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Range Markers

by John MacFarlane 2016

Range Markers (Photo from the John MacFarlane collection. )

Ranges consist of two or more navigation marks which are at different elevations. When kept visually in line, they guide a vessel on a recommended safe course. Mariners are advised to correct their course toward the lower of the two markers to keep them in line. The safe zone does not run on forever though and at some designated point on the chart a course change must be made on to a newer safe course setting.

Range Markers (Photo from the John MacFarlane collection. )

The Canadian Aids to Navigation System 2011 states "A range consists of a trapezoidal shape fixed navigation marks with the front day mark resembling the lower half of an hourglass and the rear day mark resembling the top half of an hourglass; and consist of a red, white, or black strip running vertically on the front and rear day marks, superimposed on a red, white, or black background. Ranges may or may not be lighted. If lighted, the colours of the range day marks as well as the colours and characters of the lights are advertised in the appropriate List of Lights, Buoys and Fog Signals publication. In some cases, 24 hours range lights may be provided without the addition of day marks."

To quote from this article please cite:

MacFarlane, John M. (2016) Range Markers. Nauticapedia.ca 2016. http://nauticapedia.ca/Gallery/Buoy_Range.php

Site News: January 14, 2025

The vessel database has been updated and is now holding 94,957 vessel histories (with 16,337 images and 13,935 records of ship wrecks and marine disasters).

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My thanks to Ray Warren who is beginning a long process of filling gaps in the photo record of the vessel histories in the vessel database. Ray has been documenting the ships of Vancouver Harbour for more than 60 years.

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Thanks to John Spivey who is beginning his 4th year of fact checking all of the entries in the vessel database.

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