Improvised anchor light??
- Thread starter Roadking Larry
- Start date
- Status
Good point. The mast mounted anchor light can be mistaken as a star, if they even notice it. Although I do have an approved anchor light on top of the mast, I also have one generally hanging above the cockpit. Too many power boaters only look straight a head when flying around at night. I would rather not get hit rather than just say "I have an approved anchor light" and leave it at that.
Remember that there is no requirement that it be at the top of the mast. In fact, there's lots of reasons it's better off down low, like in a crowded anchorage, during a fireworks show, when the nitwits weigh anchor and make a mad dash for the marinas. An anchor light at the top of a 55 ft mast might as well not be there at all.
From the Colregs:
Rule 30 - Anchored Vessels and Vessels Aground
(a) A vessel at anchor shall exhibit where it can best be seen:
(i) in the fore part, an all-round white light or one ball;
(ii) at or near the stern and at a lower level than the light prescribed in subparagraph (i), an all-round white light.
(b) A vessel of less than 50 meters in length may exhibit an all-round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule. (emphasis added)
Sounds to me that you're in compliance with the regulations, with one anchor light 'in the fore part' and another 'near the stern and at a lower level'. The regs say you 'may' use only one for boats less than 50 meters, but nothing says you can't use two. Sounds like a prudent arrangement to me.
Rule 30 - Anchored Vessels and Vessels Aground
(a) A vessel at anchor shall exhibit where it can best be seen:
(i) in the fore part, an all-round white light or one ball;
(ii) at or near the stern and at a lower level than the light prescribed in subparagraph (i), an all-round white light.
(b) A vessel of less than 50 meters in length may exhibit an all-round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule. (emphasis added)
There is always a possibility that your anchor light will be occluded by the mast for a short period. Another boat would have to maintain a very precise course to not see it over the distance of a half mile. My anchor light illuminates the sails and the superstructure of the boat so that there is a fairly large area of light rather than just a point source.
I kind of got hung up on the anchor light needing to be up high. Makes good sense to have more than one and not neseccarily at the top of the mast.
Did my first anchoring today by the way. very light wind but we held where I wanted it to be for a couple of hours and got in a little fishing (just fishing, no catching involved today) and had a "picnic" lunch on the water. After we got tired of just fishing we sailed out and managed to use up all the wind on the lake before we got back to the marina.
Did my first anchoring today by the way. very light wind but we held where I wanted it to be for a couple of hours and got in a little fishing (just fishing, no catching involved today) and had a "picnic" lunch on the water. After we got tired of just fishing we sailed out and managed to use up all the wind on the lake before we got back to the marina.
We also have lights showing below and not just the masthead light most of the time,
Sum
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]
Our Endeavour 37
Our MacGregor 26-S Pages
Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida
Mac-Venture Links
A British boating magazine had an interview with the captain of a channel ferry about his opinion about boat visibility at night. The captain mentioned that sailboats are the most visible to him when there's some light aimed at the sails. Similarly as most are confirming here and elsewhere, lights on the deck or superstructure of an anchored boat greatly increase its visibility to others.
In our annual get-together with other owners of our make of boat, we see different types of anchor light, from the official mast-top light, to battery-operated lanterns hoisted on a halyard, to LED Christmas lights on the shrouds.
I recently bought several small solar garden-lights when they went on sale. I plan to hang or mount a few around the deck and shrouds when we're going out for a few days. They charge themselves during the day and switch on automatically at dusk.
In our annual get-together with other owners of our make of boat, we see different types of anchor light, from the official mast-top light, to battery-operated lanterns hoisted on a halyard, to LED Christmas lights on the shrouds.
I recently bought several small solar garden-lights when they went on sale. I plan to hang or mount a few around the deck and shrouds when we're going out for a few days. They charge themselves during the day and switch on automatically at dusk.
We use those as well as lots of other boaters. Have them on the Endeavour in the yard right now and they sure help in climbing on and off the boat at night. When we were out for a month before Christmas in Florida Ruth had to have Christmas lights and so we used some cheap solar ones,
Sum
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]
Our Endeavour 37
Our MacGregor 26-S Pages
Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida
Mac-Venture Links
Or a more vintage solution. Given to me by a good friend. Cleaned up well. Lasts about 9-10 hours on one fill of lantern oil. It's specifically an anchor light and is wind and waterproof.
rob j
rob j
Attachments
I thought it was pretty cool myself. The body is galvanized and the tank and trim is brass. Looks pretty neat cleaned up. I have a 95watt solar panel and led anchor light, but I can see the vintage model getting some use.
Ambiance counts!
robj
Ambiance counts!
robj
I use a Bebi combination anchor/cockpit light (Beka) without permanent installation.
The light came with 15ft of wire and a cigarette lighter plug. I raise it on the masthead flag halyard tied off to the stern rail so it is about 12ft above the cockpit. Makes a nice "night light" in the cockpit - and makes the boat much more visible than just an anchor light. Takes just a couple of minutes to rig after anchoring.
The light came with 15ft of wire and a cigarette lighter plug. I raise it on the masthead flag halyard tied off to the stern rail so it is about 12ft above the cockpit. Makes a nice "night light" in the cockpit - and makes the boat much more visible than just an anchor light. Takes just a couple of minutes to rig after anchoring.
I've got one of these:
http://www.davisnet.com/marine/products/marine_product.asp?pnum=03300
I keep it as a spare in case my mast light were to fail and an extra lower mounted light if we ever anchor in a place where I'm worried about late night power boat traffic.
http://www.davisnet.com/marine/products/marine_product.asp?pnum=03300
I keep it as a spare in case my mast light were to fail and an extra lower mounted light if we ever anchor in a place where I'm worried about late night power boat traffic.
- Status