A Plea For Decent Anchor Lights.

[Reefmagnet]

Ever since the time I approached what I though was an empty remote anchorage late on a still, moonless night only to be surprised to find that there were seven other yachts in there, all with blue-white LED mast top anchor lights that all perfectly blended with the starlight I have made it a point to always use warm white in my anchor light. My current anchor LED light has almost exactly the same colour warmth as a filament globe.

With back scatter from an urban area, it can be difficult to see a boat no matter how well lit. Once as I was entering the mouth of a river at night I was surprised when a fishing boat, lit up to the nines with decklights that included at least two or three 500 watt floods suddenly loomed out of the backscatter less then 50 m away. Sure I wasn't looking hard enough because I wasn't really expecting to meet an oncoming vessel at that time but it certainly left an impression that no matter how lit up you are you can very easily be camouflaged at night against a backdrop of urban lighting and flashing marks.

[River Cruiser]

Being on the river I would never plan on anchoring after dark, I want to see everything that's close. Boating is supposed to be enjoyable & trying to anchor after dark causes me stress, that = no fun. I always plan on getting to my destination, anchorage or marina by 5:00 pm, it may make for less miles per day but I can live with that. I did order a owl led anchor light because I have went to a open array, after all the good things I've read on this forum I thought it a good choice.

[daddle]

And while we are at it ... no flashing lights either. That's simply stupid as well as illegal. Yeah, yeah, I know, you are expressing your inner disco ...

If you cannot find your own boat in a crowded anchorage you are simple not qualified to be 'out there'.

[Pelagic]

Second Jim Cate’s advice to show a second light lower down.

However, it is important that deck lights are not confused as a navigational light, so a 3 or 5 mile light is not the answer.

Anchor light seen at a distance and lower intensity light(s) to identify aspect/silhouette at CPA.

I have a deck light on rail by dingy davit, to help me monitor tender or boardings at night and indicate safest point to pass if close by.

[boatman61]

I try to make all my arrivals in the morning... cross channel trips to Cherbourg put me off night arrivals...
even after I'd done them a couple of times it still got me twitchy..
If its been a long passage I've even heaved to,
to kill a few hours till dawn..

[s/v 'Faith']

Originally Posted by daddle

And while we are at it ... no flashing lights either. That's simply stupid as well as illegal. Yeah, yeah, I know, you are expressing your inner disco ...

If you cannot find your own boat in a crowded anchorage you are simple not qualified to be 'out there'.

I saw a boat anchored off South Caco with an anchor light programmed to flash his boat name in morse code.....

Saw another boat doing the same thing off Long Island (salt pond).

Saw a charter boat in Hope Town, had 8 flashing led's all over it... I talked to him and he said the owner (charter company rep?) had warned him not to run the anchor light at the top of the mast since it runs the battery down.....

[aclmck]

Many people including kids and Pi##ed adults would hardly even think of looking skywards when motoring through anchorages, i live on a river (which has a few mooring areas )and cannot count how many people hit the bridge pylons (lit by street lights) near me. so i agree if you don't want to be hit and inconvenienced light up your boat.

The amount of scrapes i see on moored boats is unbelievable when these boats carry the "legal lighting system", but rarely see damage to well marked boats.

i dont worry so much about me hitting someone (Search light and radar) but being hit by others.

my boat will always be lit up like a xmas tree with as much power i can spare

[Snowpetrel]

An anchor light at deck level is perfectly legal as long as the shadow sector from the rig and structure doesn't exceed 6 degrees (annex1 part 9 a, IIRC) so if you mounted one on the stern above the boom height (ie on the targa bar) it would be fine as long as it meats the two mile visibility and cromacity requirements. With a decwnt deck level light like this a masthead light doesnt need to be switched on at all.

I completely agree that masthead anchor lights are extremely dangerous. As are Tricolor lights for the same reasons.

[markpierce]

Best to use a searchlight when entering a moorage at night. For the moored boat, it would be helpful to show dim cabin lights in addition to the anchor light.

[nimblemotors]

Originally Posted by daddle

And while we are at it ... no flashing lights either. That's simply stupid as well as illegal. Yeah, yeah, I know, you are expressing your inner disco ...

If you cannot find your own boat in a crowded anchorage you are simple not qualified to be 'out there'.

how are flashing lights illegal? A barge on the river always used them on the corners.

[Lin Pardey]

Good discussion. We arrived in the Marquesas from Chile after 31 days at sea. Spotted a nice anchorage with half a dozen yachts in it just before dark fell (and in the tropics it really does seem to fall). Not one light on to guide us in. Then one sailor noticed our running lights as we tacked closer and switched on his anchor light - sure did help us. So please keep passing the word. But I do agree, even if you have a masthead lamp which in many places is accepted as an anchor light, it still pays to display a light in the fore triangle of the boat at head height. It is easier to spot from the deck of another boat and also let's folks see which way your boat is laying - i.e. where your anchor chain is so they can keep well clear.

You are right, if you have any regulation anchor light showing, you are in the right should a collission happen. But - you have to prove that light was on. So we added a note in our log book stating - set anchor lamp (we use kerosene or solar powered ones). In a maritime court this log entry indicates you do observe this regulation and in one case was the sole piece of evidence that got the owner of a badly damaged boats full compensation when a local ferry ran into him at night.

[nimblemotors]

I would think the best lighting is one which comes up from the water, shining onto the boat hull, particularly with a white hull, it would make it very visible.

[Dos Gatos]

In La Paz the authorities don't mind you using a masthead, but they do want you to have a light lower down/lighting the cockpit. (Stated in a print handout) Some use garden lights strapped to the stantions. Whatever works to keep the water taxi from bumping you in the night on the round trip to the magote.

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by "aclmck";

, but rarely see damage to well marked boats.

I wonder if that's more reflective of a responsible owner generally having less scrapes anyway?...

[FSMike]

On the coast of Georgia (USA, not USSR) the shrimpers typically depart hours before dawn heading out the rivers to the sounds and ocean. What's the first thing they do? They lower their outriggers to start setting up for the days trawling. One clear moonless night a fellow who had anchored near Doboy Sound was woken up about 4 am by the sound of a large diesel turning very high revs. He stuck his head out the hatch to see a 65' shrimper with the 'riggers down trying desperately to get stopped before taking his mast out. The captain of the shrimper had thought the sailboat's masthead anchor light was a star until he saw the boat at the last minute. I met the sailor later, and he felt very lucky. He was also researching anchor light alternatives.

My bebi/owl light works just fine suspended from the back stay over the bimini, and I can put my spare on the forestay if needed. Burns milliamps, and works by photoelectric cell. Plus, they're great people.