Odd coloured buoy

[peterandjeanette]

Went down to Shamrock Quay yesterday to check on the boat.

In the yard there was a large navigation buoy waiting to be thrown in the briney somewhere. It has blue and yellow vertical stripes.

OK. Red and white vertical stripes I can cope with. Green and red horizontal stripes I can just about manage, but blue and yellow?

Who would use a buoy like this? Over to the forum!

 

[Dave_Snelson]

Its a cardinal mark based on the compass. Its there to tell you of a danger and how to avoid it It will (when its placed on station) have cones on the top. Two cones pointing upwards means "go to the north of me" (danger in the south). Two cones pointing down means "go to the south of me". Two cones pointing with the points at each other means keep to my west and finally, with the two cones poiting with the points away from each other means keep to the east.

 

[peterandjeanette]

I thought cardinal marks were black and yellow horizontal - not bright blue and yellow and vertical!
Also I can't remember seeing a top mark on this buoy.
Any other thoughts?

 

[PCUK]

Never heard of that one. Cardinals are definitely black and yellow horizontal.

 

[Dave_Snelson]

Err, sorry - misread /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Dave_Snelson]

Now that I have read this properly, I think there are two of these parked in the water off Pwllheli (westward & eastward of the fairway). Never did understand what they were for.

Edit: Just taken a look under IALA SYstem A and there is nothing of that description. Could just be local start / finish type thingies that have no significance elsewhere.

 

[graham]

It is one of the new EEC buoys .Over the next few years all the old cardinal system will be replaced.Also red and green will now be blue and white except in French waters where they are moving to the American system.

 

[SteveBates]

you are winding us up I hope! altho colour blind sailors would benefit I guess...........

 

[Stig]

And we will be changing from driving on the left to driving on the right. However to allow people to get used to the changeover there will be an overlap period when you can drive on either side! (As was the case when we changed from the punt to the euro)

 

[Dave_Snelson]

Nah - I think you've got that wrong. I heard that the two-stage cutover is lorries next Monday and cars the Monday after /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[peterandjeanette]

Hey, c'mon you guys. Stop going European on me. I haven't even got used to decimal coinage yet!

I fly aeroplanes from the left hand seat, helicopters from the right hand seat and the boat from the middle seat. What chance have I got if you lot start changing things now. Thank God for motorbikes and toilets. At least I know where to sit on them.

 

[graham]

[ QUOTE ]
Thank God for motorbikes and toilets. At least I know where to sit on them.


[/ QUOTE ] Obviously you havent used the public loos near the visitors pontoons in Cherbourg then? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Stig]

Very curious - any chance someone could talk to the people at Shamrock Quay and find out what they were for?

 

[Solitaire]

I think they were used at SIBS as the demarcation for the demonstration area - anyway that's the rumour I heard today.