A Plea For Decent Anchor Lights.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

I once dinghied over to another boat at night that had activated their strobe. I asked how I could assist but was met with puzzled faces. So I explain that the strobe is an emergency sign. They tell me that they use it so that their kids can find the boat when they return. I did try to explain why the regulations were against that, using the example of somebody having a heart attack but nobody coming to help after activating their strobe because we think it's just for their kids to find the boat. Their answer was that they were not going to have a heart attack that night so I gave up. But they didn't use it again so may be the quarter dropped after all.

More likely they stopped using it because they didn't want to hear from you again. My guess is, as soon as you left they turned it back on.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by rwidman

More likely they stopped using it because they didn't want to hear from you again. My guess is, as soon as you left they turned it back on.

Actually, they didn't. We met them a couple weeks later and they thanked us for coming over to offer assistance; many choose to look the other way instead of lowering the dinghy etc.; they had already noticed others pointing at their strobe but just didn't know that it was a distress signal. My guess is that they first thought that I was pulling a joke on them when I came over and just needed some time to work it out.

I went over to a boat that activated a strobe once after that and that turned out to be a single hander who was close to fainting. We finally got him into an ambulance and in the hospital they found out he was a diabetic. I think almost everybody who noticed the strobe knew it was a distress signal.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Actually, they didn't. We met them a couple weeks later and they thanked us for coming over to offer assistance; many choose to look the other way instead of lowering the dinghy etc.; they had already noticed others pointing at their strobe but just didn't know that it was a distress signal. My guess is that they first thought that I was pulling a joke on them when I came over and just needed some time to work it out.

I went over to a boat that activated a strobe once after that and that turned out to be a single hander who was close to fainting. We finally got him into an ambulance and in the hospital they found out he was a diabetic. I think almost everybody who noticed the strobe knew it was a distress signal.

I think it would be unusual that a recreational boat would even have a strobe light installed. Mine doesn't and none of the boaters I know have one.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by rwidman

I think it would be unusual that a recreational boat would even have a strobe light installed. Mine doesn't and none of the boaters I know have one.

It's about 25% of them that have it in the Caribbean I think. Mostly fom the US I guess, but I also saw Brits with them.

[SeaBuffalo]

It's already been agreed that visible flashing lights are illegal but what about a IR (infrared) flashing led? Have the normal COLREG lights in the visible spectrum but like a slow blink IR led up top that you can use a smart phone, camera, ccd camera or a cheap hand held monocular nigh vision to see.

Or even if not a flashing IR light a few steady on ones that are arranged so you can spot your boat.

Would make very easy to find your boat from the dink in an anchorage.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by SeaBuffalo

It's already been agreed that visible flashing lights are illegal but what about a IR (infrared) flashing led? Have the normal COLREG lights in the visible spectrum but like a slow blink IR led up top that you can use a smart phone, camera, ccd camera or a cheap hand held monocular nigh vision to see.

Or even if not a flashing IR light a few steady on ones that are arranged so you can spot your boat.

Would make very easy to find your boat from the dink in an anchorage.

or, the IR lights attract smuglers, government agencies or even aliens

I think APRS is optimum and for non HAM's AIS will work when you are in an area where the smartphone apps for that are supported. We use APRS which is autonomous.

[sailorchic34]

OK, I'm thinking that mast head anchor lights on vessels under 20 meters, may not meet the intent of rule 30.

A part of Rule 30 is here (Bold added by 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.

The where it can best been seen part is tricky. As pointed out by the OP a mast head anchor light can and does get lost in busy shore lighting where hills or high rises are located. If your vessel mast head anchor light is not visible from sea then it really can't be located where it can best be seen.


Of course some will say that a lower anchor light does not meet the all round requirements. I say ah, but lets read 33 C.F.R. PART 84—ANNEX I: POSITIONING AND TECHNICAL DETAILS OF LIGHTS AND SHAPES, paragraph 84.17(b) which reads:

(b) All-round lights shall be so located as not to be obscured by masts, topmasts or structures within angular sectors of more than 6 degrees, except anchor lights prescribed in Rule 30, which need not be placed at an impracticable height above the hull, and the all-round white light described in Rule 23(d), which may not be obscured at all.

While (b) allows for 6 degrees obscured by masts, etc, anchor lights don't even need to meet that requirement and need not be placed at an impractical height.

Here's the link:
PART 84—ANNEX I: POSITIONING AND TECHNICAL DETAILS OF LIGHTS AND SHAPES :: PART 84--ANNEX I: POSITIONING AND TECHNICAL DETAILS OF LIGHTS AND SHAPES :: CHAPTER I--COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY :: Title 33 - Navigation and Navigabl

So no where does it say that an anchor light must be at the mast head. To me if your masthead anchor light gets lost in ground clutter, it does not meet the letter of the law. The fact that most everyone has a masthead light does not actually mean it meets the letter or intent of the law.

Mind you this is for the folks on vessels under 50 meters in length.

And discuss

Boy there is nothing like a good anchor light thread....

[JPA Cate]

I'm pretty sure all of us know that it is our job to avoid hitting the other moored or anchored boats, and avoiding hard-to-see objects when anchoring; and I think most of us know we should display legal anchor lights. But here's a little true story that made us believers in going a little further to help the other guy see us.

There's a well known in Australia female single-hander named Jill Knight. She was at anchor one night in the Brisbane River, fortunately displaying her anchor light, and someone crashed into her boat, with subsequent loss of life. Yes, the young man and his mate had been drinking, but he was still dead. Even though eventually, Jill was cleared [the court decided she had done all she was required to do] -- because others had witnessed that her anchor light was on --nonetheless the whole thing was a horrible experience for her. Now, you can't stop others from doing what they want to do, but you sure as heck can make yourself more visible, and so, we do. In addition, it improves your situation if there were an insurance claim...which is why we also routinely fly our anchor ball in the daytime.

Now about the night blindness effects of the spotlight. I take ours all the way forward, and I keep one eye closed to protect that one's night vision. It takes practice, but does work. That huge candle power spotlight helps Jim see where he wants to place the boat. And usually, at night, it's a long way from the other boats, and we move in in daylight. Night time arrivals happen for us when there is greater than anticipated current against us, lighter winds than expected, or at the end of passages when it just works out that way. And often, depending on circumstances, we have either heaved to, or jigged back and forth, reaching, in open water waiting for daylight to enter an unfamiliar harbor. Once, a long time ago, there were two of us, hove to, waiting together to have good enough light to enter Suva Harbor, in Fiji, the only time there was someone else employing the same safe strategy, just a 1/2 mile away.... Company in the dark, cool, wee hours.http://www.cruisersforum.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

[zeehag]

as far as seeing your boat, drunk or sober, in an anchorage when returning late at night from partying---each of us uses a different pattern with our lighting, so is easy to find own boat, even falling into ocean drunk.

i neither go out to hang out at night, nor do i drink..i can always find my boat--but i have watched as the drunken cruisers who party feel around for their own boats--is better than cable tv.

huge candlepower lights also happen to be a safety feature--in case someone coming at you as you SAIL seems to not see you. shine bright light on sails--works well.you are VISIBLE.
make sure ye do the one eye thing

[Cheechako]

I'm sure an AIS will help protect you from a Panga moving at 20 knots....

[Sea Frog]

Originally Posted by SeaBuffalo

Would make very easy to find your boat from the dink in an anchorage.

I have seen people using reflective tape on their boat. They say once they point their flashlight to the boat from quite a distance, the boat shines like a christmas tree Modern reflective films are extremely efficient, and I would certainly use it on my boat.

[zeehag]

rodl, cheechako....gooood one....

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I'm sure an AIS will help protect you from a Panga moving at 20 knots....

The AIS was for finding your own boat

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by Caracal

I have seen quite the clever switch (it was a bitch to find again, since I didn't know the brand):

From here:
aqua signal - Recreational boats - Accessories - Accessories - Nav-Switch - Article number 3928500000

It can be pulled out/pushed in, so it's not just a switch which turns (notice the "deck light" labels).

I've made my own version of this which includes switching between inshore and offshore modes (e.g. Tri-colour vs deck lights) and optional automatic motor/sail modes. With my preferred settings set, I simply have a centre off toggle switch where up is anchor and down is nav. As cream on the pie, my anchor bulb has a sensor that only allows it to light up as it gets dark so I can leave my anchor light switch on all the time when out on the boat and it will turn on automatically.

[s/v 'Faith']

Originally Posted by rwidman

As someone else pointed out, at least in the USA, that would be illegal.

Originally Posted by jeremiason

That would be illegal Internationally as well....

Yes, if you read my post I was agreeing with Daddle about it being illegal....