🔍 Key Concepts

• Lateral buoyage system (IALA B) in the United States and how red and green colors are used • The shapes and colors of port-hand vs. starboard-hand buoys when returning from sea • How light color relates to the buoy’s purpose and side of the channel

💭 Think About

• Think about which buoys mark the starboard side of a channel when returning from sea in the IALA B system: what color and what general shape are they? • Of the shapes listed, which ones are typically associated with starboard-hand channel markers rather than special-purpose or safe-water buoys? • Consider whether yellow buoys usually mark channel sides or something different, and what that implies about the color of their lights.

✅ Before You Answer

• Review which buoy type is associated with red, even-numbered, starboard-side aids to navigation in IALA B • Verify what kind of aids are used for safe water or mid-channel and what their color pattern and light color usually are • Confirm the typical use and meaning of yellow buoys in the U.S. system and whether they normally carry red lights