Buoy noaa South Lake Tahoe City Homewood
Buoy noaa South Lake Tahoe City Homewood. A buoy is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with the sea wave. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is (in British English) now most commonly pronounced /ˈbɔɪ/ (identical with boy, as in buoyant). In American English, the pronunciation is closer to “boo-ee.”
LATERAL MARKERS
These navigation aids mark the edges of safe water areas: for example, directing traffic within a channel. The markers use a combination of colors and numbers, which may appear on either buoys or permanently placed markers.
COLORS AND NUMBERS
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 (right) side as you enter from open sea or head upstream. Numbers usually increase consecutively as you return from open sea or head upstream.
GREEN COLORS, GREEN LIGHTS AND ODD NUMBERS
These mark the edge of the channel on your port (left) side as you enter from open sea or head upstream. Numbers usually increase consecutively as you return from open sea or head upstream.
RED AND GREEN COLORS AND/OR LIGHTS
These are placed at the junction of two channels to indicate the preferred (primary) channel when a channel splits. If green is on top, the preferred channel is to the right. If red is on top, the preferred channel is to the left. These can also be referred to as “junction buoys.”
NUN BUOY
These cone-shaped buoys are always marked with red markings and even numbers. They mark the edge of the channel on your starboard (right) side when entering from open sea or heading upstream.
CAN BUOY
These cylindrical-shaped buoys are always marked with green markings and odd numbers. They mark the edge of the channel on your port (left) side when entering from open sea or heading upstream.
OTHER KINDS OF BUOYS AND MARKERS
LIGHTED BUOYS
These buoys use lateral marker shapes, colors, and numbers, and have a matching colored light.
DAYMARKS
These are permanent signs attached to structures, such as posts, in the water. Common daymarks are red triangles (equivalent to nuns) and green squares (equivalent to cans). They also may be lighted.
“RED RIGHT RETURNING”
In most circumstances, you can use this phrase as a reminder of the correct course when returning from open waters or heading upstream.
VARIATIONS ON THE U.S. AIDS TO NAVIGATION SYSTEM
The Intercostal Waterway (ICW) is a chain of local channels linked together to provide an inland passage along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. Channels that are part of the ICW are identified by yellow symbols on channel buoys and markers. When following the ICW from New Jersey heading toward Brownsville, Texas, these rules apply:
Any marker displaying a yellow triangle should be passed by keeping it on the starboard (right) side of the vessel.
Any marker displaying a yellow square should be passed by keeping it on the port (left) side of the vessel.
These rules hold regardless of the shape or color of the channel marker or buoy on which the ICW symbols are displayed. When following the ICW, the yellow markings should be used as guides, rather than the colors and shapes of the lateral navigation markers on which they appear. Intercoastal Waterway symbols are most commonly found on daymarks.
WESTERN RIVERS SYSTEM
This system of markers is used on the Mississippi River and its tributaries above Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and on some other rivers that flow toward the Gulf of Mexico. Navigation markers on the Western Rivers System are not numbered. Numbers displayed below daymarks along this system are not associated with the right or left side of the channel; these numbers indicate the distance from the river’s mouth (except the Ohio River, indicating distance for the headwaters).
NON-LATERAL MARKERS
These give information other than the edges of safe water areas. They are found in lakes and rivers and are used to:
Give directions and information
Warn of hazards and obstructions
Mark controlled areas
Mark exclusion (closed) areas
Safe Water Markers
SAFE WATER MARKERS
These are white with red vertical stripes and indicate unobstructed water on all sides. They mark mid-channels and fairway and may be passed on either side.
INLAND WATERS OBSTRUCTION MARKERS
These are white with black vertical stripes and indicate an obstruction to navigation. You should not pass between these buoys and the nearest shore.
MOORING BUOYS
These are white with a blue horizontal band, usually placed in marinas and other areas where vessels are allowed to anchor. These are the only buoys you may tie up to legally.
Buoy Reports
These NOAA/CDIP high-tech weather instruments anchored out at sea provide valuable buoy data to the mariner. They give a glimpse of current ocean conditions by reporting the wind speeds and swell heights every hour via satellite. If you are lucky enough to have one nearby, a check of the local buoy report can alert you to unfavorable or life-threatening ocean conditions. Buoy Weather provides a different way of looking at the buoy data. The buoy report pages emphasize graphs for easy trend analysis and add a height and period derived surf forecast. One of the great uses for buoy reports is estimating surf along nearby shores. There are three pages of data for each NOAA buoy.
Standard Buoy Report:
You’ll get the latest buoy report plus 12-hour plots of significant swell height and wind speed, pressure, water temp, air temp. If you see an “MM” in the buoy report it means missing data. Sometimes the gauges are broken.
Swell Detail Buoy Report:
The Ocean can have many overlapping swells crossing the same point. The buoy reports the primary wind swell and primary ground swell. The wind swell (3 – 10 second period) which is the chop generated by local and current winds, and a ground swell (10 – 25 sec) which has traveled possibly 5000 miles. A high wind swell means warning to small craft. Wind swells are steeper and more dangerous at sea. A high ground swell means opportunity if you are a surfer and also warning if you are an inexperienced swimmer going to the beach. Long period swells hit the shore with more power, but may be hardly noticed when you are out at sea because of 20 second spacing between crests.
Spectral Density Buoy Report:
A deeper look into the swell makeup. This buoy report page was designed to find secondary ground swells and show long period energy trends. There are times when there are two or more concurrent ground swells. The Buoy picks the strongest one for the swell reading, but the unreported second one may also be significant. A good example of the need for this is in Hawaii. Because of a persistent trade wind swell, smaller long period south swells may exist unreported by the Buoy’s swell report. These hidden swells will show up in this report. Swells are characterized by their associated periods. The top graph shows the wave energy for each period. Each peak in the graph represents a separate swell. If there are two peaks, the buoy reports the one with the highest energy. You can find the second hidden swell here. A new swell will also show up here first before it gets reported. Look for increasing 16-20 energy trends that signal new swell arrival.