Bouée Euler

Maritime signs

Along the coastal path, past the Port de la Gravette, this maritime beacon attracts walkers.


It is a southern cardinal beacon, named "EULER".
An Egui 5000 type, it signalled danger from the wreck of a boat of the same name, which sank during the Second World War.
It was located so that the safest waters were to the south of it (cardinal south).

An explanatory panel explains its role in ensuring the safety of ships using the Loire channel, by marking the areas at risk at sea.
Its colours, black and yellow, are composed in roughly equal proportions above the waterline:


the top is yellow
and the bottom black.



How the maritime beacon works

Although the colours are not easily distinguishable from a distance, the cones on the buoys will indicate a specific cardinal and differentiate it.
The cones always point towards black:


while the cones of the northern cardinal point upwards,
those of the southern cardinal point downwards, as can be seen on the Euler buoy.


At night, they can be identified by their flashing lights. They are easily recognised by their flashing lights.

This type of buoy bears one or more identifying letters, in this case "EULER".

Deposited by the Lighthouses and Beacons Service, this buoy was offered to the Municipality of La Plaine-sur-Mer and installed on the commune's coastline.


A little extra: You can discover the site by taking the "Port de la Gravette" walking trail.

Did you know? Léonard Euler (1707-1783) was an 18th-century Swiss physicist and inventor.