2. Do you remember the following words? Translate them into Ukrainian:

   floating – __________________________ traffic – ___________________________ bottom – __________________________ to indicate – ________________________ shoal – ____________________________ rule – _____________________________ previous – _________________________ feature – ___________________________ combined – ________________________

   mariner – __________________________ square – ___________________________ top – ______________________________ beacon – ___________________________ band – ____________________________ stripe – ____________________________ conditions – ________________________ to light (lit) – _______________________ particularly – _______________________

3. Read and translate the following text:

Buoys are used by maritime nations as floating traffic signs. Each buoy a mariner sees gives information.

Buoy is a distinctively shaped and coloured float, anchored to the bottom, to mark a location, warn of danger, or indicate a navigational channel. They direct you to safe, deep water, and away from dangers such as shoal water, isolated rocks, wrecks, and reefs.

In 1980 on a conference convened by the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), they agreed to adopt the rules of a new combined system, which combined the previous two systems (the Lateral buoyage system and the Cardinal buoyage system) into one system, with two regions (A and B). Buoys in the Lateral system are used to indicate the port and starboard sides of the fairways. Buoys in the Cardinal system are used to indicate how to pass a danger in a certain area.

The System applies to all fixed and floating marks except lighthouses, sector lights, leading lights and leading marks, light vessels and LANBYs (Large Automatic Navigation Buoy). It serves to indicate:

• Sides and centrelines of navigable channels.

• Navigable channels under fixed bridges.

• Natural dangers and other obstructions such as dangerous wrecks.

• Areas in which navigation may be subject to regulation.

• Other features of importance to the Mariner.

Most countries in the world use the IALA-A System, but the IALA-B System is used in North America, Central America and South America, the Philippines, Japan and Korea. One big difference between the two systems is that the colour of the buoys on either side of a channel is reversed.

Region A:

• port marks are red and may have a red flashing light of any rhythm;

• starboard marks are green and may have a green flashing light of any rhythm.

Region B:

• port marks are green and may have a green flashing light of any rhythm;

• starboard marks are red and may have a red flashing light of any rhythm.

Both regions:

• port marks are square or have a flat top;

• starboard marks are conical (or present a triangular shape) or have a pointed top.

Five types of mark (buoy) are provided by the System: Lateral, Cardinal, Isolated Danger, Safe Water and Special marks. Most lighted and unlighted beacons, other than leading marks, are included in the System. The lateral signs in the Region A and B are different, but the other four signs (i.e. cardinal, safe water, isolated danger and special) are common (identical) for these both regions.

Buoys and beacons may be of various shapes and colours.

Colours. Red and green are reserved for Lateral marks, and yellow for Special marks. Black and yellow or black and red bands, or red and white stripes, are used for other types of marks.

The shape is an important feature as colours cannot be distinguished in some light conditions. Five basic shapes were defined when the System was devised: Can (cylindrical), Conical, Spherical, Pillar and Spar.

Buoys may be lit and they may have topmarks.

Buoys are not only distinguished by their shapes and colours, but also by their topmarks (daymarks). Can, conical, spherical and X-shaped topmarks are the only topmarks used. On pillar and spar buoys the use of topmarks is particularly important.

Lights. Where marks are lighted red and green lights of the IALA System are reserved for Lateral marks and yellow lights for Special marks. White lights, distinguished one from another by their rhythm, are used for other types of mark.

Marks may also carry unique markings of letters and numbers; these may be used to identify the mark as one indicated on a nautical chart.