Pelee Passage, FI 4s 22.6m 5M Racon -- (M) - 34 cents 1985 - Canadian stamp
Specifications
- Quantity: 6 381 200
- Issue date: October 3, 1985
- Printer: Ashton-Potter Limited
- Scott: #1064
Description
Today's lighthouses warn sailors of shoals and dangerous shorelines under all weather conditions. Day and night, rain or shine, these stations stand out from their surroundings with contrasting forms and colours, making their presence known by powerful beacons and foghorns. Many also emit radio or radar signals. These stamps, which illustrate four modern navigational aid stations, complete our 1984-85 series on historic and modern Lighthouses of Canada. Located on a shoal in Lake Erie, Pelee Passage light begins operating with the spring breakup. Fully automated, it is powered by solar panels and requires only a regular routine inspection. The station is equipped with a light visible for 9.3 km in clear weather and a racon. Montreal designer Louis-André Rivard chose an approach that comes naturally to him - that of a sailor - to illustrate the second stamp issue commemorating Lighthouses of Canada. The designs feature four modern lighthouses as viewed from the open sea. The inscriptions reproduced on each stamp are the same as those a sailor might find in studying marine maps and other navigational aid publications, giving details on the lighthouse's beacon. They indicate the light's rhythm, colour, height above sea level, and the distance from which it can be seen. The inscriptions also note the communications equipment available for use in the lighthouses. For example, in the case of the Haut-fond light, the inscriptions convey the following meanings: Fl 2½s: flashes a white light every 2½ seconds; 25.3m: elevation of light in metres above sea level; 20M: visible for 20 nautical miles (37 km) in clear weather.
Canada Post Corporation. [Postage Stamp Press Release], 1985.
Creators
Designed by Louis-André Rivard
Note
The values on this page are in Canadian dollars (CAD).