Navigation Articles
As the saying goes, ‘know the ropes and you’ll sail a boat, know the buoys and you’ll navigate the sea.’ Jon Mendez, a veteran sailor and boating enthusiast, shares his insights on understanding buoyage to reassure either first-time sailers or seasoned voyagers.
Buoyage is a universal language for seafarers and knowing how to interpret and use it is crucial for safe navigation. Countries typically adopt either inland or coastal systems, with the former usually starting beyond the first sea lock. The coastal systems, however, are further divided into IALA A and B systems. The differentiation lies primarily in the color of the marks, while the shapes generally remain consistent.
In the world of grand seafaring vehicles, few vessels capture the imagination quite like a superyacht. One such floating spectacle, the 92.5-meter yacht named ‘Royal Romance’, seized in the maritime nation of Croatia in 2022, is set to make a temporary voyage to the historically rich port of Trogir. The purpose? Mandatory technical maintenance to ensure the vessel remains in peak condition. The impressive move was officially announced on 16 June by Ukraine’s National Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA), the authoritative entity that oversees the yacht’s current disposition.