Hey, I actually know the answer to this.

Red right returning is the saying (mnemonic?).

The trick then becomes to know which way you're going.

I see a lot of people with little plastic green and red reminders
suction-cupped to the top of their compass. When they come about they simply
give them a spin them the other way. Where we are there's markers everywhere
and this is an easy way to remind you whether you're going up or down.

"Richard Malcolm" wrote in message
om...
I find such good info here that before I open up Chapmans, I thought I
would ask if someone wants to explain something to me. To give you a
little background, I have travelled in my boat from Boston, Maine,
cape cod, to NYC, ICW, hudson River, erie canal, many of the canals,
lake chaplian, St Lawence Seaway to Montreal, so I have some basic
understanding of bouys, etc.
My quick question is something like this: if I am crusing about 5-15
miles off shore and see a red bouy, even before I look at the chart,
what should I be thinking? Which side do I want to pass it on? Is
there a slogan like the "right on red when returning" that I should be
thinking? thanks for your time.
just so you know, I would check the chart first, before I proceeded.