BCH Nav & Piloting Flashcards
In the U.S., the Coast Guard is responsible for servicing and maintaining AtoN under federal jurisdiction.
What Federal regulations code allows the US to conduct aton?
- This includes both short and long-range navigation systems found in the navigable waters, along the U.S. coast, Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) system, and the Western Rivers system.
- 14 USC 81 = In order to aid navigation and to prevent disasters, collisions, and wrecks of vessels and aircraft, the Coast Guard may establish, maintain, and operate:
Lakes and inland waterways that fall under state jurisdiction use?
the Uniform State Waterway Marking System (USWMS).
what does IAM(Aton)LA stand for?
International association of marine aids to navigations and lighthouse authorities. (region B)
USA uses the IALA-? system…
B- NA, SA, japan, south korea and phillipines
IALA-A used by?
Europe, africa, australia, new zealand and most of asia.
What are topmarks?
Small distinctive shapes above the basic aid that assist in the identification of the aid.
When entering from sea which side is A and B system used?
Bravo is red right returning
Alpha is keep red buoys to port
What is the Cardinal system?
The Cardinal System uses a buoy to indicate the location of a danger relative to the buoy itself.
In the U.S., the USWMS uses cardinal marks on waters
where a state exercises sole jurisdiction.
Cardinal marks are not used on waters where the?
U.S. Coast Guard maintains short-range AtoN.
What are the two types of Aton placed in a spot or waterway?
Floating buoy
Fixed beacon
Solid red AtoN buoys and beacons bear and all solid green AtoN ?
red=even numbers, Conical buoys, often referred to as “nun buoys,” are unlighted AtoN. Indicate the left side of the channel.
green=bear odd numbers,Cylindrical buoys, often referred to as “can buoys,” are unlighted AtoN and indicate the right side of the channed
How many specialty buoys are there and how many?
- Fast water buoys
- Disc buoys
- Wx buoys
- Mooring buoys
What is a beacon?
have day-boards attached to a structure that are embedded to the sea bed. Triangle on port square on port.
Red and green lights only have ?
lateral significance
Aton has three colors?
red, green, and yellow/white
How many light characteristics are there?
12
During Restricted Visibility, sound signals are activated by?
- Continuously (bell, gong, or whistle buoy).
- Manually.
- Remotely.
- Automatically (when equipped with a fog detector).
Horns, sirens, whistles, bells, and gongs produce distinct sound signals.
What is retro-reflective material?
Most minor AtoN (buoys and beacons) are fitted with retroreflective material to increase their visibility at night, which is illuminated by light source.
What is Marking channel Junction or Bifurcation?
Red and green, or green and red, horizontally banded buoys and beacons are called preferred-channel marks. used to indicate a channel junction or bifurcation (point where a channel divides or where two tributaries meet).
what is a safe water mark?
Safe water marks are buoys with alternating red and white vertical stripes, and beacons with red and white vertically striped dayboardsmark a mid-channel, fairway, channel approach points and the “In” and “Out” channels of a “Traffic Separation Scheme.” 8 vertical stripes.
What is a isolated mark?
Black and red horizontally banded buoys are called “Isolated Danger Marks” consisting of two black spheres.
what is special marks?
They mark anchorages, dredging/spoil areas, fishnet areas, and other special areas or features.
When a buoy is “watching properly”?
marking its charted position “on Station” and properly displaying all other distinguishing characteristics.
what are beacons? and how many are there?
Beacons are fixed AtoN structures attached directly to the earth’s surface.
- Daybeacons.
- Lighted beacons (minor lights).
- Major lights.
- Light towers.
What is a daybeacon? and how many?
Daybeacons are unlighted fixed structures fitted with a dayboard for daytime identification.
- Single pile with a dayboard on the top.
- Multi-pile structure.
- Tower.
- Structure of masonry or steel.
What is considered a Major light?
Major lights display a light of moderate to high candlepower.
what is a sector light?
Sector lights are sectors of color that are displayed on lantern covers of certain lighthouses to indicate danger bearings. Sector bearings are true bearings and are expressed as “bearings from the vessel towards the light.”
A red sector indicates a vessel would be in danger of running aground on rocks or shoal.
what are ranges?
Ranges are pairs of beacons located to define a line down the center of a channel or harbor entrance.
What is the ICW?
Intra-coastal Waterway Extending some 2,400 miles along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S.,
the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a largely sheltered waterway, suitable for year-round use.
Small yellow square and triangle indicate what?
yellow square- kept on left side when traveling N,S, E or W.
Small yellow triangel and triangle indicate what?
yellow triangle- kept on the right side when traveling N,S, E or W.
Non lateral aids in the ICW are marked with what?
yellow horizontal band.
How is the western rivers marked?
western rivers marking system is used on the Mississippi River and tributaries.
1. buoys are not numbered
2. no lateral significance, numbers relate in statute miles.
3. red/white and green/white diamond shaped used for crossings.
Iso danger not used.
The Uniform State Waterway Marking System (USWMS) is designed for use by many types of operators and small vessels on lakes and inland waterways not shown on nautical charts. what are they?
USWMS is considered upstream or towards the head of navigation.
USWMS
Regulatory
Marks?
USWMS regulatory marks are white with two international orange horizontal bands completely around the buoy circumference.
One band is near the top of the buoy while the second band is just above the waterline, four basic geometric shapes.
USWMS
Mooring Buoys
Mooring buoys in USWMS are white with a horizontal blue band midway between the waterline and the top of the buoy, and display a slow-flashing white light when lighted. US also.
Radar
Beacons
RACON is an acronym for Radar Beacon
Morse Code reply when triggered by a boat’s radar signal. RACON transmitter location and extending radially for one to two nautical miles.
Automated
Identification
System (AIS)
The Automated Identification System (AIS) is an internationally adopted radio communication protocol that enables the autonomous and continuous
exchange of navigation safety related messages amongst vessels, lifeboats, aircraft, shore stations, and aids to navigation.
how do AIS communicate?
identity (9-digit Marine Mobile Service
Identity (MMSI) number), position, and status at least every three minutes or as needed.
The Light List is ? a, annual publication providing information on AtoN maintained or authorized by the U.S. Coast Guard located on coastal and inland waters.
seven-volume
light list index indicates 8 categories what are they?
- Number 2. name and location 3. Position
- characteristic 5. height 6.range
- structure 8. remarks
Corrections to the Light List are made in the “Local Notice to Mariners” published by ?
each Coast Guard district.
Navigation is accomplished using a grid system of vertical and horizontal lines that cover the entire globe.
horizontal lines are called? Vertical lines are?
horizontal lines are called parallels of latitude.
The vertical lines are called meridians of longitude.
Great Circles?
A great circle is a geometric plane passing through the center of the earth, which divides the earth into two equal parts.
The earth’s circumference is approximately 21,600 nautical miles. Determine a degree of arc on the
earth’s surface by dividing the earth’s circumference (in miles) by 360 degrees
What is a degree of arc?
In every degree of arc in a circle, there are 60 minutes. Sixty (60) minutes is equal to 1° of arc.
For every degree of arc, there are ?
60 minutes which is (‘) symbol
For every minute of arc in a circle there are?
Circle = 360 degree
1 degree- 60 min
1 min = 60 sec
what are parallels?
Parallels are circles on the surface of the earth moving from the equator to the North or South Pole.
north and south pole are?
North pole =90 degree
South pole = 90 degree
equator = 0 degrees
1 degree of latitude = ?
60 NM
What is a Meridian?
Line that cuts through the earths axis .
The meridian which passes through Greenwich, England, by international convention is called what?
has been selected as 000° and is called the Prime Meridian.
From the prime meridian both east and west are measured out to what degree?
starting from the prime meridian 90 degrees east and 90 degrees west. totally 180 degrees.
A degree of longitute not latitude measures out to what?
60 nm only at the equator
To project an image of the earths surface there are two basic types of projections?
Mercator and Gnomonic
What is mercator projection?
Mercator charts are the primary charts used aboard boats. A Mercator projection is made by transferring the surface of the globe (representing the earth) onto a cylinder
what is a rhumb line?
A rhumb line is an imaginary line that intersects all meridians at the same angle.
Latitude (Lat) and longitude (Long) positions can be reported in three ways.
- Degrees, minutes, seconds: 40° 26’ 46. N, 79° 58’ 56.
- Degrees, minutes, tenths of minutes: 40° 26.767’ N, 79° 58.933’ W
- Decimal degrees: 40.446° N 79.982° W