Aids Verifier Overview

Definition of an Aid to Navigation Any device, external to a vessel, intended to assist navigators to determine their position, safe course, or to warn them of dangers or obstructions to navigation.

Definition of a Buoy Any unmanned, floating aid to navigation that is moored to the seabed. May be lighted or unlighted. The seabed is owned by the Corp of Engineers and is licensed to the Coast Guard who authorizes private parties to deploy PatoNs.

Any signal placed in the navigable waterways of the United States by any person or institution other than the U.S. Coast Guard or other branch of the Armed Forces is considered to be a private aid to navigation. Private Aid Definition

PRIVATE AIDS Aids are subject to inspection at any time without prior notice. New aids should be verified for accuracy, soon after they are established. Discontinued aids should be inspected for proper removal.

UNAUTHORIZED PatoNS Unauthorized PatoN’s are subject to a fine of up to $100 per offense Each day an unauthorized aid is in operation is a separate offense If more than one aid marks a waterway, each aid is also a separate offense

A verification of an aid means that you have applied all of your acquired knowledge of discrepancies on aids to navigation, while observing the aid, and you did not find any problem. What is the definition of a “verification”?

8 The Auxiliary Bridge Program: By law, the USCG is responsible to see that bridge owners light their bridges and comply with federal bridge regulations. CG district bridge offices have limited staff and cannot look at each bridge themselves. If the C.G. doesn’t know about a bridge discrepancy, they can’t get it fixed. The C.G. needs the Auxiliary’s eyes in the field to report bridge problems so they can get the owners to rectify them.

9 1.Bridge Discrepancy Reports Problem reports from any member 2.Annual Bridge Surveys A comprehensive review and report of a bridge done by certified Aids Verifiers (District specific) The Bridge Program has two main parts:

10 The C.G. is only interested in bridge features that affect navigation, not those that affect the road or rail traffic that use the bridge. We report on lighting, fenders, operations, or obstructions in the channel. We don’t report problems with the roadway, road signs, rail road tracks, or the bridge structure, nor any other bridge issues that don’t affect navigation.

Session Headings are: 1 Nautical Publications 2 Nautical Charts 3 GPS & Depth-finder Units 4 Measuring Latitude & Longitude 5 Intro to Basic AtoN Training 6 Buoys & Day Boards 7 Verifying Private Aids to Nav 11

Continued Demo of Harbormaster (PATON DB) 8 Discrepancy 9 Chart Updating Training Session 10 USCG Auxdata Hours 11 Bridge Administration Demo of Bridge Database 12 Bridge Lighting & Protection 12

End Overview