Anchor Lights

[sailorboy1]

I don’t understand why boats don’t make a better effort of making their anchored boats visible. I’m anchored next to a little mooring field and none of the boats in it have any lights. Yet I’ve watched boats motor right through the mooring balls earlier today. Another boat is anchored here next to me and they have the standard masthead light on. Yet even though I know where they are I can’t see them and that “Star” doesn’t help.

Meanwhile I have 2 approved anchor lights mounted above my cockpit. Not only are they visible to any boat motoring/sailing near me they reflect off all the white surfaces of the cockpit etc. and I have blue led lights on both sides mounted to the lifelines. They aren't visible from a long way away, but within 200-300 feet they stand out (it’s how I find my boat among the other few that have useful lights).

I just don’t understand boaters happy to “meet the anchor light requirement” but not in making it so others will see them and not run into their boat.

[Suijin]

Mooring fields are marked on charts (or should be) and don’t require anchor lights. Only time I put on my anchor light when on a mooring is in crowded harbors with lots of drunks zipping about at night. Or to help me find my boat when *I’m* expecting to be drunk myself.

[Kenomac]

I agree with you sailorboy, our boat is always well lit up with spreader lights, anchor light, and two lights which light up several interior windows when at anchor.

[admiralslater]

While I agree with the sentiment of making your boat visible, the concept of changing international standards to suit your ideas can be be confusing to others . You may in fact have two approved anchour lights on your boat ,but it does not sound as if the are mounted or used used in a way that meets regulation .
The extra lighting that is not red or green is fine .
If there was a collision a case could be made that you were not recognizable based on your lighting .
You will respond “more light means I wont get hit “ which may be true but .....
Do you use a day shape .
I am not trying to wind people up ,just pointing to another way of looking at this practice

[dcstrng]

Although a well-lit boat may be totally out of compliance with Colregs, it seems to me something is prudent… I’ve never trusted the masthead light if for no other reason it is way above the line-of-sight for anything that is remotely close enough to hit me (with the exception of a freighter). For years I’ve used a battery operated anchor light (lantern battery powered -- with the usual Fresnel lens) that I hoist along the back-stay about 10’ above water level – certainly not perfect either, but from a dinghy I know it is visible from at least 2 miles out, and also from 50ft away, which is more than I can say for the masthead – plus, I get an illuminated cockpit in the bargain.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by dcstrng

Although a well-lit boat may be totally out of compliance with Colregs, it seems to me something is prudent….

Colregs allows cabin lights and additional white deck lighting. No conflict. Just nothing flashing or colored.


I often leave a cockpit light on. Lights up the whole boat a bit.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Suijin

Mooring fields are marked on charts (or should be) and don’t require anchor lights. Only time I put on my anchor light when on a mooring is in crowded harbors with lots of drunks zipping about at night. Or to help me find my boat when *I’m* expecting to be drunk myself.

If the mooring field is in a CG designated anchorage then you aren’t required to show an anchor light. The vast majority of mooring fields that I’m accustomed to aren’t in a CG designated anchorage so an anchor light is required.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Suijin

Mooring fields are marked on charts (or should be) and don’t require anchor lights.

wow is that ever wrong

BTW I'm not sure if I've ever seen a mooring field marked on charts

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by admiralslater

While I agree with the sentiment of making your boat visible, the concept of changing international standards to suit your ideas can be be confusing to others .what are you talking about, who said anything about changing anything You may in fact have two approved anchour lights on your boat ,but it does not sound as if the are mounted or used used in a way that meets regulation . of course they are, they are mounted "where best seen"
The extra lighting that is not red or green is fine .
If there was a collision a case could be made that you were not recognizable based on your lighting . if you don't have a anchor light then yes
You will respond “more light means I wont get hit “ which may be true but .....
Do you use a day shape .
I am not trying to wind people up ,just pointing to another way of looking at this practice

Nothing says you can ONLY have have 1 white anchor light. It says you have to have 1 all around white mounted where most visible. My 2 anchor lights are at the same height as a power would have if their light was on the cabin top. I have 2 because there is about a 20 degree arc where one of them might not be seen, but the other would definitely then be.

You what to be a rule expert go ahead. Meanwhile I will meet and exceed the minimum requirement and be seen!!! And that is the whole point, to be seen and not just meet a requirement that does not result in this.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

wow is that ever wrong

BTW I'm not sure if I've ever seen a mooring field marked on charts

They do exist, and a light is not required. But only designated fields.


As for typical mooring ball fields, different case. But if boats are there long term, I don't expect lights!

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by thinwater

As for typical mooring ball fields, different case. But if boats are there long term, I don't expect lights!

In Boot Key mooring field there has been an on/off again battle about the requirement for anchor lights in the mooring field. I've evn heard of the FWC giving tickets out because a dinghy was was tried to the back of the boat, but it didn't have an anchor light.

Yes it is common practice to not have an anchor light while in a mooring field. But, it doesn't change the requirement.

LED lights use so little power that really there isn't a lot of reason to not have an anchor light (there are even automatic LED bulbs, just screw it in)

But, I wasn't arguing about mooring fields really. I'm pissed because I can't see the boats at anchor!

[JPA Cate]

In the more densely crowded areas we go to, sometimes we see LED anchor lights on moored boats in the mooring fields. Lighting moored boats comes from the concern of having your boat seen, regardless of its location.

Having both the masthead anchor light and the "low down" anchor light that also illuminates the cockpit, imho, serves to make one's boat far more easily seen in the dark, especially against the background of city lights. Also, for me, anyway, the distance between the two lights is such that we can tell which one is our boat from quite a large way away. (In our case, easily visible at 2 mi.)

For me, I don't need MORE light than that. But, the guys with the larger boats do seem to enjoy their series of spreader lights, and when the mast is tall enough, they have an all around red, too.

As to why people don't do the same as the OP, well, for them, it must be a lower priority--for any number of possible reasons, on a continuum running from "the masthead light is enough", to laziness, to cheapskate-ism.

Ann

[smj]

Here’s a picture of the Stuart Florida mooring field which is a CG designated special anchorage, no anchor light required.

And here’s a picture of the Boot Key mooring field which isn’t a CG designated anchorage, anchor light required.

We run an anchor light in either situation, just makes sense to us.

[Jim Cate]

We run an anchor light in either situation, just makes sense to us.

A sensible procedure. Why n the world would you NOT do so?

Jim

[sailorboy1]

I had an "interesting" marine patrol experience last week. I was a little late in turning on my anchor lights and the marine patrol stopped by (don't know what they were doing in the nowhere spot I was at) and asked me "Do you have an anchor light?". I said sorry and turned on my nice bright anchor lights that are mounted above my cockpit on my traveler bridge. The responder "Do you have a mast light as your anchor light needs to be 30' about the water?". I started to debate, but quickly realized the path of least resistance and turned on my mast star that is called a light.

But after I looked up the regs again and found no such 30' requirement, and of course it would be a rare non large power boat that would ever meet such a thing.