Aids to Navigation Program

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The NationalAids to NavigationTeam presents
BASIC ATON TRAINING
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Basic ATON TrainingTodays Subject Agenda

• Basic ATON Training.
• ATON Discrepancy Review.
• Getting AUXDATA credit for AN Activity.

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ATON Training Objectives

• 1. Review the definitions for the various Federal
  and Private ATONs.
• 2. Understand why ATONs are established.
• 3. Understand the specific purpose of the various
  ATONs.
• 4. Become familiar with the flash characteristics
  used on ATONs.

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ATON Operational Objectives

• 1. A high level of professionalism on the part of
  the ATON Team member.
• 2. Accurate and complete ATON reports.
• 3. A high level of quality data that increases
  credibility of the National ATON Team.
• 3. Reports forwarded to the C.G. Unit in a timely
  manner.

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ATON FEDERAL short range aid to
naVIGATIONpaton PRIVATE AID TO NAVIGATION

• TERMINOLOGY

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ATON System Definitions

• IALA - International Association of Lighthouse
  Authorities.
• Divides the world into 2 regions
• Region A Most of the World
• Region B North South America, Japan, Korea,
  and the Philippines.

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ATON System Modes

• Region A
• Green Even Triangles
• Red Odd Squares

Region B Red Even - Triangles and nuns. Green - Odd - Squares and cans.
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ATON System Names

• U.S. Marking System
• Intracoastal Waterway System
• Western River System

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U. S. Marking System

• Lateral System
• Employs a simple arrangement of . . .
• 1. colors,
• 2. numbers, and
• 3. shapes, and when you cant see the shape,
• light colors and light characteristics
• . . . to show on which side an aid should be
  passed when proceeding in the Conventional
  Direction of Buoyage.
• Remember the 3-Rs
• Red Right Returning from the sea

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Conventional Directionof Buoyage

• Purpose To identify how aids should be passed
  in areas other than channels.
• Regions
• Atlantic Coast Southerly
• Gulf Coast North and Westerly
• Pacific Coast Northerly
• Great Lakes North and Westerly(Lake Michigan
  Southerly)

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Conventional Direction of Buoyage
Used for marking the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and the off-shore ocean buoys along the coast.
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Definition of an Aid to Navigation

• Any device, external to a vessel,
• intended to assist navigators to
• determine their position, safe
• course, or to warn them of
• dangers or obstructions to
• navigation.

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Definition of a Buoy

• Any unmanned, floating aid to navigation that is
  moored to the seabed.
• May be lighted or unlighted.
• The seabed is owned by the Corps of Engineers
  and is licensed to the Coast Guard who authorizes
  private parties to deploy PATONs.

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Nun Buoy

Conical shape
White Number
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Red Retro
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Definition of a Beacon

• Any fixed aid to navigation located
• on a shore or marine site.
• Lighted beacons are called Lights.
• Unlighted beacons are called
• Daybeacons or Daymarks.

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Definition of a Daymark

• The daytime identifier of an aid to
• navigation presenting one of
• several colors, shapes, numerals
• or letters.
• Shape may be square, triangle,
• rectangle, diamond or octagon.

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Red Daymark
Should have a contrasting red number
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Starboard Lateral Marks

• Color Red
• Shape Triangular
• or conicalnuns.
• Character Even Numbers
• Light Red

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Lighted Red Buoy
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Red Daymark on Dolphin (Lighted)
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Port Lateral Marks

• Color Green
• Shape Square /
• Cans
• Character Odd
• Numbers
• Light Green

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Can Buoy
Should have a white number
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Green Can Buoy
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Lighted Green Buoy
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Green Daymark
Will have a contrasting GREEN number
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A good reason to take it slow and watch where
youre going!
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OK . . . Lets add in a few more buoy types!
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Any questions about the IALA-B lateral system?
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Preferred Channel Marks

• Purpose Marks junctions / bifurcations
• Description
• Color Red Green horizontally banded(top
  color band is preferred channel)
• Shape Same as preferred channel (uppermost
  band is preferred channel)
• Character Letter not number.
• Light Same color as uppermost band.
• Characteristic Gp Fl (21) 6s

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In the main channel, pass on your port (left)
side returning from the sea.In the secondary
channel, pass on your starboard side Red Right
Returning
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You always have to reference your nautical chart!
How do you know which is the main channel?
BR
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Safe Water Mark

• Purpose Indicates navigable water
• all around the mark.
• Description
• Color Red and White vertically striped.
• Shape Sphere or Buoy with Topmark.
• Character White letters.
• (ex. NC North Channel)
• Light Color White
• Characteristic Mo(A)

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Safe Water Marks
MR
Spherical
Lighted and or sound
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Lighted Safe Water Mark
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Isolated Danger Mark

• Purpose Marks isolated dangers or obstructions
  that can be passed on all sides
• Description
• Color Black and Red horizontally
• banded
• Shape Buoy with Top marks
• Character White Letters
• Light White
• Characteristic Gp Fl (2) 5s

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Special Purpose Aids

• Purpose Not intended to assist safe navigation
  but to indicate special areas marked on charts
  (anchorage, traffic separation, data gathering)
• Description
• Color Yellow
• Shape Various
• Character Black letters
• Light Yellow
• Characteristic Fixed, Flashing (except Mo A,
  21, Qk)

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Special Purpose Aids
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(No Transcript)
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Regulatory and Information Marks

• Diamond - means danger and words may appear
  explaining the danger.
• Called a Danger Buoy
• Circle- means restricted operations.
• Speed Buoys (5 MPH) or No Wake Buoys.
• Diamond with a Cross - tells you that vessels are
  not allowed in the area.
• Called Exclusion Buoys
• Square - contains directions to the boater.
• Bridge Regulatory Signs.

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Regulatory and Information Marks
Whats wrong with this picture?
Restricted Operations
DANGER
Exclusion Area
If lighted White only
No Cross inside the diamond
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Regulatory and Information Marks

• Purpose Alert the mariner to such things as
  submerged pipes, no wake zones, etc.
• Description
• Color White with orange band or border
• Shape Square, Round, or Diamond
• Character Letters (black, usually words)
• Light White
• Characteristic Anything not otherwise reserved

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Restricted Operations - Minimum Wake
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Restricted Operations - Manatee Zone
Bridge Discrepancy Report
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DANGER
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Restricted Operations - No Wake
Check the structure and piles!
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Restricted Operations Area
The accuracy of the location of these aids is usually not a major issue. Location of these aids in the navigable channel is considered a discrepancy.
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Restricted Operations - No Wake
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Exclusion Area - No Anchoring
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Definition of a Range

• A pair of beacons arranged so
• that when they are aligned they
• indicate the center of the
• navigable channel.

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Range Marks

• Purpose Indicate the center line of a channel
  when aligned as you traverse the channel.
• Description
• Color They will have colored panels equal in
  size vertical striped.
• Shape Rectangle tall side up.
• Light - Green, Red, White and Yellow.
• Front range light is lower of the two.
• Rear range light is higher and further from the
  mariner.
• KGW Range Green with White Stripe.

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Range Marks
RR - Rear Range Mark
FR Front Range Mark
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WRECK MARKS

• Purpose To alert the mariner to wrecks.
• Description
• Color Appropriate to side of channel.
• Shape Appropriate to side of channel.
• Character White letters WR, numbered
• in sequence with channel (WR2).
• Light Same as buoy color.
• Characteristic Quick Flashing
• (unless aid is a preferred channel aid)

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LOCATION MARK

• Some markers will have no lateral significance.
  They are not designed to indicate the channel but
  rather, to help you determine where you are.

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Light Structures

• Major Lighthouses
• Are named. e.g. Boston Light
• Symbol is large exclamation point.
• Fixed position
• Minor Lights
• Not named
• Same symbol
• Fixed position

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Boston Light
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Inside the Boston Light tower.
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Other Lights
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Light Patterns
Fixed (F) continuous, unblinking light
Flashing (Fl) light duration shorter than
darkness. Frequency not greater than 30 per
minute. Quick Flashing (Q) light duration
shorter than darkness. Frequency is at least 60
per minute. Very Quick Flashing (VQ) light
duration shorter than darkness. Frequency is at
least 100 per minute. Interrupted Quick Flashing
(IQ) like quick flashing but having a brief,
extended darkness period. Isophase (Iso) Light
has equal duration between light and darkness.
Period consists of both light and dark interval.
Also called Equal Interval (E Int).
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Light Patterns
Group Flashing (Gp Fl (xx)) Combination of two
patterns in one period, i.e. 2 flashes followed
by three flashes. Occulting (Occ) Opposite of
flashing light is on more than it is
off. Alternating (AL) Alternating light changes
color. Special purpose light for situations
requiring significant caution. Example shows
AL.WGalternating white and green light. Morse
(Mo) Morse code light signal. Example is Morse
U which is two short flashes followed by one
prolonged flash then a period of darkness. Shown
as (Mo(U)) on charts. Long Flashing (LFL) One
long flash in a period with lighted period of at
least 2 seconds.
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Chart Symbols

• CAN - Green Diamond with
• small watch circle

NUN Red diamond with small watch circle.
Watch circle overprinted with magenta when lighted. Italics used for buoys and other floating aids.
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Symbols - Daymarks and Minor Lights
Green Daymark Green square.
Red Daymark Red triangle

• Minor Light - Magenta exclamation mark
• (teardrop) with black dot
• Vertical letters used for fixed marks

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Charted Symbols
Symbol data in quotes indicates that the characters appears on the aid. Symbol data in italics indicates that the aid is floating. Vertical symbol data indicates that the aid is fixed.

Always validate that the symbol shown on your chart matches the aid that you observe and the entry for the aid in the Light List.
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Is there anything on this chart . . .
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that you do not understand?
A
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ATON - Reference Materials

• Local Notice to Mariners LNM - online
• Chart No. 1 Nautical Chart Symbols,
  Abbreviations, and Terms - online
• Light List ME to New Jersey - online
• Coast Pilot ME to Cape Cod - online

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Chart No. 1

• Purpose is to help you identify ATONS
• Standard conventions on all charts
• Listed in Chart No. 1
• On Line

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Supports the Local Notice to Mariners
The Local Notice to Mariner is generated using
the ATONIS Database

• Chart Corrections
• Discrepancies
• Light List Changes
• On line.

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Intracoastal Waterway

• Begins in New Jersey.
• Goes south to the Florida Keys.
• Then north along the west coast of Florida.
• Then west along the Gulf of Mexico to
  Brownsville, Texas.

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Intracoastal Waterway Marks

• When aids in a channel are also used to identify
  an ICW channel.
• The normal Red right returning from the sea
  rule applies to both.

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Intracoastal Waterway Marks

• Yellow triangles, squares and bands are used to
  identify ICW marks.
• The material used is retroreflective.
• Yellow triangles are usually displayed on red
  lateral marks used on the ICW.
• Yellow squares usually are usually displayed on
  green lateral marks used on the ICW.
• Yellow bands are displayed on non-lateral ATONS
  used on the ICW.

retroreflective
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Aidsmarking theIntracoastal Waterway
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Red Daymark/Minor Light with ICW Mark
ICW Triangle
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Green Daymark/Minor Light with ICW Mark
ICW Square

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Dual Purpose Marks

• When aids in a channel are also used to identify
  an ICW channel.
• The Red right returning from the sea rule
  applies to the regular aids.
• The role for the regular aids is reversed and
  marked for ICW transit - - dual purpose.

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Dual Purpose Marks

• Are found on cans and nuns in the ICW.
• Sometimes a yellow triangle appears on a can or
  square daymark or a yellow square appears on a
  nun or triangle daymark. The buoy has dual
  purpose.
• To use the ICW, follow the yellow marks.
• When following the local waterway, use the IALA-B
  lateral system marks.

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Intracoastal Waterway Marks
Dual Purpose Marks
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Electronic Aids To Navigation

• Loran-C
• Obsolete
• Not usable for positioning in the ATON program.
• GPS - Global Positioning Systems
• Differential GPS used by Coast Guard.
• WAAS - Wide Area Augmentation Systems
• These are the preferred positioning systems.
• Electronic Nautical Charts.
• Integrated to GPS, RADAR, and Depth Sounder.
• Must be supplemented with a NOAA paper chart.

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The End
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REVIEW
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