A Yellow Buoy May Mark Which Of The Following?
A) Limits for anchorages areas.
B) Fishing grounds.
C) Dredging/spoil areas.
D) Military exercise areas.
Answer: The correct answer is all – A, B, C, & D.
IALA Buoyage System – Buoy Identification Guide
IALA Maritime Buoyage System is an international standard to locate and identify maritime buoys, lightships, beacons, etc. The system defines standards for class, identification, and location and serves as a basis for nautical charts and publications. IALA Buoyage System provides guidelines for the identification of such objects.
Buoys and markers are located at a distance from the shoreline, which is made by the maritime authorities.
Buoys have a specific position within the channel or port area and show the exact location of the shallowest point of a channel or port area.
As per the IALA system, the six Buoy types are Cardinal, Lateral, Isolated Danger, Special marks, Safe Water Marks, and Emergency Wreck Marking Buoys.
What Is a Special Buoy or Yellow Buoy?
The yellow mark buoy is referred to as a special marks buoy because of its color.
Special marks buoys (Yellow Buoy) are very important to boaters, they provide navigational aids such as marking Fishing grounds, Dredging areas, Military exercise areas, and other obstructions which could cause dangerous situations. If you would like to find out about the best spots for anchoring your boat you can take help from these.
A yellow buoy also marks the boundaries of the anchorage area.
A yellow buoy or special buoy has a single yellow cross on it. The body of its buoy is yellow in color. It could be either a pillar or spar.
When you see a flashing yellow light at night, it’s a yellow marking buoy/special buoy.
As the name suggests special buoy indicates a special feature or area that you should stay clear of it. And, Don’t forget to consult your local chart to find out what’s special about the area you are boating in.
| SPECIAL/YELLOW BUOY | |
| BUOY COLOR | YELLOW |
| SHAPE | OPTIONAL BUT DON’T MATCH WITH A LATERAL OR SAFE WATERMARK |
| BUOY TOPMARK | A SINGLE YELLOW CROSS THAT IS ‘X’ SHAPED |
| LIGHT AT NIGHT | YELLOW FLASHING |
| LIGHT RYTHM | ANY LIGHT RHYTHM EXCEPT FOR WHITE LIGHT |
What You Will Do If You See A Yellow Buoy?
There will always be a yellow buoy on the ocean. Most times they are a warning.
So, the first thing you should do whenever you see a yellow buoy on the ocean is to consult the chart. You should know where that yellow buoy is and how you can handle it.
And, if you feel like you are not prepared to deal with it, then, simply stay away from it. Consult your chart and know what kind of information is available for you.
A good thing about consulting your chart is that it will allow you to know about any conditions which you may encounter, as well as navigational dangers.