🔍 Key Concepts

• IALA A/B lateral buoyage systems and what white very quick (VQ) and quick (Q) lights usually mark in a cardinal buoy system • Your ship’s heading of 280°T (nearly due west) and how ‘north, south, east, west of the buoy’ relate to that track line • The difference between very quick flashing (VQ) and quick flashing (Q) on cardinal buoys and what side of danger they indicate

💭 Think About

• First, sketch your track on 280°T and place one buoy ‘well to port’ with a VQ white light, then the next buoy with a Q white light. What pattern of buoys laid out across your track would make sense? • Think about what cardinal buoys are telling you: are they saying ‘safe water is to the north/south/east/west of me’ or ‘danger is to that side’? How does a pair of them usually bracket a danger area? • Ask yourself: if these are cardinal buoys marking an obstruction, where is the danger relative to the two buoys, and where is the safe water lane you should follow in relation to them?

✅ Before You Answer

• Confirm from your buoyage knowledge that white VQ/Q lights are used on cardinal buoys, not standard red/green laterals • Identify what very quick vs. quick indicates for adjacent cardinal buoys (e.g., north vs. south, east vs. west) and how they are paired to mark a hazard • Before choosing an answer, be sure you are clear whether the question is really asking which side of the danger you should keep, or on which side of the buoy pair your vessel must pass to remain in safe water