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Old 30-03-2015, 14:48   #46
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

Quote:
Originally Posted by belizesailor View Post
This is one of the many lame excuses I've heard. I've never seen nor heard of a legally designated anchorage anywhere in the Carib.

Only ones I know of are in the USA and are not common (at least were not when I left). Usually used by municipalities to restrict anchoring.

See https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/33/109.10.
To clarify my own view in the matter. Wherever there is a possibility of traffic, even if an annual event like the lighted boats parade around Christmastime and I'm on a mooring, my masthead light is on.

In a designated anchorage, the same rule applies. In the Caribbean there are indeed designated anchorages. Consider for example, Prickly Bay at Grenada. Still, if you're anchored near the approach wearing an anchor light is prudent.

There are others.

Note: I second the recommendation to correct the mispelled "visability". I'm easily annoyed by these sorts of things.
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Old 30-03-2015, 15:01   #47
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

ability to be seen in darkness is important.
masthead lights are trendy pos poor excuses for visibility i have ever tried yo discern in a dark anchorage with backdrop of lighted homes on hills. screw that mess thankyou.

i used to use a perko oil anchor light until the burner failed.
ok.
i hought an 1157 led replacement bulb at autozone and i now have impressively BRIGHT obnoxious freeking light.
ROCKIN!!
lights up a large circle around my boat in water.
glows off neighbors somewhat dingy white -ish hull.....
rodlmffao.
fresnel lenses are beautiful things and do work most impressively.
i augment anchor light with cockpit lighting and will SOON have l e d spreader lights so you noobs can see my anchor on bottom thanks to my impressive lights and also see my deck.

i will NOT be replacing any useless and not mandatory masthead lights nor fixtures.
they are incredibly ineffective in the face of an anchorage with hills surrounding such as zihuatenejo.
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Old 30-03-2015, 15:13   #48
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

Being visible is important. Meet the reg, supplement as is prudent, but please, please don't light boats up in an anchorage with strobes! We're seeing more and more of them in Spain & I really find them annoying. I want to enjoy the stars & peace in a nice anchorage without a bunch of strobes going off all around me. Those things are as bad as loud music. Jeez, if I want to go to a disco, I know where to go!
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Old 30-03-2015, 15:19   #49
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

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Originally Posted by Prairie Chicken View Post
Being visible is important. Meet the reg, supplement as is prudent, but please, please don't light boats up in an anchorage with strobes! We're seeing more and more of them in Spain & I really find them annoying. I want to enjoy the stars & peace in a nice anchorage without a bunch of strobes going off all around me. Those things are as bad as loud music. Jeez, if I want to go to a disco, I know where to go!
Strobe lights would be illegal in the USA.
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Old 30-03-2015, 16:12   #50
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

For the last 15 years my boat has had a masthead strobe. I've used it only once when a freighter was trying to figure out which boat was me. It was on for perhaps 30 sec.

I agree they should never be used at anchor, if only because they are annoying. However, if I deemed it prudent to prevent a collision, screw the regs, they'll go on along with anything else such as horns.

I MIGHT leave the spreader lights on dialed way down in an anchorage, but not as a matter of course.

The Dry Tortugas comes to mind. Lousy holding and too many people with no lights at all, let alone an anchor light.

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Old 30-03-2015, 16:41   #51
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

Here, in S.E. Asia, everyone uses flashing LED lights. They are cheap, (less than USD 10), and will run for 4 to 6 weeks on two D cells. They have a photo sensor, so they come on automatically when it is dark. They are available in different colors, or a combination of a color and white. They do of course not comply with Collregs rules , so you should still have an anchor light, but they are very effective. I use blue ones, as red or green flashing lights are often found on bouys and other navigation marks, whereas blue is not.
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Old 30-03-2015, 16:52   #52
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

no worries misread the package but that said it was not listed as a pair but the amps for each as in most items.
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Old 30-03-2015, 17:36   #53
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

The issue is not the person w/ a small, legal, USCG-approved 360° all around light.

The problem is always the idiot, oblivious to everything, with a thick crust surrounding their "brain", that even a Klieg light concentrated by a Fresnel lens could not burn through.

The best option is to remain at dock, instead of properly anchored in a designated anchorage.

Second best is to keep watch, w/ radar. One time we were watching fireworks at a mooring off shore and I kept watch for several hours w/ my spotlight trained onto my boat. I flicked it on and off until the red/green navigation lights from approaching collision course boats turned red or green.
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Old 30-03-2015, 17:40   #54
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

Quote:
Originally Posted by deblen View Post
Often wondered why a strobe light (white,or some agreed upon color) wouldn't be a good anchor light,if added to COLREGS.
One strobe-very noticeable,regardless of background lights or "reasonable" height. The human eye detects change many times better than fixed.

Sure there is a reason why not-just wondering.
Being in Canada, you should be aware that in Annex IV of the colregs it says:

  • Quote:
  • 4. In Canadian waters or fishing zones, in addition to the signals described in section 1, the following signals may be used or exhibited either together or separately to indicate distress and need of assistance:
    • (a)
      a square shape or anything resembling a square shape; and
    • (b)
      a high intensity white light flashing at regular intervals of 50 to 70 times per minute.
PS. That's also in US Inland rules.
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Old 30-03-2015, 18:14   #55
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wrong View Post
To clarify my own view in the matter. Wherever there is a possibility of traffic, even if an annual event like the lighted boats parade around Christmastime and I'm on a mooring, my masthead light is on.

In a designated anchorage, the same rule applies. In the Caribbean there are indeed designated anchorages. Consider for example, Prickly Bay at Grenada. Still, if you're anchored near the approach wearing an anchor light is prudent.

There are others.

Note: I second the recommendation to correct the mispelled "visability". I'm easily annoyed by these sorts of things.
And I should have been clear that my response was not directed at you...just the designated anchorage subject.

I have heard people use the "designated anchorage" excuse in areas that were in fact not...just commonly used anchorages.
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Old 30-03-2015, 18:21   #56
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

Where we sail (Thailand) there are lots of local fisherman coming and going at night. They aren't always looking for anchor lights, and even if they were, it's easy for an anchor light to get lost in all the stars overhead (on a clear, dark night). The locals all use these cheap, clip-on LED strobe lights, so we do too:



On 2x D batteries, one of these can last up to 45 nights. They cost about $5 each, so I keep lots of them on board and happy replace when needed. They are designed to be strapped onto fishing nets and sunk underwater, so they tend to hold up pretty well being used on deck, regardless of weather.

If I'm in a particularly dark anchorage (new moon, no lights on shore) I hook two on - one fore, one aft. Probably violates regulations in some countries, but in Thailand if there are any regulations, no one seems to bother with them!
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Old 31-03-2015, 06:23   #57
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

These types led lanterns work really well and are inexpensive. This one will last 80+ hours on 4 AA batteries. That's almost 10 nights of illumination. I have a similar one that I hang in the cockpit and it works great. It could be easily hung from the boom.
UST Marine Pico GLO Glow-in-the-Dark Compact LED Mini Lantern
I also use a Streamlight Wayfarer lantern. I put it on low and point it up the mast to get that mega-yacht lighting effect, lights up the spreaders nicely. It also lasts a long time and has a built in stand and can be plugged in. It's also great for finding buoys at night.
Good luck.
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Old 31-03-2015, 17:44   #58
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

Quote:
Originally Posted by deblen View Post
Often wondered why a strobe light (white,or some agreed upon color) wouldn't be a good anchor light,if added to COLREGS.
One strobe-very noticeable,regardless of background lights or "reasonable" height. The human eye detects change many times better than fixed.

Sure there is a reason why not-just wondering.
In addition to my masthead LED anchor light I use a waterproof flashing LED light, with daylight sensor built in, hung about 5' off the deck between the forestay and the mast. The batteries last several months, it's clearly visible and, because it flashes, is very noticeable even with a lot of shore lights. I have a blue one on the grounds that is less likely to be confused with navigation lights but also have an even more visible white one which I can use if I am in an area that worries me (plus I have an alternating red, green, blue, white one just in case!). They cost me less than $20. Don't know about their legality but if someone hits me they're probably either drunk, drugged, on autopilot or all three.

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Old 01-04-2015, 07:36   #59
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

emergency strobe as anchor light can find interesting midnight visitors. they used for emergencies.
try a nice BRIGHT 360 here. works great.
also add cockpit lighting so you are distinguishable from ambient house and business lighting on the surroundng hillsides.
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Old 01-04-2015, 07:42   #60
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re: Visibility While at Anchor

visibility vs visability
use dictionary and see who is correct
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