Cardinal Buoys

A cardinal buoy indicates that the safest water exists to the direction it indicates.  Example: A north cardinal buoy indicates that the safest water exists to the north.  An east cardinal buoy indicates safe water to the east.

Description

• Combinations of yellow and black colours of approximately equal area above the waterline. See the diagram above for colour combinations.
• White flashing light. Flash characteristics are shown below (if equipped).
• Two conical topmarks. The direction of the points have significance.
• Black topmark cones point to the black portion(s) of the buoy.
• Lettered - no numbers.
• White retroreflective material.
• If not equipped with a light, normally spar shaped.

Flash Characteristics

Map Symbols

In the diagram above, examples are given of symbols of cardinal buoys as they will appear on a marine chart. If equipped, the light characteristics will be noted next to the chart symbol. For example, a west cardinal buoy may have the notation    Q(9)15s. Q means "Quick" flash. (9)15s means 9 flashes at a rate of 1 per second followed by 7 seconds of darkness, every 15 seconds.

Sometime a west cardinal buoy may have the notation    VQ(9)10s, which means 9 "Very Quick" flashes at a rate of one flash every half-second, followed by 6 seconds of darkness, every 10 seconds.

A south cardinal buoy equipped with a light may have a notation of
(Q (6) + LFl) 15s .    This decodes to 6 "Quick" flashes at a rate of 1 per second, followed by a "Long Flash" of approximately 2 seconds duration, followed by 6 seconds of darkness before the cycle repeats again, every 15 seconds.

Examine the diagram above for the flash sequences of other cardinal buoys.