation

An important part of the BOATsmart!® online safe boating course is understanding aids to navigation. These are the system of buoys and markers that assist a boater in determining their position on the water and identify any potential dangers and waterway obstructions. Aids to navigation can be used to plot position and course on nautical charts and also assist in choosing the preferred and safest route when out on the water.

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It is prohibited under the Criminal Code of Canada to interfere with any navigation aid. Operators should never tie up to a marker, buoy or any other aid to navigation. In addition, no person may willfully alter, remove or conceal a signal, buoy or other type of navigation marker.

There are two main systems of navigation are used on Canadian Waterways: The Lateral System and The Cardinal System. All aids to navigation have identifying marks such as colours, lights and numbers.

 What is a Buoy?

A buoy is a floating marker or signal that is attached to the bottom of the waterway or mounted on a feature (such as an island) of the waterway. Buoys serve four main functions. They provide warnings, information, mark underwater hazards and provide a system for navigation.

Floating Buoys

There are different styles of floating buoys used on Canadian waterways:

1. Pillar Buoys: Pillar Buoys are typically the largest of all floating buoys and will sometimes have a lighted top. These types of buoys tend to be narrower than Can and Nun buoys.
2.  Spar Buoys: Spar Buoys are common on smaller waterways. They have a cylinder shape and are typically smaller than Light Buoys.
3. Can Buoys: Can buoys are wider than Spar Buoys. They are always green in colour and should be kept on the left (port) side when heading upstream
4. Nun/Conical Buoys: Nun buoys are also wider than spar buoys. They are always red in colour and should be kept on the right (starboard) side when heading upstream.

All floating buoys are attached to the bottom of the waterway using a structure of underwater cables and anchors. To help you know how to spot these different types of buoys, here&#;s what they look like.

Systems of Buoys in Canada

There are several systems of buoys and markers used on Canadian waterways to aid in navigation. Here are a few important systems that you should know:

1. The Lateral System: The Lateral System consists of red and green buoys used to mark preferred safe routes. The Lateral System also includes Fairway Buoys, Isolated Danger Buoys and Day Beacons.
2. The Cardinal System: The Cardinal System consists of yellow and black buoys that indicate safe routes by the cardinal compass points.

A third type of buoy system to be aware of is Special Purpose Buoys. These buoys may be yellow or white in colour and are used to mark dangers such as racecourses, underwater structures, pipelines, etc.

Marker to assist in safe passage making

"ATON" redirects here. For other uses, see Aton

The entrance to the inner harbour of the Port of Fremantle, Australia, with a yellow special mark at left, a region A red port lateral mark at right, and a region A green starboard lighthouse in the background

A navigational aid (NAVAID), also known as aid to navigation (ATON), is any sort of signal, markers or guidance equipment which aids the traveler in navigation, usually nautical or aviation travel. Common types of such aids include lighthouses, buoys, fog signals, and day beacons.

Definition

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According to the glossary of terms in the United States Coast Guard Light list, an aid to navigation (ATON) is any device external to a vessel or aircraft specifically intended to assist navigators in determining their position or safe course, or to warn them of dangers or obstructions to navigation.

Lateral marks

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Region B green port lateral marks (with Galápagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki)) in the Galápagos Islands

Lateral marks indicate the edge of the channel. The standards are defined by the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA). Approaching harbour port a vessel leaves port hand marks to port (left) and starboard hand marks to starboard (right). Port hand marks are cylindrical, starboard marks are conical. If the mark is a pillar or spar shape, then a topmark is fitted which is either cylindrical or conical as appropriate.[1]

IALA divides the world into two regions: A and B. Region B is the Americas (excluding Greenland) along with Japan, Korea and the Philippines. Region A is the rest of the world. In region A port marks are red and starboard marks green. In region B port marks are green and starboard red.[1] Where marks are numbered red marks have even numbers and green marks have odd numbers.

Preferred channel marks

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Where a channel divides the mark at the junction is called a "preferred channel mark" or "junction buoy". The mark has the colour and shapes corresponding to the preferred channel with a band of the other colour to indicate it is the other hand mark for the subsidiary channel.[1] In IALA region A where a minor channel branches off to port the mark at the junction would be a red cylinder with a green band. The red cylinder is a port hand mark for the main channel, the green band indicates a starboard mark for the minor channel. In IALA region B the colours (but not shapes) are reversed.

Cardinal marks

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Cardinal marks warn of a danger (wrecks, shoals, bends, spits etc.) and indicate the safe water past the danger. There are four varieties: north, east, south and west. A north cardinal mark is placed to the north of a hazard and indicates safe water is to the north of the mark. East, south and west are placed accordingly. Cardinal marks are yellow and black with two cones at top marks. There is no difference between IALA region A and B.

Other IALA defined marks

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Isolated danger mark

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Black with a horizontal red band and two black balls as a top mark. The mark indicates a danger (shoal, rock, wreck etc.) which is isolated with safe water all around.

Safe water mark

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Red and white vertical stripes with a single red sphere for a top mark. It indicates that there is safe water all around it. The usual use is to indicate the start of a channel or port approach.

New danger

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Indicates a newly discovered or created danger that is not yet marked on charts (or in update notices thereto). The mark is used for a short time until the danger is either removed or else marked conventionally with lateral or cardinal marks. The mark has blue and yellow vertical stripes and a yellow and blue light. The topmark is a vertical yellow cross.

Special marks

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Yellow with an "X" topmark. Used to mark other features such as swimming areas, anchorages, pipelines. The exact reason is marked on charts.

Sector lights

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A sector light is one which shows different colours depending upon the angle of approach. They are commonly used to indicate the safe channel (white) and show red or green if the vessel is out of the safe channel. IALA requires the light colours to follow the appropriate region (A or B) colour scheme.

Other markers

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Diagram showing lateral, non-lateral, and special purpose markers as seen on an IALA Region B nautical chart.

There are also other markers that give information other than the edges of safe waters. Most are white with orange markings and black lettering. They are used to give direction and information, warn of hazards and destructions, mark controlled areas, and mark off-limits areas. These ATONs do not mark traffic channels.

On non-lateral markers, there are some shapes that show certain things:

Squares

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show information, including places to find food, supplies, and repairs. They sometimes show directions.

Diamonds

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warn about dangers like rocks, construction, dams, or stumps.

Circles

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mark a controlled area such as no wake, idles speed, speed limit, or ski zone.

Crossed diamonds

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show areas off limits to all boats, like swimming areas and dams.

AIS AtoNs

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AtoNs can be integrated with automatic identification system (AIS). AIS transmitted form an actual aid (buoy, lighthouse etc.) is termed a "real AIS AtoN".[11]

If it is impractical to equip the AtoN with an AIS transponder an AIS shore station can be assigned to transmit AIS messages on behalf of the AtoN. This is known as a "synthetic ATON". Synthetic AtoNs can be either "monitored synthetic AtoNs" or "predicted synthetic AtoNs". The former have a link between the AtoN so that the AIS station can confirm the AtoNs status. The latter have no link and the AIS system just predicts that the AtoN is where it should be.

If there is no real AtoN (such as for the short term marking of a wreck) then a "virtual AIS AtoN" is used.

Each AIS AtoN must have a unique Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number. Synthetic and virtual AIS AtoNs mark their messages as repeats to indicate that the location of the transmitter is not the location of the AtoN.

Lead marks and lights

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Triangle shaped lead marks with lights.

Lead marks (as in "leading a ship into a safe place") and lights are fixed markers that are laterally displaced to allow a mariner to navigate a fixed channel along the preferred route. They are also known as "channel markers".[14][failed verification] They can normally be used coming into and out of the channel. When lit, they are also usable at night. Customarily, the upper mark is up-hill from the lower (forward) mark. The mariner will know the geometry of the marks/lights from the navigational chart and can understand that when "open" (not one above the other) the ship needs to be navigated to "close" the marks (so one is above the other) and be in the preferred line of the channel.

In some cases, the lead marks/lights are provided by lasers, as in the laser channel under the Tasman Bridge on the Derwent River at Hobart, Tasmania.

See also

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Notes

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Further reading

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