MacGregorSailors.com

yukonbob wrote:

Tomfoolery wrote:

yukonbob wrote:The light requirements and specific combinations for all vessels (not just small recreational boats) are not a minimum requirement; they are a very specific combination of colour, placement, angle, visibility range so that other vessels can quickly identify what you are, which direction you are heading, where you are in relation to them and also help in determining positions based on an accepted standard of conditions.

Just a minor clarification (and not trying to be picky), but there is one minimum in those requirements: light intensity and distance range of visibility. The COLREGs specifically call them out as minimums, and allow shorter range as boats get smaller. But if anyone is distrustful or uncomfortable with 1-mile sidelights and/or 2-mile masthead, stern, or all-round white anchor light, they can always jump up a size to 2-mile and 3-mile, respectively. Or conceivably more, but those units get pretty big, pretty fast, with increase in range.

From Rule 22: "The lights prescribed in Rules 20-31 shall have an intensity as specified in [ Section 8 of ] Annex I to these Rules so as to be visible at the following minimum ranges:" (emphasis added)

Thanks TF, Exactly. Watching lights in the dark plays tricks on your mind. You rarely see something and go "I know exactly what that is and where it is" You watch it for ten minutes, ask "what is that?" watch it for another five minutes, starring intensely at it, reducing throttle, "WTF is THAT?" (at this point if you could see in the dark I bet it would look hilarious cause theres usually a mile between you and whatever it is that you're looking at) Then at some point something in your brain clicks and "Oh thats what that is! Why didn't I see that before?" Its also good to remember that these are three dimensional light patterns as well and can take a while to determine, what, where and how its orientated.

I've even had trouble (of sorts) pulling into a new harbor at night, even though I've been there in the daylight and knew what the procedure was (range markers, private lighted buoys, etc.). I've even gotten a bit disoriented after leaving a marina during the day and returning after dark, and I was just there a few hours earlier. Everything looks different in the dark, and not always in a good way. Navigation software with GPS positioning is very helpful, but oddly enough, I've found myself second-guessing what the software was telling me, just because the dark really changes perception.

And little lights on small vessels aren't any different, at least once it's dark enough that you can't see the outline of the vessel. Or for that matter, big lights on big vessels. It's spooky being 10 miles from shore on a Great Lake and coming close enough to a freighter to pay some real attention. I keep them miles away, but they're hard to judge. Fortunately, the nav lighting on them really does help a lot, and they have two masthead lights, one higher than the other, one forward and one aft, to also help in determining their heading relative to your boat. Red or green sidelight plus one masthead (steaming) light is better than nothing, but two white lights along the ship's centerline is very clear as to heading. So I guess it's not a surprise big vessels are required to use two of them.

It seems we have two major camps here:
One that recommends a proper anchor light that meets Coast Guard requirements and will avoid prosecution and then those who would use a brightly lighted disco ball so no-one could avoid seeing them

Nine out of ten times when we anchor its in an established anchorage and we are not required to display any lights. I am just usually the guy coming/leaving into/out of anchorage in the dark and have seen proper lights, no lights and UFO's and can say that I prefer proper lights or no lights (at anchor) to something I can't identify. Even deck flood lights can throw you for a real loop...Coming into a sheltered anchorage we'd never been to before a fishing boat had his decks lights on and no anchor light. I could have swore it was a house and there wasn't supposed to be any houses where we were going.

Disclaimer..on the legal risk scale, I'm on the far left at " reckless to a fault"

If you are involved in a boating accident with death/dismemberment, you will be found partially liable. By the time the lawyers in a big case are done, something will be found wrong with your boat/actions, even sitting at anchor.

Avoidance should dominate our agendas, not being ' legal'.

How many legal claims are there per year for at-anchor incidents ? I'm guessing not enough for us to worry about.

Catigale wrote:Disclaimer..on the legal risk scale, I'm on the far left at " reckless to a fault"

If you are involved in a boating accident with death/dismemberment, you will be found partially liable. By the time the lawyers in a big case are done, something will be found wrong with your boat/actions, even sitting at anchor.

Avoidance should dominate our agendas, not being ' legal'.

How many legal claims are there per year for at-anchor incidents ? I'm guessing not enough for us to worry about.

Agreed. Why not both. Legal anchor light and then bubble wrap your hull at night? Sometimes, it's hard to prevent stupid. I recall a case of a jet ski that plowed into/through the side of sailboat at night. Miraculously, the sailboat had a massive hole and new addition to the cabin yet didn't sink. Unfortunately for the jetski rider, instant death.

You are correct about lawyers. It is their job to make their opponent a demon. I can only imagine the lawsuit on that one. Billy was right, kill all of them.

yukonbob wrote:...During these times no other lights that could be mistaken for lights specified in the rules can be displayed, nor any lights that may impair the visibility or distinctive character of the navigation lights....

The above is important. Adding string lights or flood lights to shrouds or along deck lines can improve others ability to distinguish what and where you are like here

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/kdstone ... _scale.jpg

Adding a few single points of light to your boat can impair the visibility or change the distinct character of the navigation lights. If you were coming across this guy head on what while he was anchored and say fishing would you think?

http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a47 ... ng/287.jpg

Two green starboard lights close together and a single red bar in the air. His intent is that he is visible from the sides, but not everyone is going to approach form that angle.

Or if you came up behind this guy

http://img.nauticexpo.com/images_ne/pho ... 975221.jpg

If you want to add extra light go crazy with it, adding just a few can make things worse. Prosecution is the lowest thing on my list of worries.

Just want to withdraw my previous statement about those cheap ones (as per Russ's photo of it clamped to his boom) not being bright enough.

Mine was a bit corroded after 6 years of use (over 2 boats) and I just bought new one yesterday, and its a different kind of LED used in them now and they seem to work well. (might not have to bother hanging my lantern from the shroud anymore I reckon!).
https://www.whitworths.com.au/main_item ... lutePage=1

And just out of interest. I put a set of heavy duty C sized batteries in the new one and paddled out there on my kayak and left it on the boat. Yesterday I retrieved it after leaving it out there 8 days ago and was amazed when I got home and noticed that the anchor light was still burning away. Not much juice left mind you and perhaps the solar garden light on there was now brighter than the anchor light, but still, not bad .

Sure wish they would bring these lights out with a built in little solar panel, would make them perfect for my needs....

Mac26Mpaul wrote:And just out of interest. I put a set of heavy duty C sized batteries in the new one and paddled out there on my kayak and left it on the boat. Yesterday I retrieved it after leaving it out there 8 days ago and was amazed when I got home and noticed that the anchor light was still burning away. Not much juice left mind you and perhaps the solar garden light on there was now brighter than the anchor light, but still, not bad .

Sure wish they would bring these lights out with a built in little solar panel, would make them perfect for my needs....

Was that Heavy Duty Dry Cells ... or Alkaline cells?


Many thanks.
Neo

Was just some cheapo heavy duty cells I got from somewhere in one of those bulk packs of 12 or something, not alkaline. Have the light here now and it is still definitely putting out more light than what my other one of these did, even with new batteries!

That amazing! .... Alkaline should double that time at least .... and will stay bright until the end finally comes

Yes, the old one which is barely visible would have lasted that long too but was nowhere near as bright. It comes with another mounting option too, a smaller clamp which can be screwed somewhere and the light just slotted into this clamp when needed or left permanently (I''ll be putting it on the side of my solar panel). One bad point is that there is no waterproof seal in these lights. There was a bit of water in it. My other one ended up with corrosion in it.

I wish someone would come out with something like this WITH a waterproof seal and a built in solar panel!

Mac26Mpaul wrote: wish someone would come out with something like this WITH a waterproof seal and a built in solar panel!

I guess the manufacture thinks that water always falls to the ground "so why bother" ... but they're wrong