Daymark

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

Daymark on St Martin's, Isles of Scilly

Triangular daymark in the marina of Ystad, 2021

Scharhörn daymark in 1898

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

• Trinity House Obelisk, UK
• Kingswear Daymark, UK
• Tasku beacon tower, Finland
• Keskiniemi beacon tower, Finland
• Hiidenniemi beacon tower, Finland
• Laitakari beacon tower, Finland
• Herring Tower, Langness, Isle of Man
• Le Hocq, Jersey
• La Tour Cârrée, Jersey
• Scharhörnbake, Germany

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

• Landmark
• Lighthouse
• Sea mark