In my last article, we talked about how to navigate on Lake Gaston. The ATONS (Aids TO Navigation) are different for us inland boaters.

Now, let's talk about the markers on the Inter Coastal. These buoys and markers are the "traffic signals" that guide boat operators safely along some waterways. The also identify dangerous or restricted areas and give directions and information. As a recreational boat operator you will need to know the lateral navigation markers and non-lateral markers of the U.S. Aids to Navigation Systems. If you never do any boating on the inter-coastal – you'll never remember what I'm going to address in the following paragraphs. However, if you do decide to go boating on the inter-coastal – be sure to brush up on your navigation 'buoys'. It can get real hairy out there with markers that you are unfamiliar with.

In this article, I am only going to focus on the markers on Lake Gaston. In my next article, I will focus on the ‘lateral markers,’ or what we call ATON’s. (Aids TO Navigation).

Our lake runs ‘west’ to ‘east’ and is about 34 miles long. Our shoreline is over 350 miles. We have many ‘creeks’ and the varying depths and obstructions make it important to know how to safely navigate.

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