anchorlights - blinking, flashing, all colors ... OK?

[charly]

There are more and more of these "anchorlights" around. In a lovely anchorage in Greece there where about 20 of them. Blinking red, green, changing color, strobe lights in different colors, it looked like as if an assault is taking place and police is everywhere!
I personally think a white 360deg light is all what you need or two if you feel you need additional safety.
All these strobe lights, blinking lights spoil a quiet spot. Your eyes always catch the blinking lights ... if you want or not. Blinking means alert! dangerous!


Your opinion?

[Benz]

I believe that blinking lights should be reserved for navaids, and strobes for the immediate, urgent attracting of attention. The handsomest way of keeping your boat visible at anchor is to flood the decks with LED light. I just hang a battery headlamp from the boom, shining downwards, and the boat is plenty easy to see.
Ben
zartmancruising.com

[Cottontop]

From the Colregs:

"b) The Rules concerning lights shall be complied with from sunset to sunrise, and during such times no other lights shall be exhibited, except such lights which cannot be mistaken for the lights specified in these Rules or do not impair their visibility or distinctive character, or interfere with the keeping of a proper look-out."

Because blinking lights have other official uses, they should not be used as anchor lights, seems to me. An anchor light is supposed to be a white all round light. Other colors also have other meanings.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by charly

Your opinion?

It's often more relaxing not to bother with an opinion on something which just ain't gonna change

[TeddyDiver]

IMHO and tongue in cheeck, this is the only valid reason to have a firearm onboard to use those stupid christmas lights as practice targets..

[Calif.Ted]

Glad they don't do that here, I have a tendency to aim at flashing red and green lights because that's where the harbor mouth is. Thursday night the background lights were so bright that I could see traffic lights on coast highway from 2 miles out but couldn't see the ATN's until I was next to them. I only recognized them as traffic signals because they were changing from red to green.

[Adelie]

Steady yellow/amber lights would be just fine, no confusion with anything else. That's why tugs cover all their deck lights with yellow/amber lenses.

[JohnT]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Steady yellow/amber lights would be just fine, no confusion with anything else. That's why tugs cover all their deck lights with yellow/amber lenses.

Tugs have a yellow/amber light for a reason - read your colregs!

[Cottontop]

Guidance from the USCG, for those subject to its jurisdiction:

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg545/alerts/1015.pdf

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by JohnT

Tugs have a yellow/amber light for a reason - read your colregs!

Yep, I forgot the part where the tugs have a required yellow towing light above the sternlight.

All the deck lights having yellow amber lenses still works though. Being arranged horizontally and/or below the other navigation lights makes them distinctive from any required usage and therefore acceptable.

In my intended usage there will be 2 amber lights each side and 2 on the stern, all at the shearline. So in addition to being below all other navigation lights there will be at least 2 visible in a horizontal arrangement from any direction except straight ahead where the 2 near the bow may merge together if seen from far enough away. Even then it will be red and/or green over yellow which can't be mistaken for a required arrangement.

[Barra]

Ive probably been in the same anchorages as you by the sounds. It can sometimes be pretty frustrating trying to pick these lights from true nav lights like harbour entrances if your coming in late.

The flashing LED "anchorlights" are usually either older charter boats or italians on their 4 week break Ive found so on the bright side it tells you who NOT to anchor nearby...

[crabcake]

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

Officers worked a special detail to ensure that all mariners are in compliance with navigational lights requirement per USCG navigation rules. During this detail, FWC officers stopped a total of 21 vessels, distributed boater safety educational handbooks and emphasized the importance of serviceable visual distress signals as well as proper vessel lighting. There were a total of 16 warnings and 26 citations issued, 10 of which were for navigational light violations.

Officers worked a detail enforcing boating safety and BUI enforcement. There was 1 physical arrest, 10 misdemeanor arrests for multiple resource violations, resisting without violence, interference with an FWC officer, and drug possession. Twenty-nine citations and 30 warnings were issued, and a total of 175 users were checked and educated on the importance of boating safety.


https://content.govdelivery.com/atta...2B8%2B2016.pdf

[zeehag]

flashing lights are not ok. colored lights in cockpit PLUS REGULATION ANCHOR LIGHT is ok--means it is christmas.
light that barge and stay outta da way.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!
now, after christmas perhaps you will notice a drop in alternative colors in cockpit.

[rwidman]

My opinion?

The navigation rules are pretty specific about boat lighting and most of what you mention is illegal for an anchored boat.

What can you do about it? Not much. You could try contacting the authorities and see if they will take action but most likely, they will not.

Asking the boaters directly to extinguish any non-compliant lights will not likely work and shooting them out is illegal and apt to result in retaliation.

It's frustrating when you see others routinely breaking the law but there's not much you can do about it.

[nhschneider]

I am very familiar with the regulations regarding anchor lights, however, in many parts of the world, people driving small, fast boats (eg panga drivers in Mexico or longtail drivers in Thailand) do not look up to see if there's an anchor light at the top of a sailboat's mast and there have been numerous accidents, including fatalities, because the driver just didn't see the anchored sailboat. In many areas of the world, the regulation anchor light is never used and if a light is used at all, it's usually just a flashing LED, coming in a variety of colors.

When we're at anchor, we use a flashing LED (velcro-strapped to our bow pulpit) that's often used to mark fishing nets in addition to our mast-mounted anchor light. They're waterproof, have a photo-electric switch (dusk-to-dawn) and run for about a month on two D cell batteries.

I knew of a boat that was in Fiji when a local man was killed when he hit their anchored boat at night. Even though it wasn't the sailboat's fault (they had proper lighting), the local villagers were extremely upset (rightfully so) and the yacht was advised by authorities to leave Fiji as soon as possible.

Fair winds and calm seas.