A Plea For Decent Anchor Lights.

[frant]

Mr Jedi, I have got no great desire to go back to the Carribean. But are you talking about flying black balls as a safety issue or as a means of avoiding a bunch of pedantic rule mongers from issuing infringement notices. There is a difference. Once upon a time they used to drop balls and fire cannons at Grenwich for time keeping purposes, now you can lookn at an atomic clock on your GPS. Black balls in the rigging are largely a result of ancient maritime signals that have been superceded by such things as digital radar, AIS transponders and other wonders of the 21st century. So yes get a sense of humor and reflect that you may just well be a pedantic stickler for the rules.

[boatman61]

Damn.... gonna have to drink more beer... this contests moving to high up the wall for me...
Or maybe 'HighHeels' can lend me some shoes...

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Rwidman, you don't have an anchor daysign so you declare not having one legal; this is standard practice on CF so why not. However, it is mentioned in the rules worldwide, even though you claim not to find them in this thread nor elsewhere, which doesn't change those rules anyway.

It also doesn't matter what you look at for boats at anchor. You really think that an anchor rode is a legal day sign because it is what you look for?

Do you think that liability insurance, because that is what it is about, gives you a free pass no matter what? If you are drunk driving and hit another car, does your insurance cover that? Mine doesn't. I have been witness of an anchored boat, with day sign, being hit by a local fishing boat, who claimed they had right of way. It was only after I testified that they showed the day sign that they got off the hook.

We are under 20 meters and under the same rules as anyone that I know on CF. The only exception I know of is that traditional fishing boats may hoist a fish basket as sign.

This is the same thing as people claiming that an anchor light is not required because of designated anchorages. They fail to understand that those do not exist outside the US. Their reasoning also does not hold in court.

Apparently, I peed in your Cheerios as well. That's a pretty long and strongly worded post for someone who either didn't read or at least didn't understand my posts. To simplify things, I will summarize.

Nowhere did I claim that not hoisting an anchor ball was legal. Anywhere.

Nowhere did I claim that I couldn't find the anchor ball regulations anywhere, I just responded to another posters statement that they were included in this thread. I could easily find them on line if I wished to. I did post a portion of what I remember reading.

As for your insurance comment, The only this I said about insurance was that the claims made by a couple posters that one's insurance company would be relieved of playing claims id that person violated a law or regulation were false.

My comment about looking at other boats was just that, an observation based on personal experience.

I did not post anything about designated anchorages.

I'm only going to take this tone with you because you took it with me: If you wish to argue with a poster on the Internet, it's best to make sure that you have read and understand what that person posted and in what context. In this case, you have put words in my mouth that I did not say and now you are arguing with me but using your words. That makes you look pretty foolish.

I suggest that you go back and read my posts and any posts that they were replies to. If after doing that you have issues with what I posted, fine. We can discuss them if you wish.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

We hang an anchor ball out religiously here in the Med. It simply clips onto the clew of the staysail and I have whipped a line at its base so I can secure it to the furling line on deck (otherwise whenever the wind picks up it spins and bashes). Takes seconds to put up. Why not comply with such a simple regulation?

Because I have a power boat with no mast. I have no place to mount an anchor ball and no place to store one when underway.

I suppose my VHF antenna could handle a six inch anchor ball.

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Lets talk about another legal requirement, sound signals. How many folks here sound a single long blast when leaving a dock or slip? How many sound three blasts when going in reverse?

I'll go first. Since people in my marina are often asleep if I leave my slip at 6:00 AM, I don't sound my horn. I don't sound it when leaving the slip even if it's later in the day. Nobody in my marina sounds their horn when leaving the slip. Some will sound their horn if they see a friend and want to get his/her attention.

I also don't sound three horn blasts when backing into my slip. I'm too busy with the controls and besides, I'm in the slip in less time than it would take to sound the three blasts.

Anyone else?

[boatman61]

5 blasts... repeated... for everything..

[David_Old_Jersey]

I use Colonel Bogey......

[frant]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Because I have a power boat with no mast. I have no place to mount an anchor ball and no place to store one when underway.

I suppose my VHF antenna could handle a six inch anchor ball.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Lets talk about another legal requirement, sound signals. How many folks here sound a single long blast when leaving a dock or slip? How many sound three blasts when going in reverse?

I'll go first. Since people in my marina are often asleep if I leave my slip at 6:00 AM, I don't sound my horn. I don't sound it when leaving the slip even if it's later in the day. Nobody in my marina sounds their horn when leaving the slip. Some will sound their horn if they see a friend and want to get his/her attention.

I also don't sound three horn blasts when backing into my slip. I'm too busy with the controls and besides, I'm in the slip in less time than it would take to sound the three blasts.

Anyone else?

Mr Jedi seems to be quite happy to quote things that are simply untrue. "Designated anchorages" do exist outside o9f the US. Or else Mr Jedi should inform the Australian parliament the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park act is wrong, and I also have shape signals on board my boat despite bMr Jedi's claim to the contrary.

[boatman61]

Okay already.... the beers coming... have a rest

[zeehag]

we have a sound for when the mechanic runs out of beer.....is kind of like a groan mixed with a thud as he falls to ground from weakness......

[Cotemar]

We light up the decks like a cruise ship. We have five solar LED stanchion lights on Port side and five on Starboard side. Have been doing this for ten years now.
Solar LED lights are much better now than they used to be.
Our boat is easier and safer to walk around at night.
It’s a lot easier to find your boat in fog or fowl weather.

We tend to anchor in a lot of remote locations where few boats are, so good lighting is a must have.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

We light up the decks like a cruise ship. We have five solar LED stanchion lights on Port side and five on Starboard side. Have been doing this for ten years now.

This is the way I'm leaning.

So all the internet experts feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but as a far as I know, regulations do not forbid extra lights on a boat at night AS LONG AS THEY CANNOT BE MISTAKEN FOR NAVIGATION, EMERGENCY OR OTHER LIGHTS.

So, show a legal anchor light and add a few extras (not red or green or flashing) more or less deck level or lighting the deck to increase visibility of the boat. Good so you can be seen by dinghies, pangas, or what I see in parts of Florida, bass boats that can hit 60-70 mph zooming around at night. Was anchored in the St Johns River and the local water police were "requesting" all the anchored boats to add a minimum of two extra lights at deck level for just that reason.

[Kettlewell]

So, show a legal anchor light and add a few extras (not red or green or flashing) more or less deck level or lighting the deck to increase visibility of the boat. Good so you can be seen by dinghies, pangas, or what I see in parts of Florida, bass boats that can hit 60-70 mph zooming around at night.

That's what I do. It's nice to have a solar light illuminate the area you need to safely board the boat after dark.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by skipmac

This is the way I'm leaning.

So all the internet experts feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but as a far as I know, regulations do not forbid extra lights on a boat at night

Extra lights are encouraged. Boats over a certain size are required to show deck lights.
Until recently this was not practical on yachts, but LEDs have changed that.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

That's what I do. It's nice to have a solar light illuminate the area you need to safely board the boat after dark.

+A1.... Wotname got some solar charge lights for the boat when I took it to Tassie... had 4 set up round the pushpit... were great as they were gentle enough not to affect night vision... yet great to work by on deck.. did lose a couple to waves...

[sailorboy1]

I find threads that involve "rules" to provide more amusement that guns and anchor threads!!!

I hate to break it to the group, but I have no plans to install a generator or a larger battery bank in order to light my boat up like an airport. When one enters an anchorage etc one needs to be watching out for the poles and boats sticking up out the water (along with all the lobster pots, mooring balls, dinghies on a 50' trailing lines, day markers, buoys, rocks, etc. etc.)

I do have the standard mast light and I also have a solar light on the aft rail. I feel the mast light is mostly useless once anyone is close enough to the boat to matter. I do find the solar light useful and noticeable and is helps me find my boat along others at night and think I'll get a few more. In fact I wish I could find some solar lights in a color that doesn't have some other meaning so I could put one on the boat to make mine stand out more.