Anchor lights

[bobconnie]

Many years ago we started useing more lights then what were required! and at that time we needed a separate battery just for these lights, Ive found that by adding another battery system was worth while! very little cost in compared to the abilty of others to see us at night when we were at anchor!! a few extra bucks used in the right places makes for better sleeping ! Just my 2 cents

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

It was Rhodes (Lindos)

Reportedly the most hot place in Greece at all

[Jim Cate]

Well, here's what we do: three mile LED masthead light plus a Bebi three mile LED light hung from a lazy jack over the boom (about 10 feet above the water), both with built in daylight sensor switches. This gives the best of both worlds at a cost of about 300 milliamps. The Bebi light is no longer available, but the Frankenbebi should make it's debut soon, and should be at least as good.

Sadly, we see a lot of unlit boats, and lots who depend on the garden lights as sole anchor lights... this in popular cruising destinations throughout the SW Pacific, where you would think folks would know better. I do believe that there are more and more cruisiers who are fitting proper LED anchor lights of some sort, and that is a welcome development.

Cheers,

Jim

[chouliha]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Well, here's what we do: three mile LED masthead light plus a Bebi three mile LED light hung from a lazy jack over the boom (about 10 feet above the water), both with built in daylight sensor switches. This gives the best of both worlds at a cost of about 300 milliamps. The Bebi light is no longer available, but the Frankenbebi should make it's debut soon, and should be at least as good.

Sadly, we see a lot of unlit boats, and lots who depend on the garden lights as sole anchor lights... this in popular cruising destinations throughout the SW Pacific, where you would think folks would know better. I do believe that there are more and more cruisiers who are fitting proper LED anchor lights of some sort, and that is a welcome development.

Cheers,

Jim

Good comments Jim

We use 3 Bebi anchor lights. 1 white mounted above the radar unit and 2 blue ones 1 the stern and 1 on the bow. The white makes us legal the blue you can see in a crowded anchorage with lots of background lights. The goal is first to be seen and second to not be run into. A T-Bone in a 3rd world country even if it's not your fault may cost you the whole cruising season.

In my opinion the garden lights are a joke. Most are out by 3 am. Oh sure you can see them if your onboard the vessel that has them. I do think Jim is correct more people are going to brighter lights now that they are LED and take no power. But there is still a heck of a lot of folks that use nothing or those garden lights.

Safe sailing

Chuck
Jacaranda
Panama

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

I come into a lot of anchorages at night. Masthead lights get lost if there any background lights.
.................................................. .......

This was especially enlightening to me because I am so accustomed to not discerning the lower anchor lights against the background lights. Most often I'm able to distinguish the masthead lights best. I do understand this difference compared to our current cruising grounds. The Greek Islands and most of the Mediterranean coasts have the lights ashore at the top of higher elevations while my cruising areas in Florida or the Bahamas are low. As I approach an anchored sailboat with a masthead light, parallax shows the motion of the higher light moving relatively faster than all the lower lights and this allows it to be distinct. I had not considered cliffside anchorages.

I have found the best of these little rail mounted solar lights,- the ones called "silly or garden" lights above, but I just use them in addition at my anchor light and to illuminate my deck. My difficulty is that, after buying these online, I discarded the packaging and there is no manufacturer's label on these lights.



These lights last all night and I want to be able to buy a couple more. I'm not posting to advertize them so if you recognize them and would rather send me a PM please do!

[poiu]

Anchor lights are so often useless for the reasons mentioned. I put a lot of my external white lights on at night. 2 spreader lights, a boom light and an arch light. Sometimes then I will turn the anchor light off as it is so pointless. The led lamps for that lot consumes 12w, so half the power of a single 25w incandescent anchor lamp, but I can be seen very well and just as important, potential burglars will be seen creeping about too.

[a64pilot]

I've got four of the silly garden lights, put two in rod holders and two in cut off pieces of PVC pipe ziptied to my stanchions, but I would really like the ones you show that are rail mounted. I do not replace my anchor light with these, they are really good night lights for the cockpit both anchored and at the dock.

Pleas either post where you can get these or PM me, as I'd rather get rid of the PVC pipe

[CaptTom]

+1 for the silly garden lights, in addition to a proper anchor light, of course.

Every spring WalMart sells them for under $1 each and I stock up. In summer, mid-latitudes, they last all night and then some. If one is looking a little weak, I just replace it with one of my spares. This time of year they're pretty much out by dawn, depending on how sunny the day was. I may have to turn on the deck lights (also LED) if I find myself in a dark anchorage after a cloudy day now.

The goal is simply to get some lights down near eye-level of any drunken yahoos speeding through the anchorage in a small boat. Experienced cruisers heading in or out of the anchorage will already have a plan in place to spot any poorly-lit boats, so the anchor light will suffice for them.

[Cormorant]

A lot of those garden lights come with the cheapest possible rechargeable battery installed. Take out the stock battery and put in something good, and they'll usually last all night.