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Sector Light

by John MacFarlane 2016

Sector Light 511 G5580 at Cape Mudge (Quadra Island)) (Photo from the John MacFarlane collection. )

A sector light consists of a single light whose total luminous beam is normally divided into sectors of different colours to provide a warning or a leading line to mariners. When only a red sector is used within a white luminous beam, the red sector marks obstructions such as shoals.

A combination of red, white and green sectors in a luminous beam is used to provide a leading line to mariners. When proceeding upstream, the red sector indicates the starboard hand limit, the white sector indicates the recommended course, and the green sector indicates the port hand limit. When proceeding downstream the positions of the red and green sectors are reversed.

This one at Cape Mudge is located on the beack at the Western extremity. 49 59 54.8 125 11 44.2 White 316° through N. and E. to 134°, red 134° to 149°, white 149° to 151°. Year round.

To quote from this article please cite:

MacFarlane, John M. (2016) Sector Light. Nauticapedia.ca 2016. http://nauticapedia.ca/Gallery/Buoy_Sector.php

Site News: December 21, 2024

The vessel database has been updated and is now holding 94,824 vessel histories (with 16,274 images and 13,929 records of ship wrecks and marine disasters).

Vessel records are currently being reviewed and updated with more than 45,000 processed so far this year (2024).

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

Thanks to contributor Mike Rydqvist McCammon for the hundreds of photos he has contributed to illustrate British Columbia’s floating heritage.

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