The Annapolis Book of Seamanship by John Rousmaniere

Author:John Rousmaniere
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2014-01-07T00:00:00+00:00

These are the phase characteristics often seen on lighted buoys and daybeacons.

HANDS ON: Buoys and Phase Characteristics

The first step in trying to identify buoys is to be rigorously honest with yourself. You will regularly face the temptation of locating exactly the buoy you want to find. Natural human optimism can quickly turn a can into a nun, red into white, a 1 into a 7, and a 3-second flash into a 4-second flash. Hopeful misidentification may well run you aground. So be cautious. If you can’t be certain about an identification and the waters are dangerous, don’t proceed until you are dead sure.

Distinguishing colors from a distance may be a problem on a hazy day or when the sun is low on the horizon, so look carefully at the shape. At night, when both color and shape are indistinguishable, you can identify a buoy by shining a flashlight at it. The light will quickly pick up the red (for a nun) or green (for a can) reflector.

To identify the phase characteristic or rhythm of a light, you can use a stopwatch if there is a red light available to see the watch by. If you use a regular white flashlight you will quickly lose your night vision. Better, practice counting seconds, using “thousand” or “elephant.” Start the count when the light goes off and end it when the light comes back on. Repeat the count until you’re absolutely sure of it. To avoid double vision, don’t stare at the buoy. Instead, keep your eyes moving so you see it out of the corner of your eye. Don’t panic if a phase characteristic seems wrong or the light doesn’t seem to be where it belongs. Land, another boat, or waves may be obscuring it. Slow down, rest your eyes, and then look again.

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