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New London, CT
Bouys are floating devices that can serve many different purposes. The two buoys shown are used to mark a channel and both the color and shape of these buoys are significant. In North America, as one returns from the ocean and is entering a port or a river, the green buoy having a flat top should be kept to the port side or left side of your craft. The red buoy with the triangular top should be kept to your starboard, or right side. By doing that, you keep your craft within the channel. I found these buoys on display out side of the the Custom House Maritime Museum in downtown New London. You can enter the museum by keeping the red buoy to your starboard and the green buoy to your port side.
I've recently learned that the world is divided into two regions, and for navigation we are in region A. Europe is in region B where the colors of buoys are reversed. Here the phrase sailors use is, "Red right returning." A bit of alliteration to keep buoys in their proper place, at least in region A.
ReplyDeleteYes, you're right. It must be hard for sailors to keep that all straight, especially if they sail between regions. The phrase used in the other region is "is there any red port left?", a reference to the deep red color of port wine.
ReplyDeleteAnd I just wanted to say ... :-) - but TGF already did. Nice idea for a museum entry.
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