Anchor Lights in a Mooring Field (USA)?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Mike, the problem with the garden lights is that they get very, very dim as it gets into the larger of the wee hours, when one is most tired approaching them. This is in my experience, and I hate the darn things, they give a false sense of visibility to the owner, and they are hard as heck to see.

Ann

Oh I agree. They are a terrible choice. But if the option is nothing or crappy lighting, I'll take the crappy lighting. They should certainly not be considered a replacement for a proper light, but some here seem to believe it is too hard to install a good light.

[C420sailor]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

If you're referring to my comment, then you missed the point. I specifically wrote that I don't care about the rules. I care about being seen (and seeing others).

Some have complained that it's not practical to light a boat that is moored long-term. Solar and proper LED anchor lights are apparently too expensive, or hard to install, for some. So I suggest in this case to spend $50 and get some cheap solar garden lights.

SOME light is better than none at all.


Again, for me it's not about the COLREGS, or any other law. It's about being seen. Why would you not want to be seen in the dark?

Not you specifically, it has been mentioned by multiple people.

Frankly, I just don’t give a ****. My boat is in the middle of a special anchorage. My previous boat was totaled by a guy who went ripping through the mooring field in broad daylight, CAVU weather. If morons can hit my boat in optimal conditions like that, I personally don’t think a super dim patio light 60’ up is going to make a damn bit of difference. I think it’s a waste of time.

I burn my light when required by law, and that’s it.

[Mr B]

I just bought these Led Solar powered lights to hang on my boat at deck level,
They turn on at night and off at day light, Automatic,
Solar powered so I dont even have to think about them,
Its just a light so that other people can see where my boat is, on anchor,

Hard wired 12 volt lights, I have to be onboard to turn them on and off,
They could also flatten my batterys given time, or Circumstances,

It also makes it easier for me to see my boat when Im in the dinghy coming back to it on a dark moonless night.
Where the bloody hell is my boat, No I dont usually carry a torch in my dinghy,

Very few people have anchor lights when anchored or on Mooring balls here, OZ,
And the very few who do, That light, 40 to 60 feet in the air is not very helpfull,

Any light, Regardless of Lumens or Wattage, Makes my boat visible at night in a dark, gloomy or Pitch Black anchorage,

Travelling at night up a river or creek, Or even into a Marina or trying to berth at a Pier or wharfe,
I use my Led Bar Spot, Flood lights, Mounted on my top spreader to see where I am going,
I can see logs and trees floating in the water, Or any other flotsam that I might hit with my boat,

It also makes it easier to see the boats on anchor with no lights on at all,
Which cannot be seen without my spot lights on them,,

The box one can hang off the back of my boat permanently from the solar panels,

Cheers, Brian,

[Jim Cate]

Very few people have anchor lights when anchored or on Mooring balls here, OZ,
And the very few who do, That light, 40 to 60 feet in the air is not very helpfull,

Aw, come on Brian! while it is true that few anchor balls are seen here in Oz, anchor LIGHTS are very, very commonly used, and have been in most areas for some years now. The advent of LEDs and photo cell controls has increased the usage quite a bit. We've anchored in heaps of places, from Lizard Is in the north to Port Davey in the south, and we've seen nearly all ANCHORED boats with lights. Not so much on moorings, that's true...

And more and more folks are going for both a masthead light AND some light lower down, a scheme that I think admirable and easy enough to accomplish. I have no problem with garden lights used as supplements to proper ones, but they are simply not good enough to replace the real thing, either legally or seamanshipwise.

And we will continue to light the boat on the rare occasions that we use a mooring, even if no one else around does... it's just part of our routine practice.

Jim

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by C420sailor

Not you specifically, it has been mentioned by multiple people.

Frankly, I just don’t give a ****. My boat is in the middle of a special anchorage. My previous boat was totaled by a guy who went ripping through the mooring field in broad daylight, CAVU weather. If morons can hit my boat in optimal conditions like that, I personally don’t think a super dim patio light 60’ up is going to make a damn bit of difference. I think it’s a waste of time.

I burn my light when required by law, and that’s it.

If you don't give a shyte, why are you wasting everyone's time responding here?

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by Montanan

FYI:

United States Code of Federal Regulations

The signals for moored boats is the same for boats at anchor because a moored boat is at anchor. This applies to day shapes, lights and sound signals.

§90.5 Lights for moored vessels.

A vessel at anchor includes a vessel made fast to one or more mooring buoys or other similar device attached to the ocean floor. Such vessels may be lighted as a vessel at anchor in accordance with Rule 30, or may be lighted on the corners in accordance with 33 CFR 88.30(h) through (l).

[CGD 94-011, 63 FR 5732, Feb. 4, 1998, as amended by USCG-2015-0433, 80 FR 44281, July 27, 2015]

The key word here is "may". Not shall or must.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

The key word here is "may". Not shall or must.

Another fuzzy wording IMO, for one could read it as may do one or the other, but must do one.

I'm not clever enough to decide which interpretation is right, but doubtless several of the sea lawyers on board will debate the issue.

Jim

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Aw, come on Brian! while it is true that few anchor balls are seen here in Oz, anchor LIGHTS are very, very commonly used, and have been in most areas for some years now. The advent of LEDs and photo cell controls has increased the usage quite a bit. We've anchored in heaps of places, from Lizard Is in the north to Port Davey in the south, and we've seen nearly all ANCHORED boats with lights. Not so much on moorings, that's true...

And more and more folks are going for both a masthead light AND some light lower down, a scheme that I think admirable and easy enough to accomplish. I have no problem with garden lights used as supplements to proper ones, but they are simply not good enough to replace the real thing, either legally or seamanshipwise.

And we will continue to light the boat on the rare occasions that we use a mooring, even if no one else around does... it's just part of our routine practice.

Jim

Awe Come on Jim,

The rivers Ive been up between Waratah bay, Vic and Port Stephens. NSW
No one had an anchor light on,
Mooring balls or anchor,
Even in Westernport Bay, Very few have anchor lights on boats that are sitting there unmanned,

The only way I see these parked boats is because I have my top Spreader spot lights on,

But most of these rivers and creek and bays, I go up,
Your boat wouldnt go up because of your draught,

When I use my real anchor lights, Im lit up like a Christmas tree,
But there are no boats were I park because of the depth of water Im in,

My small lights are for fishing boats and tinnies so they can see me anchored in the dark,

Keep in mind, Im usually sitting in Two feet of water, Max, or high and dry on a beach,

Brian,

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Another fuzzy wording IMO, for one could read it as may do one or the other, but must do one.

I'm not clever enough to decide which interpretation is right, but doubtless several of the sea lawyers on board will debate the issue.

Jim

I stand corrected. Only must is imperative to act, Shall is in with may.

http://https://www.faa.gov/about/ini...les/mandatory/

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

clip...

And more and more folks are going for both a masthead light AND some light lower down, a scheme that I think admirable and easy enough to accomplish.

clip...

Jim

And while you're at it, a light at the top of the mast; from a distance, particularly if you're not coming from the rear, where the mast would obscure the masthead, you'd have the marine equivalent of a syzygy

(A masthead light is the under-power nav light for sailboats, about 2/3 of the way up the mast, commonly right above, and integral-housing to, the foredeck light...)

For myself, I have a solar-deactivated anchor light atop the mast, and a dozen of the inexpensive yard lights. As our boat has rails I installed in place of the lifelines, I can use a PVC 3/4 x 3/4 x 1/2 NPT saddle Tee and 1/2 NPT x Slip street ell, with a small bit of weatherstripping inside the saddle due to it being 1.05" (standard 3/4" PVC OD); that keeps it from rotating unless I want it to); the yard lights (without ground posts) fit snugly into the ell. If you have lines, you can use the stanchions...

I also have a couple of post-mounted lamps in my genny winches' handle holes; I don't know what size that represents, but they fit just fine. AND, because they're old enough to have used up the original battery, my installation of a higher MA (1200) rechargeable AA means that they are still bright by daylight. The same is true of the others, but most of them still have the original battery, so I have not made that transfer in those, yet; as a result, by daylight, there are only a few of the rail-mounts, and the winch mounts, visible.

[Chotu]

“Sea lawyers”. Ha ha ha. That was a good one! I’m in agreement there.

Does anyone else modify their lighting based on where they anchor?

Mine goes like this:

Dock or hauled out on the hard: no light, but according to many posts here, they probably keep an anchor light on there too

Mooring ball in a mooring field: no light

Mooring ball not in a mooring field: never had the opportunity, but would use an anchor light if traffic dictated

Anchor in a good spot: away from channel, behind obstructions like reefs and rocks, or adjacent to a mooring field acting as additional moored boat - anchor light at top of mast only

Anchor in a bad spot: near channel, anywhere without obstructions between me and vessel traffic, in oddball locations boats don’t typically anchor - anchor light combined with spreader lights on all night.... or... anchor light combined with salon cabin lights on all night.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Dougtiff

"C420 sailor" used an interesting word "little twinkle" in reference to the anchor light, i don't know where or when anchor light's moved from above the foredeck to the top of the mast, but i believe it's dangerous, instead of looking at deck level light's, i.e. the boat, one is looking up at an angle, viewing the light's, not good, also Pangas and such have more chance of hitting a boat, my anchor light is hanging about 6 feet above deck level, i also have a light in the cockpit, both have Fresnel lens's, so are easy to see, i believe it's laziness for the most part, hafting to rig a light, instead of flipping a switch.

I'm here to tell you that masthead truck mounted anchor lights are dangerous. I was hit at anchor because a commercial F/V failed to see mine. It does look like a star.



Since that bitter lesson I don't rely on the anchor light alone. I have mood lighting in my salon which lights up hull ports port and starboard; I always leave those on. And in a crowded place or a place where there might be traffic, I leave a deck light on, which is what ships do. That's the most effective thing of all, but on my boat may interfere with sleep of people in the forecabins.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by C420sailor

A Home Depot patio light does not meet USCG standards. So if we are going to play the ‘rules are rules’ game here, you aren’t complying with the rules.

It may well meet the requirement as an anchor light. It doesn’t matter one bit. We use those AND our mast light which is invisible to boats with dodgers etc. The point is to be seen. Those anchorages and moorings packed with boats are still subject to boats coming and going in the dark.

Hello, XYZ adjuster, we came back to our boat after a couple of weeks in the mooring field. Big gouge where some bozo ran into it. Hmmmm? Wear you showing anchor lights? We find you 80% at fault. Your deductible is $10,000. You will receive a check for $2.00 and your new rate will be ****

As others have stated; why are you hiding? Why do you not want to give yourself and the other guy every opportunity to avoid a collision. That IS the goal of the COLREGS. The regulations in this case are inadequate, antiquated and worse, subject to interpretation and confusion.

New technology exists that for pennies will increase your safety. The common sense of it makes the posturing about rules and what you think you can get away with beyond dumb.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

The key word here is "may". Not shall or must.

That CFR is an interpretive rule - ie. it gives guidance or context to the directive rule.

Curious how many have decided that "moored vessels" aren't covered in the Colregs, so no lights are required. I think if you go back to Rule 3:

(i) The word "underway" means that a vessel is not at anchor, or made fast to the shore, or aground.

then you see that if your vessel is not at anchor, made fast to the shore or aground, then it is "underway" and must be lit as a vessel underway.

So one way or another, you have to light your vessel.


You have to understand these rules would not have been constructed with expectations that they were not technically feasible. How long have navigation buoys used lights? Has anyone seen an extension cord running out to a buoy? So a simple lead acid battery, with a piddly solar panel and incandescent bulbs have been used in buoys for over half a century. The argument that a little boat doesn't have the ability to maintain a light has never held water - with improved modern technology in solar and LED lighting, there really is no excuse whatsoever.

[rslifkin]

On the power front, my much brighter than required (3nm visibility) anchor light draws a whopping 0.25 amps. Run that for 12 hours overnight and it's 3 amp hours. Not exactly a hard item to power.