Boating Skills &
Seamanship
Lesson 7
Inland Boating
Approved by DC-E. USCGAuxA, Inc
Approved by DC-E USCG AuxA, Inc
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Lesson Objectives
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Nature and Navigation of Inland Waters
Aids To Navigation (ATON)
River Characteristics
Waterway Maintenance
Hazards & Challenges
Locks & Locking Through
Using River Charts
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Types of Inland Waters
• Navigable Waterways
“Roads” providing transportation between 2
or more states or into the sea such as • Navigable rivers
• Great Lakes
• Intracoastal Waterway
• Non-Navigable Waterways
Lakes and other waters entirely within one
state
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Inland Navigation Rules
• In Force on Navigable Waterways
– Federal equipment requirements apply
• Followed on All Waterways
– Collision avoidance
• Lookouts
• Lighting
• Meeting, crossing & overtaking
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Inland ATONs
• US Aids to Navigation System –
Two Regional Variations
– Western Rivers
– Intracoastal Waterway (ICW)
• Covered in Chapter 5
• Uniform State Waterways Marking
System (USWMS) Now Merged Into
USATON System
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Western Rivers ATONS
• River Bank Names Looking
Downstream
– Right bank or right descending bank
• Green passing (square) & crossing (diamond)
daymarks
– Left bank or left descending bank
• Red passing (triangle) & crossing (diamond)
daymarks
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Western Rivers ATONS
• Passing Daymarks
– Look like daymarks in
Chapter 5
– Mark the side of the river
the channel is on
– You continue past the
daymark
– Back of the daymark may
signal upcoming crossing
daymark
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Western Rivers ATONS
• Crossing Daymarks
– Diamond shaped
• Green or Red (old colors)
• Green & white or red & white
checkerboard (new colors)
– Signal that channel
changes banks
• Head for the diamond on the
opposite bank
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Western Rivers ATONS
• River Buoys
– Continuously added, removed, or moved
– Do not have letters or numbers
– Not usually shown on river charts
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Western Rivers ATONS
• Mile Markers
– Placards on daymarks or other location
– Distance to mouth of river in statute miles
• Except Ohio River - distance to headwaters
– Help locate position on river chart
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Uniform State Waterways
Marking System
• The following slides detail changes to
the USWMS as it merged with the US
ATON system.
• Following those slides are ones
detailing USWMS pre-merger
characteristics of the various aids.
• For most boaters these are for historical
reference only
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Uniform State Waterways
Marking System
• Effective July 20, 1998, the US Coast
Guard commences a five year phasedin merger of the Uniform State
Waterway Marking System with the
United States Aids to Navigation
System. This merger eliminates
distinctions between the two systems
and creates safer, less confusing
waterways.
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Uniform State Waterways
Marking System
• Here are the changes that occurred by Dec.
2003.
– USATONS regulatory markers now carry the
same orange bands just above the water line and
near the top as the USWMS system did.
– The USWMS black port side channel markers
were replaced with the green markers.
– The meaning of a red and white vertically-striped
buoy changes in the USWMS from "do not pass
between the buoy and the nearest shore" to the
USATONS meaning of "safewater all around."
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Uniform State Waterways
Marking System
• Continued
– Obstructions currently marked with the USWMS red and
white vertically-striped buoy will be replaced with either a red
or green channel marker, if practicable, the USATONS black
and red horizontally striped isolated danger marker, or a
newly created USATONS black and white vertically-striped
marker to indicate not to pass between the marker and the
shore.
– The USWMS white black-topped markers which mean "pass
to north or east of buoy" and the white red-topped markers
which mean "pass to south or west of buoy", will be replaced
with USATONS red or green channel markers, the isolated
danger mark, or the new black and white vertically-striped
marker.
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Uniform State Waterways
Marking System
• Continued
– USATONS which made no mention of lights on
mooring buoys may now incorporate white lights
of various rhythms.
– Ownership identification on private or state aids
to navigation is permitted so long as it does not
change or hinder an understanding of the
meaning of the aid to navigation.
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Uniform State Waterways
Marking System
• Three Types of Markers
– Regulatory
– ATONS
– Mooring buoys
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Uniform State Waterways
Marking System
• Regulatory Markers - Non-Lateral
– White signs or buoys
• Signs have orange borders
• Buoys have orange band
– Four types
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Boat exclusion
Danger
Controlled areas
Information or directions
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Uniform State Waterways
Marking System
Regulatory Markers
Exclusion Area Boats Keep Out
Danger
Controlled
Area
Information
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Uniform State Waterways
Marking System
• ATONs
– Buoys
– Two types
• Lateral markers
• Non-lateral markers
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Uniform State Waterways
Marking System
• Lateral Markers
– Show lateral edges of channel
– Normally occur in pairs
– Solid black or red
(Black is being replaced by green in many areas)
– Numbered
– May have reflectors or lights
– Red right returning
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Uniform State Waterways
Marking System
• Non-Lateral Markers - Cardinal System
– Mark safe passage areas
– Three buoys
• White buoy with red stripes
– Do not pass between buoy and nearest shore
• White buoy with black top
– Pass to north or east
• White buoy with red top
– Pass to south or west
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USWMS ATONs
BLACK & RED
Usually in pairs
Pass between these buoys
(Note: black being replaced by green)
PASS TO SPECIFIED DIRECTIONS OF THESE
Do not pass
between buoy and
nearest shore
Pass to South
or West
Pass to North
or East
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Non Lateral Marks -
Caution
• US Aid - Safe-Water Mark
– Spherical (ball-like) shape
– Indicates navigable water all around
– May be passed on either side
DO NOT CONFUSE THESE ATONS
• USWMS Cardinal Mark
– Do not pass between buoy and closest shore
– This is being changed - for now be careful
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Inland Seamanship
• Challenges include:
– Changing water depths
– Speed of currents
– Flash flooding
– Underwater hazards
– Effect of high winds
– Anchoring
– Isolation
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River Currents
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Can be quite strong
Are concentrated in the channel
Hinder movement upstream
Aid movement downstream
May run in different directions at
different depths
• Usually flow around outside of bends
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River Bends
• Outside Bend
– Water is deeper
– Current usually flows faster
• Inside Bend
– Water is shallower & shoaling
may occur
– Current is slower
• Differences can cause eddies &
slack water
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Other River Challenges
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Entering a current
Tows and other traffic
Debris & ice
Wing dams, dikes, and other devices
Dredges
Lowhead & High dams
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Maintaining Inland
Waters
• Responsibility of U.S. Corps of Engineers
• Techniques include
– Levees
– Revetments
– Dikes or wing dams
– Dredging
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Dredging
• Lights on dredge pipelines
• Dredge lights and shapes
Do not pass
this side
OK to pass
this side
Day Shapes
Do not pass
this side
Lights
OK to pass
this side
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Lowhead Dams
• Present on many rivers
• Most dangerous for boaters
• Efficient, self-operating drowning
machines
• Escape difficult if caught in “boil”
– Swim under and downstream
• Know where they are and avoid them
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Lowhead Dams
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Lowhead Dams
• See the boil?
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Lowhead Dams
• Looking Downstream
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Lowhead Dams
• Same spot, a little to the right
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Lowhead Dams
• Same spot, a little to the left
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Lowhead Dam
Looking
Downstream
(Photo Courtesy CT DEP)
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Lowhead Dam
• Unsuspecting
kayaker caught
• Result: Fatal
Kayak
(Photo Courtesy CT DEP)
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Lowhead Dam
Looking
Upstream
(Photo Courtesy CT DEP)
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High Dams
• Stay Out of Restricted Areas
– Marked by signs, buoys and/or flashing
lights
– Upstream - strong undertows
– Downstream - tailrace
• Boils & backwash
• Dam Gates
– Wicket v. Tainter
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Locks
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Operation
Priorities for Use
Commercial Traffic
Hazardous Cargo
Communications
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Lock Operation
©1999 PAF&BC
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Lock Operation
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Lock Operation
• Upstream lock door RISES from floor
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Lock Operation
• Downstream doors
swing or lift
• Watch for air BLAST
as it opens
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Locking Through
• Do Not Enter Without Appropriate Signal
– Green light or prolonged blast
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Follow Commands of Lockmaster
No Wake!
Wear PFD
Tie-Up to Appropriate Fitting
Tend Lines Carefully
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River Charts
• Sources
– NOAA (some)
– U.S. Corp of Engineers (most)
• Characteristics
– NOAA - essentially the same as coastal
charts
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River Charts
• Characteristics - Non-NOAA Charts
– Many show limited information
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Principal geographic features
Channel & sailing line
Fixed ATONs
Mile markers
– Navigation lights sometimes shown
– Water depths and buoys rarely shown
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River Charts
• Study River Charts Beforehand
– Symbols may be different than those on
coastal charts
– North is rarely “up”
– Note downstream direction
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Non NOAA River Chart
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NOAA River Chart
Portion of NOAA
Chart 12375 - CT
River
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Commercial Traffic
• Ocean-Going v. River Tows
– Beware: Ocean-going tows can be
found on many rivers, especially
near the mouth
• Watch Out For The Tow
– Keep clear
– Prop wash
– Blind spot
• VHF Communication
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Summary
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Inland Waters
Western River ATON, USWMS
Inland Seamanship
River Characteristics
River Maintenance
Low and High Dams
Locks
River Charts
Commercial Traffic
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