Are Blinking Anchor Lights Legal ?

[daddle]

Cruisers who use flashing lights while at anchor are indicating they are so inexperienced that they have never entered a crowded anchorage at night. Buffoons they are. And a hazard. And did I mention annoying?

Can't find your boat after being ashore? Try learning navigation. Nav skills apply in a dinghy too, you know.

[rebel heart]

I'm also in the camp of "use the proper lighting, dummy."

You don't go change your brake lights to white and your turn signals to blue because you think it will help you get noticed better. It screws up everyone else and at best makes you look ignorant.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

I'm also in the camp of "use the proper lighting, dummy."

You don't go change your brake lights to white and your turn signals to blue because you think it will help you get noticed better. It screws up everyone else and at best makes you look ignorant.

Well, here's the OP checking back in, Rebel. From the various postings of the regs it seems that if one has the requisite all around white light, then other lights that can not be mistaken for a nav aid are permitted. Thus, a flashing light of some colour other than white, red, green, amber (yellow) or blue would in fact be legal. Don't see how that would either screw anyone else up or make the perp look ignorant. I'm also not sure if it would be of much benefit to the world... but again, IF you had the proper anchor light displayed, this putative purple flasher would not violate the regs nor would it invalidate ones insurance.

However, after thinking about it some more, I think that a better solution might well be the very bright LED spreader lights shown in a recent posting here... 30 bucks each, a few tens of milliamps load, great working lights for o n deck stuff, and COMPLETELY within the rules.

I don't know why this thread has lasted this long, for we seem to have thrashed out the answer long ago.

Cheers,

Jim

[svBeBe]

Originally Posted by LaVoileuse

Hi Judy,
I have just joined a mega yacht that is not equipped with such red light (old boat) so I was wondering what the rule was about it (boat length, mast height). But I cannot find this regulation on the net. Do you know where I could find it? Voileusement...

It is confusing because the aviation rule that requires the red light is a rule in some countries, not all. It is not a COLREG and actually conflicts with COLREG. However, it is a good rule because the red light indicates a hazard to aircraft. I do not believe that there is an aviation international rule on this red light, but in the US, any structure taller than 200 feet is subject to FAA lighting requirements.

We have been to Antigua where there seems to be lots of genuine red mast light holders along with a significant number of red mast light wanna bees.

Hope this helps.

Bill

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by svBeBe

It is confusing because the aviation rule that requires the red light is a rule in some countries, not all.

The aviation rules are aswell internationally standardised. As you mentioned there's height over ground limit where the mast lights are required. Equally aircrafts have the minimum altitude of 150m in general, aboutdouble of the height of unlighted structures..

[Cotemar]

Are Blinking Anchor Lights Legal ?

NO

[hellosailor]

Bill, I will hazard a rash guess that red aircraft warning lights may have been adapted, or even required, because many places actually have marine taxiways ("fairways") designated for the local flying boats and pontoon planes. If you remember the scene in the beginning of the movie "Always"....damned planes are like sailboats, they go anywhere they please.<G>

Cote, bear in mind that Bequia will be operating under Grenadine law, COLREGS won't apply "inland" there. I have no idea what their laws are but since a flashing white strobe is generally a distress signal, it is also an easy ticket to write someone up for using a false distress signal and easy to shut them down--unless it is legal there, or the local authorities are really laid back and prefer "any anchor light beats no anchor light".

If anyone has a complaint--ask the local authorities about it. Or just stick an auger in a water inlet and sink the damned boat. I'll give you a permission slip.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Are Blinking Anchor Lights Legal ?

NO

blinking anchor lights are emergency signals--those using strobed anchor lights, ven her einmexico have received messages from everyone from neighbors toport captain.... dont use strobed anchor lites or strobed lites for anchoring..is emergency signal.

[David M]

A flashing white light does not qualify as an anchor light, but they are legal to display as long as you also have a solid white light displayed as your anchor light, while at anchor.

The difference between something like a flashing one second light and a strobe is pretty distinct. Strobes should be left for emergencies, otherwise you might get The Boy who Cried Wolf situation where someone ignores a strobe because they thought it was not an emergency situation, when in reality it was an emergency. It does not say this in the COLREG's...but it is just good common sense.

As long as you are displaying a solid white light, you can put up anything else which cannot be mistaken for your anchor light. Remember, ships in anchorages are required to display their deck lights, for smaller vessels this is an option.

Rule 30 - Anchored Vessels and Vessels Aground
(c) A vessel at anchor may, and a vessel of 100 meters and more in length shall, also use the available working or equivalent lights to illuminate her decks.

There is also a situation where you do not have to exhibit any anchor light...

(g) A vessel of less than 20 meters in length, when at anchor in a special anchorage area designated by the Secretary, shall not be required to exhibit the anchor lights and shapes required by this Rule.

[jeremiason]

Originally Posted by David M

As far as the COLREGS go, not all nations have adopted or enforce the COLREGS. So really, it depends on where you are as to whether or not having a flashing anchor light is legal or might get you into trouble or might get you sued if something happens.

That isn't exactly true... The rules from your country apply to the vessel... As an example, a American Flagged Vessel is subject to both American laws as well as the host country it is sailing in.

I meantion this because if you have insurance, guess who will decide if you are right or wrong?

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by David M

The difference between something like a flashing one second light and a strobe is pretty distinct. Strobes should be left for emergencies, otherwise you might get The Boy who Cried Wolf situation where someone ignores a strobe because they thought it was not an emergency situation, when in reality it was an emergency. It does not say this in the COLREG's...but it is just good common sense.

As long as you are displaying a solid white light, you can put up anything else which cannot be mistaken for your anchor light.

I come into a lot of anchorages at night and if the other boats have a light on that I can see that is generally OK by me. ( note garden light are not enough). The problem with flashing lights ( which are very common over here) is that they can mistaken for other quick flashing white navigational lights. Throw in a bit rigging periodically obscuring the light and you can find yourself trying to time the period of the flashes!.
It's not hard or expensive to fit a 2nm white constant led light? Make it bright. It's better if it's low down and maybe I won't run into you.

[Mr B]

Do cruise ships and freighters crossing the oceans actually have Nav lights,

They are lit up with so many lights, Xmas trees Look dim compared to shipping out there on the ocean, You couldnt see nav lights any way, But you cant miss seeing the ships,

I have an all round white light for anchoring at the top of my mast,

I have a deck light halfway up my mast and points down on to my boat, Its a very good night time work light,
It lights up the whole of my boat, so my boat can be seen from a long way, But it is not glary to other boats close by,
I leave that on when ashore, I know where my boat is, I can also see if some one is on my boat,
It also makes it easy and safer to get back on my boat from the dinghy, As I can see where I am getting onto the transom steps out of the dinghy,

Its also good at sea, when big ships crackle my VHF, I just turn on the deck light so that they know I have seen them and am not asleep,

Its very hard to see a boat with no lights on, on a dark night, and a dark anchorage is exceptionally bad when they have no lights on,.

[Cheechako]

If you have a strobe on and get hit... then you can argue it was a distress situation! :>)

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

I'm also in the camp of "use the proper lighting, dummy."

Certainly use proper lighting but I'm also in the camp of "use common sense, dummy." For a while I was anchored in a FL river where there is a lot of fishing, including night fishing. Many of these guys are driving 18-20' bass boats with 250-300 HP outboards that can hit 70 mph or better. They also tend to hug the shorelines where there is more cover to attract fish and also are the places out of the channel to anchor. An anchor light 60' in the air is easily overlooked so putting a few lights around the rail or cockpit that are not anchor lights but will be seen is just the smart thing to do. In fact, the local water cops came around the boats anchored in the area and "suggested" that all the boats needed at least two deck level lights for safety.

Originally Posted by rebel heart

You don't go change your brake lights to white and your turn signals to blue because you think it will help you get noticed better. It screws up everyone else and at best makes you look ignorant.

Well, yes. That would be pretty dumb.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Mr B

It lights up the whole of my boat, so my boat can be seen from a long way, But it is not glary to other boats close by,
I leave that on when ashore, I know where my boat is, I can also see if some one is on my boat,
.

It is a good option. Once you start illuminating the deck and superstructure (which you can also do with a bright low anchor light) distance judgment becomes much easier for boats approching you. It's hard to judge the distance of a solitary white light.

With LED spreader lights this is viable for the first time and as you point out its helps security, identification, and boarding safety. The only down side is that it makes it very hard to see if the boats in front of you are dragging. The spreader lights destroy much of the forward vision.

Bright deck lights at the stern are better in my opinion.