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What do all the various buoys tell me?

Chart	Photo	Definition
		The operator goes around the black-top buoys to the east or north side and around the red-top buoys to the west or south side. The black-top buoys and the red-top buoys are the "cardinal system" buoys, meaning they take direction from the compass. Red-top buoys can be paired with black-top buoys, but they don't have to be. Red-top and black-top buoys have NO numbers on their spars, but they are numbered on the Duncan Press navigation chart, so you can refer to each one by number if necessary.
		These double buoys are the cardinal buoys and their companion light buoys. The operator goes around both of them exactly as if they were red-top and black-top buoys. The good operator does NOT go BETWEEN the light buoys and the red- or black-top buoys! They DO have numbers on them, although they are a bit hard to see. The numbered light buoys are useful when the operator gets temporarily lost. To find out where he is on the lake, the operator can look at the number on the spar of the light buoy and then check the corresponding number on the Duncan Press chart. Coming from a distance where you can't see the color of the cardinal buoy, the ORDER of the cardinal and light buoys can help. The buoys are ALWAYS in the order: light buoy, cardinal buoy, boat OR boat, cardinal buoy, light buoy.
		The experienced operator goes between solid red and solid black buoys. The solid red and solid black buoys are "lateral system" buoys, which means they take direction according to where the land meets the water. Buoys generally come in pairs, the black on the port (left) side going upstream and the red on the starboard (right) side. "Red Right Returning" is the mantra for lateral buoys, on the ocean and on the lakes. On Lake Winnipesaukee and other lakes, MOST of the solid buoys follow this plan, but not all of them. Check your chart beforehand. There are also solid pairs of buoys in the middle of the lake, like "The Sixpack" and "The Graveyard." In such cases, go between the black and the red buoys or check your chart. Solid red and solid black buoys have NO numbers on their spars, but they are numbered on the Duncan Press navigation chart, so you can refer to each one by number if necessary.
		See that tiny orange diamond on the chart? That is a "No Wake" area. This means you should drive your boat no more than 6 miles an hour, your "no wake" speed. Common sense will tell you WHERE you need to cut your speed. For example, on the section of the chart shown, common sense tells you to cut your speed going just east of the No Wake buoy.