Figure 9-13.—IALA Maritime Buoyage System lateral marks, region B.
5. Special marks—call attention to an area or
specific feature. Explanation of special marks may be
found on the chart or in Sailing Ditrections or Coast
Pilots.
Distinguishing Marks
The meaning of distinguishing marks depends
upon one or more of the following features:
By day—color, shape, and topmark
By night—light color and phase characteristics
Buoy Shape
There are five basic buoy shapes (fig. 9-14): the
can, nun, spherical, pillar, and spar. With the exception
of the pillar and the spar buoys, the shape of the buoys
indicates the correct side on which to pass. Can buoys
Figure 9-14.—Types of buoys.
are sometimes referred to as cylindrical buoys and nun
buoys are referred to as conical buoys. The term pillar
9-14
