Buoy

A buoy is a floating device that can have many uses. It is usually anchored in a certain place. The word is most commonly said ([bɔɪ]) (as in buoyant), but in American English it is often pronounced [ˈbu.i].

Weather buoy

Types

Navigational aids

Buoys are used by ships to navigate or sail safely from place to place. They are used to mark a safe channel on a river, lake or harbour. They are used to mark dangerous rocks and other items which ships have to keep clear of.^[1] They can also be used to mark a shipwreck, pipelines or swimming areas.

Navigation Buoy

Buoy used for dinghy or yacht racing

Other uses

Buoys are used as marker for fishing, moorings for boats, yacht or dinghy racing, diving^[2] or weather stations^[3] and may be marked on charts as "Superbuoys".

References

1. http://www.iala-aism.org/web/pages/publications/docpdf/mbsenpdf/MBS1to3.pdf Maritime Buoyage System Archived 2006-10-08 at the Wayback Machine
2. Davies, D (1998). "Diver location devices". Journal of the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society. 28 (3). Archived from the original on 2009-05-19. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
3. IALA (2008). "International Dictionary of Marine Aids to Navigation – ODAS buoy". Retrieved 10 December 2016.