Navigation Question

[fountain27]

I was recently on a buddy's boat and encountered a channel marking that confused me. We were boating on the ocean side of Key Largo in a creek feeding Largo Sound.

Everything seemed normal until for some reason the markers seemed to switch from the "Red Right Returning" to exiting. Here is the NOAA chart with the markers highlighted with a red box.

The image is a smaller snap shot of NOAA chart 11464.

http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/11464.shtml

Any reason for the change?

I thought "Red, Right, Returning" when exiting a larger body of water.

I appreciate any replies.

 

[destination unknown]

Look at it this way, as you are heading north in the channel towards the two canals you are red right return, tide flow then the tide flows into North San Creek, still following the flow of the tide you are still red right return.
Once you get to the two canals you follow the shore to the west and pick up the next channel markers still red right return following the tide.

Confusing but simple.

 

[PascalG]

pretty strighforward... if you look at the marker nrs, you will see that the whole channel actaully starts off Rattlesnake Key in Gardern Cove, heads SW towards shore behind that small no name cay by G21 then into North Sand Cr to Largo Sound, ending just in the sound at G29

so it's RRR all the way into largo sound as it should be, returning from open water, into largo sound.

 

[getakey]

If you were headed north in the small channel within your boxed area, you were outbound

 

[fountain27]

Thanks everyone. I must say it was very confusing coming North from Key Largo sound and then seeing the flip.

 

[Good Grief]

Another key is the numbers on the daybeacons - in the area in question, they increase heading south, hence the channel is 'returning' to the south in the section from G"21" to R"26".

 

[stmbtwle]

Happens all the time when you go from one area to another when each has its own channel... leaving area #1 the red will be on the port, but when you start entering area #2 the red will be on the starboard. It can be confusing.

With "private" aids, anything can happen.

And then there's the ICW, which is another story entirely.