not a dumb one
cortevans - Don't worry, there's no such thing as a dumb question if it's in the sincere quest for knowledge! In that spirit, here's the answer and if you become a boater, become a safe, courteous one.
There are actually four different "sticks", or "spar buoys" in the NH buoy system - white w/black top, white w/red top, all-black and all-red.
The simplest ones are the all-black and all-red. They indicate a channel, always come in black/red pairs and you always go between the pair, preferably slowly.
The other two are a bit more complicated, since they require that you know your general direction of travel. The black-top tells you to pass north or east of the buoy (black is a "cold" color and north and east are the "cold" directions). The red-top tells you to pass south or west of the buoy (red, south, and west are "warm"). For example, if you are approaching a red-top on a north-south course, you would pass the buoy on the west side. This sounds simple, but in reality can be confusing in certain areas of the lake. You should always carry a chart and go carefully in unfamiliar areas.
Hope this helps - happy and safe boating!
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