NAVIGATIONAL AIDS

As on our roadways, a series of signs and signals exist to help keep us safe. Likewise, a variety of navigational aids are used on the water to indicate areas of the safest water, alert us to hazards and advise of areas where speed is restricted.
The most commonly seen of these are the lateral buoys and day beacons as shown below:

Port Hand: When going upstream, keep a port hand day beacon on your port (left) side.

Junction: (Preferred channel to right) This day beacon marks a point where the channel divides and may be passed on either side. If you want to take the channel to your right, keep this day beacon on your port (left) side.

Starboard Hand: When going upstream, keep a starboard hand day beacon on your starboard (right) side.

Junction: (Preferred channel to left) This day beacon marks a point where the channel divides and may be passed on either side. If you want to take the channel to your left, keep this day beacon on your starboard (right) side.