This is fine, but I believe the original poster was talking about a
buoy, well offshore, nowhere near any harbor, not related to any harbor,
not near or about any channel, entrance or approach to a harbor .... by
itself, alone ....
YES, EXACTLY MY QUESTION

In this case, traveling in a Southerly direction on
the Atlantic Coastline, you will leave this buoy to stbd. If you see a
buoy like that... there aren't all that many

YOU MAY BE RIGHT, BUT IT SEEMS TO ME, LAST WEEK WHEN I WENT FROM
BOSTON HARBOR TO PORTLAND, ME, I SAW QUITE A FEW

.... you should immediately check your chart to see where the hazard
is. However, if you don't have
a chart ....
I ALMOST ALWAYS DO HAVE ONE

leave the buoy to stbd and give it plenty of searoom. They
do exist out there, and the recognition of only ONE red buoy, becomes
important as to how you should expect to pass it.

THANKS, I am begining to get it. "Returning" in the RRR not only means
into a harbor, up a river, or small to big numbers, it also means,
when on the East Coast, travelling southerly or westerly.

Can I assume, without making an ass of u or me, that if it is a big
old lonely green one that I would treat it the opposite of the red
one? and if I was heading North I would do the opposite of heading
southerly?

either way, check the chart!