All Boaters Must Know This! ~ How To Navigate the ICW | Boating 101 Navigation Tutorial

In the ICW instead of trying to remember North-Green-Starboard (which is actually false on the west coast of FL) and a lot to remember even for me, I just remember that the red triangles always are on the mainland side of the channel. Red is dark and looks like sand/clay so it reminds me that red represents the mainland side of the channel and I should stay on the ocean side of that marker in the ICW. Green is a lighter color and the color of ocean up here in stuart sometimes so that represents the ocean side of the channel and I should be staying on the mainland side of that marker.

I wonder why America chose to have their markers back to front to international regulations

Took Power Squadron here. Couple little tricks I learned. In addition to red, right, return.....should be red, right, return, rising. If you are on the wrong side of the red marker, and it's on your right and going down in numbers...you are on the wrong side. Also, those little reflectors (yellow) on the markers actually will change. Meaning if you have a crossing channel going perpendicular to the ICW, rather than adding a conflicting marker, the symbol that is yellow and either a triangle or square, can be opposite. So a green marker could have a triangle on it, if that marker is in a spot at a crossing channel where a red marker would be.....so the green becomes a red when it falls in along the line of where a red marker would be on a crossing channel. Make sense? Although I am here in the Fort Myers area, I haven't seen an example of this, but it was in the class and on the test.

Starboard side

Starboard side

It should be on the right side.

ON MY RIGHT BUDDY !!!!!

Square on green Should be on the Starboard side

Another phrase to remember regarding the Intracoastal Waterway is that we are “Returning to Texas.” Therefore, keep red on the right as you are heading to Texas.

on the right or starboard side

right side mike

That was helpful and something new to learn . Going north from Miami keep the green on the right. Going South green on the left. Go, Green, Left / Red, Right, Return for most situations- Thank you

Generally good information, however, you should remember that on the Intracoastal waterway (ICW), the boater follows the yellow color markers — not the color (red or green) of the channel marker. There are channel markers and then there are ICW channel markers. ICW channel markers always have a yellow rectangle or square, and in the event two markers offer conflicting directions, the yellow colors supersede the colors of the actual red or green marker on which they appear.

There's a t in there kid.

Is that a 25 Competition?

There are 200 countries on the planet.
In 198, green is starboard for inward bound, red is port.
In merica and the phillapines (due to dumbmerican influence), they are the other way around.
The priority is for vessels that have been at sea and require the best information to navigate home.
What does 'international' mean in the mirriam webster dictionary?

Left. Red, right, return!

Great video, my Dad taught me long time ago…. RED ,RIGHT ,RETURN!

Red right returning.

Going into Port should be on the right side

starboard

What if you're in a airboat. Doesn't matter how deep the water is

I don’t know ALL the markers from decades ago. 1 very important I recall is RIGHT/RED/RETURN.

Right

I would say starboard side going north. That was a great lesson. Thank you.

So it's like driving. Simple enough. Green is going out and stay in your lame one the way out. Red means stay right so you can return

Left side

You are heading north captain the green icw marker is on your right

I built almost all of the channel markers during 2005-2009 while in the US Coast Guard.

Left

Square to the right when returning home.

Mike, a little hack I used to remember the ICW
: RS = Red South - Red Right South
And the abbreviation of Green - GRN = Green Right North.

On Starboard (right) when traveling north. Lars

Starboard Side. Right Side

Starboard going north ocean side

Red Right Return, Square marker to the right .

On left side

left side

When not sure of any water stay in the channel

Green square on the starboard side

Thanks I recently moved to Merritt Island, FL. I knew the Red, Right, Return and understood what it means. When I would go up and down it Intercoastal I was always a little unsure as to what side the Red was supposed to be on. Great job pointing that out.👍

Left side

I liked this video Mike very instructive.Thank you.

Great video for traveling the ICW. Clear explanation and easy to understand.

Awesome video brother. I remember riding with my Buddy and running into shallow water getting stuck, luckily I jumped out and wiggled the boat loose and back to the deeper water. It was a lesson learned once we got back to the Boston dock.

Right

Should be on the right

right side

Green on left when heading North .