Anchor Light Regulations

[ohdrinkboy]

This usually works for me

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by savoir

You have posted the wrong thing. Those rules are limited to the running lights and have nothing to do with anchor lights.

Erm....
'....(c) In vessels of less than 12 meters in length:
.......
(iv) a white red, green or yellow all-round light, 2 miles.'

[rwidman]

https://www.usps.org/national/vsc/fo...USCGMinReq.pdf

At Anchor All around white light visible for 2nm at night unless in a chart-designated anchorage.

[savoir]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Erm....
'....(c) In vessels of less than 12 meters in length:
.......
(iv) a white red, green or yellow all-round light, 2 miles.'

Erm nothing. the all round white light in that quote is the masthead light not the anchor light. A masthead light is not required for anchoring.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by savoir

Erm nothing. the all round white light in that quote is the masthead light not the anchor light. A masthead light is not required for anchoring.

In many cases, it is the anchor light. Regardless, the anchor light must be visible for two nautical miles (see above). A solar garden light from Walmart won't cut it.

[savoir]

Originally Posted by rwidman

https://www.usps.org/national/vsc/fo...USCGMinReq.pdf

The chart you have quoted misrepresents the regulations applied by USCG so it would be best to ignore it. See regulation 30.


e.g. The chart suggests that an anchored canoe needs a 2nm visible anchor light but that is not the case. An anchored canoe could quite legitimately use a hand held flashlight in place of an anchor light.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by savoir

Erm nothing. the all round white light in that quote is the masthead light not the anchor light. A masthead light is not required for anchoring.

Um something...its any light you choose to use as an anchor light.... any all round white light you use as an anchor light shall be 2 miles....

[savoir]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Um something...its any light you choose to use as an anchor light.... any all round white light you use as an anchor light shall be 2 miles....

That is not what the COLREGS say. A 2nm masthead light can be used at anchor but it is not mandatory, just as it is not mandatory for the masthead light to be at the masthead.

[El Pinguino]

I'd quit while I was in front if I was you... you can use whatever light you want... up the front, down the back, half way between and half way up.... but it shall be where it is best seen and visible at 2 miles in the context of this discussion.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by savoir

The chart you have quoted misrepresents the regulations applied by USCG so it would be best to ignore it. See regulation 30.


e.g. The chart suggests that an anchored canoe needs a 2nm visible anchor light but that is not the case. An anchored canoe could quite legitimately use a hand held flashlight in place of an anchor light.

Do you really believe there are no visibility requirements for anchor lights or do you just enjoy arguing?

If you look them up in a catalog or on the Internet they will specify that they meet the two NM visibility requirement.

[El Pinguino]

Confusion creeps in, I think, through the use of the expression 'mast head light' ... that is what I would call a 'steaming light'... rarely found at the top of the mast and not 'all round' either.
Then there is the usage in this debate where 'masthead light' is being used not unreasonably to mean a white light at the top of the mast which is designed by Mr Hella and others to be used as an anchor light....
Meanwhile

"Rule 22C
(c) In vessels of less than 12 metres in length:

a masthead light, 2 miles;

a sidelight, 1 miles;

a sternlight, 2 miles;

a towing light, 2 miles;

a white, red, green or yellow all-round light, 2 miles."

[boatpoker]

International Regulations For Preventing Collisions at Sea
Annex 1
8. Intensity of lights
(a). The minimum luminous intensity of lights shall be calculated by using the formula : I= 3.43 X 10/6 X T X D/2 X K/d

Note: the "/" indicates to the power of .... I don't know how to do that on the keyboard.

This same formula appears in the USCG Inland Rules, Annex 1, 84.15

There are several instances of the International and USCG Inland Rules using the phrase "anchor light or all round white light". To me this means the terms are interchangeable which would bring us back to yes, there is a 2 mile requirement.

[Cottontop]

Rules 20-31 cover lights.

Rule 20 has general rules about when to display lights.

Rule 21 has definitions. Rule 21(a) is important for this discussion - "Masthead light” means a white light placed over the fore and aft centreline of the vessel showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 225 degrees and so fixed as to show the light from right ahead to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam on either side of the vessel.

A Masthead Light is not an all-round light.

Rule 22 prescribes the visibilty of all the lights required by the following Rules 23-31.

Rule 22(b) and (c) says that for vessels less than 50 meters in length, when a white all-round light is specified, it must have a visible range of 2 miles.

Rule 30(b) says that an anchored vessel of less than 50 meters but more than 7 meters may exhibit a single all-round white light where it can best be seen.

So the white all-round anchor light must have a visibility of 2 miles.

And Rule 25(d)(ii) says a canoe can use an electric torch with a white light, displayed in time to avoid a collision.

[cal40john]

Don't want to comply with the minimums given? Here's a way to get around it, don't use electric


Annex 1 of the Colregs

11. Intensity of non-electric lights
Non-electric lights shall so far as practicable comply with the minimum
intensities, as specified in the Table given in Section 8 of this Annex.

[nhschneider]

Here in SE Asia, virtually none of the thousands of anchored boats use a regulation light, if they're lit at all. What is commonly used as an anchor light is called a 'net light', which is designed to light up nets and FADs (Fish Aggregating Device) that are strewn all over. These flashlight-shaped LED lights have a photocell built in them (turning them on dusk to dawn) and very bright flashing LEDs - your choice of colors. Using two D cell batteries, they'll go for about 3 months on one set of batteries. They're completely waterproof, submersible, very cheap and obnoxious, however, they are extremely effective. Hang a couple of these babies on your pulpit and pushpit and you'll never struggle to identify your boat in a crowded anchorage. We still have our mast-top anchor light on when we're at anchor but we also use a couple of the fish net lights so at least at night we look like locals.

Fair winds and calm seas.