| Do you know what the diamond shape on a buoy | | | | latitude and longitude of light symbols as waypoints in |
| symbol means on your nautical chart? Could you tell | | | | your nautical gps. This gives you a highly reliable |
| the navigational significance of a black dot or a small | | | | navigation source that you can trust. |
| open circle? If you want to learn to sail like a pro, you | | | | 4. Square and Triangular Daybeacon Secrets |
| will need to know these five super important chart | | | | Daybeacons are simple pilings of wood or steel, driven |
| navigation chart symbol secrets. | | | | into the seabed with dayboards bolted to the top on |
| 1. Buoy Body Shapes Made Simple | | | | two or three sides. On your navigational chart, they are |
| Scan the chart for diamond or "pie-pan" shapes, which | | | | shown as small squares or triangles. Look for the color |
| show floating aids to navigation (buoys). Those that | | | | of the daybeacon near the symbol. R means red |
| mark the sides of channel edges, isolated dangers, or | | | | (triangles) and G means green (square). Beware of the |
| specific areas show a small diamond. A shape that | | | | deadly white beacon. Circle in bold any solid white |
| looks like the profile of a pie pan indicates a mooring | | | | square beacon because these are used to mark |
| buoy, used by vessels to tie up to. For safety, keep | | | | super dangerous rocks or wrecks. |
| clear of mooring buoys unless you've paid to use it! | | | | 5. Prominent Landmarks for Accurate Navigation |
| 2. Segmented Buoys Mean Multicolored | | | | Don't forget those all important land objects, like a tank, |
| Some buoy body symbols are cut into two | | | | tower, spire, cupola (a dome shaped roof), and so |
| parts--either with a horizontal or vertical line. This | | | | many more. Look for those that have a small black |
| shows that the buoy carries more than one color. On | | | | dot enclosed by a circle. That means you can rely on |
| buoys with horizontal segments, look for the | | | | the position for navigation. On the other hand, a |
| abbreviations RG or GR (red-green, or green-red), or | | | | landmark that shows a smaller circle without a central |
| BR (black-red) nearby. On buoys with vertical stripes, | | | | dot means "navigator beware!" These are |
| look for the abbreviation RW (red-white) nearby. | | | | approximate positions--good for basic reference but |
| 3. Lights Stand Out as Exclamation Marks | | | | it's best not to rely on them for waypoints. |
| Highlight those all important light structures and light | | | | Use these five super important chart navigation |
| houses. Cartographers draw a teardrop shape with a | | | | symbol shapes to boost your sailing navigation skills to |
| black dot on the end, much like an exclamation mark. | | | | new heights. You will be well on your way to reading a |
| The teardrop has a magenta (purple) color. The black | | | | nautical chart like a pro--no matter where in the world |
| dot represents the exact position of the light. Use the | | | | you choose to cruise! |