Lateral Buoys:

Lateral buoys  mark the sides of a marine traffic route and indicate on which side they may be passed.  There are six types of lateral buoys; port-hand, starboard-hand, starboard-bifurcation (junction), port-bifurcation, fairway, and isolated danger. (on most Canadian nautical charts, green buoys are illustrated in black - note MP5 at right).

The (pointed) or (flat) tops of unlit "spar" buoys help you identify them from a distance, or under glaring lighting conditions.  All pillar buoys have lights on top, so the shapes of port-hand & starboard-hand (pillar) buoys are the same.  (Port-hand & starboard-hand spar buoys that are fitted with a light also have a similar top shape).

Port-hand buoy:

The three different shapes all mean the same thing;

• marks the port side of a channel, or the location of a danger.  It must be kept on your port side when proceeding in the upstream direction,
  
• it is coloured green, displays identification letters, and odd numbers,
  
• (if) it has a "topmark" (a shape or device on top) it is a single green cylinder,
  
• if it has a light, the light is green and flashing, (once every 4 seconds) or, quick flashing (once every second)
  
• if it does not have a light, it will have a flat top.
  

With a red and green buoy placed side by side, it's clear that you should go between them.  More often though, there is only one buoy marking the route, or the location of a danger.  Passing on the wrong side may put you on a rock.  Notice Sweet Shoal on the chart image at right.  Buoy MP5 was only added recently - because of the high number of boats passing on the wrong side of MP4 & hitting the rocks that are just below the surface.

Starboard-hand buoy:

Tips:

• buoy numbers are shown on charts, so you can tell where you are.
  
• their numbers get larger as you proceed upstream.
  

The three different shapes all mean the same thing;

• marks the starboard side of a channel, or the location of a danger.  It must be kept on your starboard side when proceeding in the upstream direction,
  
• it is coloured red, displays identification letters, and even numbers,
  
• (if) it has a "topmark" (a shape or device on top) it is a single red cone, point upward,
  
• if it has a light, the light is green and flashing, (once every 4 seconds) or, quick flashing (once every second)
  
• if it does not have a light, it will have a pointed top.
  

Remember; most charts still show the now green buoys, in black. (port-hand buoys used to be black, but were changed to green 15 or 20 years ago).  A letter below the chart symbol will indicate the buoys' actual colour. i.e. G for green, R for red, B for black, Y for yellow, W for white, Or for orange.

M13

M14

FlG  =  flashing green

If a burgundy symbol is beside a buoys' chart symbol (as shown above), it means that buoy has a light.  In the example shown above, the light is flashing green as the text indicates.