Hazard Area Outside Suissevale Markings
 

Just saw a bowrider zip through (well, almost) the hazard area going west between Smith Point and Suissevale and smash his outdrive up--he had a map and knew to stay south/west of red and north/east of black, but that doesn't apply here. Can someone explain the markings here?

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I'm not sure if it's the same area your referring to, But I've seen a few get In trouble in that area, with a black top near a red where you can go north of but not east of the black. Ive seen them try to go between, which would put you east of black and west of red and hit. I don't have my chart with me but interested to hear more experienced people from the area chime in. I remember a thread last year, maybe titled "another one bites the dust" or something similar. I was trying to dig it up, I don't remember where the thread was referring to.

Markers by Lincoln Island
 

I looked at the chart and there are a series of markers west of Lincoln Island.
Passage there can get confusing if the person reading the chart confuses Lat and Long lines with dashed safe passing lines. The markers are placed so you should have safe passage between them The safe passage dashed line shows you to pass east of red and west of black. I think the chart is wrong about safe passage. Also, the inset on the chart shows more buoys than the main chart. (Bizer 4th Edition). Now on an older chart 1979-1980 Chart shows same markers with safe passage between and course direction would be correct.

I'm a bit confused as the route from Smith Point to Suissevale is pretty much due north.

West of Lincoln Island are five buoys arranged (somewhat) in a semi-circle. Counting clockwise, let's give them names: Red1, Red2, Black3, Black4, and Red5. All five buoys are on Bizer's chart, both the main chart and the large-scale inset. On the main chart, Red2 and Black3 have been replaced by red and black dots because the area is so congested. This is mentioned in the legend section in the lower left of Bizer's chart.

Bizer affirms the boating routes on its chart. Behind Red1 is a rock that penetrates the surface by a substantial amount. There is little mystery there. Between Red2 and Black3 is a rock about three feet below the surface in the fall. It's somewhat deeper now, so if you go zipping between these two buoys, you might not find that rock. Between Black4 and Red5, however, is a rock that pokes above the surface in the fall. This is easily seen if you poke through this area at idle speed with a pair of polarized sunglasses. Not only that, but about 150 feet north of this rock is another rock about two feet below the surface. With nothing else known but the OP's post, the bowrider probably hit one of these two rocks.

If the bowrider damaged his boat in an area not depicted with blue tint on Bizer's chart, we'll give them $250. We'll gladly pay money in an effort to make our chart just a little bit more accurate than it was before. And you don't even have to damage your boat to collect the $250 reward, but we give priority to anyone that does. (limit: 1 reward per shallow area within 100 yards and not declared on Bizer's corrections page). In the past eleven years, Bizer has given out $1150 to people who found a shallow area not marked in blue on Bizer's chart. One person refused the reward.

Bizer, from Smith Point to Suissevale is due north, but the main traffic is northwest, so, coming from the southeast there is the hazard circle you mention, but the first buoy to the right is red and followed by a black. The boater I saw was going between that red and black when he should have gone to the right, and around, both.

My question is why there is a red buoy there when the clear path is north/northeast.

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Thought I'd show the area so others would know whats being discussed here.

It's tricky in low water. I hit bottom once, about 40 years ago. I haven't heard the same sound, from my house, since then ;)

No matter how accurate a chart is and how accurate the markers are placed, when you see a tight cluster of hazards like this, go around it. Even though there are dotted lines that imply you can make it in between, it looks like you could get in a lot of trouble depending on your angle of approach. It is very difficult to translate information on a chart (a top down view) to a line of site (horizontal view).