Asked at a recent PE Class, why is the red cone-shaped buoy called a Nun Buoy? Can anyone point me to history on how the name nun buoy came into being. Looking around on the internet, I see lots of definitions but haven't found anything that says where the name came from.

Well, it looks like a nun's hat from a distance. The problem is that not many nuns (sisters) actually wear habits anymore, so the term is no longer very helpful.

This was interesting:

nun buoy (plural nun buoys)


noun

Definition:

cone-shaped buoy: a buoy with a rounded middle and tapering ends, used to mark the right-hand side of a harbor channel


[Early 18th century. < nun "child's top," origin ?]