Safe channel markers are which colors?

• A. Blue spar buoys
• B. Yellow can buoys
• C. Red and green lateral buoys
• D. White cardinal buoys

Answer: (C)

Lateral markers (the red and green buoys) define the sides of the safe navigable channel. The red buoy marks one side and the green buoy marks the other, so you should stay between them as you move along the channel. In the U.S. system, the rule “red right returning” helps you remember that when approaching harbor, you keep red buoys on your right, meaning the safe path lies between red and green marks. Other marker colors serve different purposes (cardinal marks indicate directions of safe water, yellow or blue marks signal special areas or information), but the markers that designate the channel themselves are red and green.