Wow. How did this end up?This isnt about an anchor light but pretty scary about miscarriages of justice...
https://abc7news.com/archive/7215012/
I just looked it up. He settled in 2014, it's not clear how much he got but the article says about $210,000. Lake County's, Sacramento County's and the former deputy's insurance paid it out with Lake County on the hook for a $10,000 deductible.Wow. How did this end up?
O.K., gotcha!A very bright, $$, compact brand of flashlight. This is mine shining on a wrench on the floor of my well lit garage.
I believe that is true.I think that in the designated field, the lights are not required
Take your dink out a couple hundred yards and do a circuit around the boat. The mast won't block the light. Well, maybe how thick a mast do you have?Ok, but isn't that a bit unobtainable? If the regulation is 360 degrees, how does a cockpit light deal with fixed appliances like the mast, (among others) which will at some point on the compass shield the light? Does it become a liability issue?
We did a lot of research on this, including contacting the Coast Guard Station in Charleston. A SC DNR "officer" came by our Yacht Club and said that all the boats on the moorings (about 12) had to display anchor lights. We challenged this since we have an "approved" mooring field. However, on further investigation we determined that the COLREGs exemption to not display a anchor light is for a "designated anchorage." Just because someone gets a mooring field "approved" doesn't mean it is a "designated anchorage." The CG stated that to be a "designated anchorage" it must be so noted on Charts (he didn't say NOAA or they kind of chart but I'd assume he means NOAA charts). If you think about it, that makes sense because how would a transiting vessel know there might be boats there an anchor without an anchor light if it were not marked on charts? Do idiots even look at their charts or know what it means? Probably not, but at least in a liability situation being properly lighted is some "protection" when the lawyers start to did into who was at fault.The anchor lights on most boats in my area don’t meet the 360⁰ rule, That all seems to work OK in the mooring field. I think that in the designated field, the lights are not required, but I need to look that up to be sure.
that is because in New England all the mooring fields are designated on charts. Mooring fields are a big deal up north so all the procedures are well known and followed and placed on charts. In most other places, it's not common knowledge. As in the case of the Fla Keys. Even IN designated mooring fields there, an anchor light is required. Quiz time...Anybody know why?I have never in my life heard of a requirement that moored boats display anchor lights. I've sailed all over New England and have never seen that. Especially boats that are moored and aren't being used for weeks at a time!