Anchor Balls

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

I highly doubt it. I have been stopped, boarded, and searched by the CG five times and they never asked about day shapes or made any mention of them. I have never heard of anyone else being fined for it either.

My point was that they were curious and possibly didn't know what it was...

[OneBoatman]

I am in general agreement with the Lodesman post regarding the utility of using day shapes to display your command to others. Certainly, today there far more vessels out there than at the time the protocol was developed and many mariners have come to rely solely on modern navigation systems which has vastly improved their safety at sea while at the same time contributing greater complacency with respect other good safety practices. I believe they were developed for captains to communicate with other mariners long before a captain ever had a VHF radio. It is also undeniable there are many folks out there that never knew, still don't know, or have by now forgotten the purpose of day shapes to begin with.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by sailingharry

Yeah, the halyard thing was a little stupid. We have exactly as many halyards available with the jibs in as out. Which is two, the spinnaker and the storm jib.


But again, who's confused by a sailboat motoring with just a main up as a steadying sail? The cone I carry is about 16" long (.3M?) and probably visible at about 200 yards with binoculars, if a sail isn't obscuring it.

But yes, I'll agree that the cone, while as unused and as meaningless (by that, I mean that those who see it don't know what it means) as the anchor ball, is arguably a much more relevant shape. Perhaps I'll endeavor to try it next year. Or maybe just drop the main (it's mostly up when motoring because I'm too lazy to drop it, and it's easier to drop it than rig the cone!).

Out in the open sea with little to no traffic a cone may be a luxury. Try sailing into NYC harbor without one and you will understand why you should show one if motorsailing. Same goes for the Solent in the UK or Øresund between denmark and Sweden