[GWC...]

Originally Posted by skprbob

Hazelnut et al,

Perhaps I can shed some light here - I was a camper/counsellor at Camp Idlewild for 14 summers, still work out there occasionally, and occasionally skipper the Sophie C through there.

As long as I can remember, that marker in question has been a red-top and does mark a very large rock which we Idlewilders used to call "mailboat rock". It may help to think of the markers in this way - a red-top marker indicates danger to the north or east and a black-top marker indicates danger to the south or west - rather than in terms of a course to follow. In the case of this marker, there is danger to its east. The black-top marker at light #41 marks danger to both its south and its west, namely the big rock pile.

If you approach the ared from the Broads side, note that the Cow Island shoreline runs essentially due north. As you pass the Idlewild dock and approch the red-top, it should be quite clear that you keep that marker on your right, thus passing it to the west and avoiding the danger to the east. You can the continue to light #41 and keep that black-top on your left as you turn toward Little Bear Island. Coming from Little Bear, it's obviously opposite.

Hope this helps.

You must have a lot of fun passing to the right of FL1 and its companion blacktop spar (keeping it on your left) when leaving the Weirs and heading toward Eagle Island.