Editing Cardinal mark (section)

==Mnemonics==
The north and south topmarks are self-explanatory (both cones pointing up, or both pointing down).  Remembering the east and west marks can be more of a problem.

The most natural way to distinguish the topmarks for east and west is to "follow the Sun"—the top cone indicates the direction the Sun would appear to move when visible in the part of the sky that corresponds to the mark's communicated direction, while the bottom cone indicates likewise for the Sun's reflection on a calm ocean surface.  So when a topmark consists of two cones pointing ''away'' from each other, this should suggest the Sun moving ''away'' from its reflection on a calm ocean surface, which happens when the Sun [[sunrise|''rises'']], and a ''rising'' Sun is visible to the ''east''.  Likewise, a topmark with two cones pointing ''toward'' each other should suggest a [[sunset|''setting'']] Sun, which is visible to the ''west''.{{sfn|Sanders|2018}}

Other mnemonics have been devised for the east and west marks in case the mnemonic that uses the Sun is difficult to grasp.  For example:
* East looks like an '''E'''aster '''e'''gg.  The western mark has a pinched waist: "'''W'''estern '''w'''omen have '''w'''asp '''w'''aists".{{sfn|Noice|2013|p=130}}
* East looks like a classical letter E/epsilon.  The western mark looks like a "W" on its side, or "'''W'''est '''w'''inds '''w'''ool" (looks like a [[bobbin]]){{sfn|Cunliffe|2016|p=34}}
* East is larger around the middle: "'''E'''quatorially '''e'''nlarged".  West is a '''w'''oman's '''w'''aist.{{sfn|RYA|1985|loc=plates between pp 72 and 73}}
* West looks like a wine glass with the narrow stem and wide top and bottom.

The colours can be remembered this way:  ''The two conical top-marks always point to black''.
*If the top-marks point to the top, black is at the top.
*If the top-marks point to the bottom, black is at the bottom.
*If the top-marks point to the middle, black is at the middle.
*If the top-marks point to the outside, black is at the outside.