Module 16 - Pilotage
Cardinal Marks
North has both cone points up and black over yellow; south has both points down and yellow over black. East has the cone points apart with bases together and black-yellow-black bands; west has the points together and yellow-black-yellow bands. State the action with the name: north cardinal—safer water lies north of the mark.
At night, north shows uninterrupted quick or very quick white flashes. East uses a group of three, west a group of nine, and south six quick or very quick flashes followed by one long flash. The 3–6–9 groups match a clock face; the long flash distinguishes south from a nine-flash group.
The named side is the initial safe-water message, not a command to pass close. Inspect the chart to see what the mark protects, then apply depth, tide, traffic and route margins. If a topmark is missing or a light is hard to count, use the other available cues and hold off a doubtful approach.
Use topmark, band order and light rhythm as independent checks.
- North: points up, black over yellow, continuous Q or VQ white
- East: points apart, black-yellow-black, white Q(3) or VQ(3)
- South: points down, yellow over black, white Q(6)+LFl or VQ(6)+LFl
- West: points together, yellow-black-yellow, white Q(9) or VQ(9)
| Mark | Topmark | Body colours | White light if lit | Safer side |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North | Both points up | Black over yellow | Q or VQ continuous | North |
| East | Points apart | Black-yellow-black | Q(3) or VQ(3) | East |
| South | Both points down | Yellow over black | Q(6)+LFl or VQ(6)+LFl | South |
| West | Points together | Yellow-black-yellow | Q(9) or VQ(9) | West |
Optional quick check
Section 7 of 8
A mark shows yellow-black-yellow bands and two cone points together. What is the safe-water message?
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