Hitting an anchored boat in a sparsely populated anchorage while under sail

[CaptTom]

Never a dull moment with @chotu! And thanks for another good story.

The subject of anchor lights and deck illumination comes up a lot around here. We all have our theories on the subject, which is fine. This story illustrates that it's not always enough to be legal, and the best option isn't the same everywhere. Finally, you can do everything right and still have an idiot running blind behind a Genoa at night slam into you.

[Chotu]

Capt Tom: I am sure hoping for some dull moments in Maine this summer. Ha ha ha.

Especially involving fresh haddock, local produce, all the wildflowers.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

Looks like that old Samson fero? Can take a few hits.

You know what they say about cement boats..."One rock looking for another".

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I can tell once I leave. I don’t want to tell my exact location until I leave somewhere. Internet safety.

I’ll be leaving next week so I can tell next Thursday or Friday.

just a little paranoid I see

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

just a little paranoid I see

you first. What year is your Hunter 410? Exactly what anchorage are you in?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I can’t believe what I just saw.

I just saw somebody "sailing" into an anchored boat with 2 (qty) 360 degree lights and a strobe on it. Deck level.

They sailed right into it and panicked.

I heard the woman yell, "we gotta get out of here!"

I only wish I could identify them. It’s past sunset and it was too dark. They smashed right into a boat. Started flailing around. Yelled "turn on the engine we got to get out of here!" And took off.

Hit and run.

this was probably a 60 or 65 foot boat that was anchored. And a 38 foot or so maybe 40 foot boat that hit it.

guess it really doesn’t matter what anchor light you have. not with these kind of people out there.

We were running an insurance thread recently, weren't we?

[ggray]

I've always thought deck level lights (plural because I use two as one would be blanketed from one direction by the rig) better than masthead as they are more in line of where you are looking, can illuminate the cabin for better visibility, and when you are on a moving boat or dinghy you can (at least I think I can) get a better sense of where a boat is WRT the light you see.
But that may just be me.

[mcarthur]

Put out a Securite?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by ggray

I've always thought deck level lights (plural because I use two as one would be blanketed from one direction by the rig) better than masthead as they are more in line of where you are looking, can illuminate the cabin for better visibility, and when you are on a moving boat or dinghy you can (at least I think I can) get a better sense of where a boat is WRT the light you see.
But that may just be me.

A lot of people have expressed this in anchoring threads. Maybe even the majority. But here's what it looks like when not in the boat. It blends right in to the city backdrop.

The proper masthead would have made this boat much more visible.

The fact that the highest, coolest temperature light was a strobe rely hurt matters on this boat. Looks just like a radio tower or similar ashore as part of the city.

The deck level all around lights are directly in the path f you follow the light reflecting off the water. They are warmer temperature and gone. Very much part of the buildings.

PS: The fact that you can see the masts at all it’s just because of the camera. It has extreme night vision going on. In real life they are not visible.

[hpeer]

Dosen’t matter, can’t fix stupid.

I have been hit once, and nearly again, with regulation lights on.

In Deshies, Guadeloupe on night we felt a good bump. I go ti the cockpit and there is a cat next to me. The French helmsman says “The wind, she took me!!” As we are steel, 40,000lb, he probably got the worst of that encounter, we had no damage.

In Montserrat we anchored one early afternoon in front of a big sloop. We left plenty of room. The crew must have all been down below asleep preparing for a night departure. Well after dark I hear some people so go to the cockpit. The yacht is coming straight for us, albeit slowly. The bowman, fussing with the anchor, yells back “You see that boat?!” The reply “I do now!!” We were anchored in front of them for hours, in broad daylight, we are BRIGHT yellow. They must have been below, and it never occurred to them that another boat may have come into the anchorage. In Montserrat there are few “city” lights and our anchor light was lite.

I have to frequently arrived in the dead of night. I don’t like it but sometimes unavoidable. I search hard for lights but they can be damn hard to discern, and far too many neglect them altogether. I have taken to running my radar for night approaches. It helps, but you have to not get lost staring at the screen.

Doesn’t help that my Wife has almost zero night vision or depth perception. If possible I will anchor off and wait until morning to come in. But that has the disadvantage of being anchored in an unusual spot where you may be missed. Make yiur bets and play your cards, no zero risk solution.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Chotu

you first. What year is your Hunter 410? Exactly what anchorage are you in?

Sure I am not paranoid at all.

2001

Am in Hatchet Bay Eleuthera Bahamas on the SW side near Boat Haven. 25 20 50.76N, 76 29 23.46W. White boat, navy blue sunbrella covers, dinghy with navy blue and yellow chaps on it. Have 2 CG approved anchor lights mounted on each side the aft arch and blue string lights on the lifelines. Name is sv rubber ducky.

I would ask where you are, but am not that interested. Just too much drama involved.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Chotu

A lot of people have expressed this in anchoring threads. Maybe even the majority. But here's what it looks like when not in the boat. It blends right in to the city backdrop.

The proper masthead would have made this boat much more visible.

The fact that the highest, coolest temperature light was a strobe rely hurt matters on this boat. Looks just like a radio tower or similar ashore as part of the city.

The deck level all around lights are directly in the path f you follow the light reflecting off the water. They are warmer temperature and gone. Very much part of the buildings.

PS: The fact that you can see the masts at all it’s just because of the camera. It has extreme night vision going on. In real life they are not visible.

Judging by the picture, the deck level lights are the wrong kind to be useful. Lights that close to the deck shouldn't be all around, they should be illuminating the decks or rails so you can see the shape of the boat. Then an all around light above that (and preferably a damn bright one, the 2nm visibility required by COLREGS is only a minimum). Or go big ship style with 2 all around lights, forward one higher than the aft one.

For bright lights, a pair of 3nm or 5nm visibility 225* masthead lights mounted to the sides of the mast will do the trick. It'll look like a 360* once you're more than a few feet away, meets the COLREGS requirements for getting 360* light past obstructions, and you can put them at whatever height you want. And even the 3nm ones are much brighter than a typical anchor light.

In my mind, the all around light is likely better off below masthead height on most sailboats (as someone may not be looking up that high once they're close to you in a crowded anchorage), but it should still be above the boom, bimini, and other structure of the boat. Both to ensure it's actually visible from any direction, but also to make its purpose more clear and stop it from blending into deck lights, etc.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Sure I am not paranoid at all.

2001

Am in Hatchet Bay Eleuthera Bahamas on the SW side near Boat Haven. 25 20 50.76N, 76 29 23.46W. White boat, navy blue sunbrella covers, dinghy with navy blue and yellow chaps on it. Have 2 CG approved anchor lights mounted on each side the aft arch and blue string lights on the lifelines. Name is sv rubber ducky.

I would ask where you are, but am not that interested. Just too much drama involved.

You called my bluff!

I didn’t think you would.

I have to wonder why you don’t worry about the problems you could run into with theft. Or even worse, continuous visitors.

Do you not value your privacy? I mean, that’s why I am on a boat. To get away from people. And my boat attracts a significant amount of attention unfortunately. When I am on the ICW, when I go by a bridge or a populated area half of the people pull out their phones to video it going by. That’s how bad it is.

so you are part of these people in Florida that have those blue lights strung along the center of the boat? I have seen these in my Anchorage also. They seem to be getting very popular down here.

The issue I have with giving up my location while I am still there is some bad experiences I have had in the past online. You know how you hate me? Well, so do a lot of people. Just as many people like me, I think it’s called being polarizing. but it’s with a passion that people tend to hate. I have received plenty of death threats. Threats to burn my boat down. Etc. At the same time I have received lots of positive messages from lots of people so it evens out I guess.

but I don’t want to make it any easier for these people with all of the threats to take any action. it’s just common sense.

so while I would really like to put my position out here, just because you did, I don’t think I can do that until like maybe the day before I leave. Which is in a couple days anyway.

I tip my hat to you for calling my bluff. You won

PS: I think your location is much better than the one I am in. There are definitely some dramas out here. Looking forward to leaving.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Judging by the picture, the deck level lights are the wrong kind to be useful. Lights that close to the deck shouldn't be all around, they should be illuminating the decks or rails so you can see the shape of the boat. Then an all around light above that (and preferably a damn bright one, the 2nm visibility required by COLREGS is only a minimum). Or go big ship style with 2 all around lights, forward one higher than the aft one.

For bright lights, a pair of 3nm or 5nm visibility 225* masthead lights mounted to the sides of the mast will do the trick. It'll look like a 360* once you're more than a few feet away, meets the COLREGS requirements for getting 360* light past obstructions, and you can put them at whatever height you want. And even the 3nm ones are much brighter than a typical anchor light.

In my mind, the all around light is likely better off below masthead height on most sailboats (as someone may not be looking up that high once they're close to you in a crowded anchorage), but it should still be above the boom, bimini, and other structure of the boat. Both to ensure it's actually visible from any direction, but also to make its purpose more clear and stop it from blending into deck lights, etc.

Personally, I’d like to show them a boat. I like to set off the lines of the deck house and show them there is a structure in front of them. That seems to catch the eye pretty well compared to just lights.

so I like an all-around light at the very top of the structure. So on a power boat that would be at the highest point. and I think on a sailboat that’s just as important to have it on the highest point. It kind of shows what boat you’re looking at. Gives you a better idea. So I do like the mast head all around.

The mast head all around is also really useful because it can be seen from a great distance. You can see that anchored boat from a mile away. The mask headlight floats above the city lights for quite a while. Kind of depends on your distance from it. If you are many miles away, it tends to blend in. But as you get closer it rises above the city lights. So you start to notice that it’s something.

but below that, I really think it’s important to set off the features of the boat so they are visible. One of the best ways to do this on a sailboat is to just use your spreader lights. Your deck lights. That lights up the silhouette of the boat for anyone looking at it. So they can completely see it like it is daytime. These days with LED lights, it’s completely possible and within almost everyone’s power budget to light up the boat completely like that.

I learned it from the big boats. This is basically what they do. They leave on all of the lights up on deck all night long. And when I say big boats I mean professionally managed yachts that do charters and things like that.

so I stole the same idea and I do that on my smaller boats as well. One all around masthead light to designate the height of the boat. And then completely lit up super structure to show the people approaching that it is a boat.

[team karst]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Sure I am not paranoid at all.

2001

Am in Hatchet Bay Eleuthera Bahamas on the SW side near Boat Haven. 25 20 50.76N, 76 29 23.46W. White boat, navy blue sunbrella covers, dinghy with navy blue and yellow chaps on it. Have 2 CG approved anchor lights mounted on each side the aft arch and blue string lights on the lifelines. Name is sv rubber ducky.

I would ask where you are, but am not that interested. Just too much drama involved.

Sail. We saw 40 kts for a bit last nite at east end gbi. How did u fare?