Daymark

Daymark on St Martin's, Isles of Scilly
Triangular daymark in the marina of Ystad, 2021
Scharhörn daymark in 1898

A daymark is a navigational aid for sailors and pilots, distinctively marked to maximize its visibility in daylight.[1]

The word is also used in a more specific, technical sense to refer to a signboard or daytime identifier that is attached to a day beacon or other aid to navigation.[2] In that sense, a daymark conveys to the mariner during daylight hours the same significance as the aid's light or reflector does at night.[3] Standard signboard shapes are square, triangular, and rectangular, while the standard colours are red, green, orange, yellow, and black.[2]

Notable daymarks

Symbols used on US charts

Chart symbols used by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Department, 2013.[4]

Paper chart Simplified Simplified symbol name
Square or rectangular daymark
Triangular daymark, point up
Triangular daymark, point down
Retro reflector

See also

References

  1. ^ "daymark". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2021-10-04. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ^ a b "Nautical Terms for boating and marine industry terminology". www.marineinstitute.org. Archived from the original on 2003-12-17. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  3. ^ Light List, Volume II, Atlantic Coast. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. 2015. pp. ix.
  4. ^ US Chart No. 1: Symbols, Abbreviations and Terms used on Paper and Electronic Navigational Charts. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Department of Defense National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2013. p. 86.
  • The dictionary definition of daymark at Wiktionary