Lantern as anchor light?

[mvweebles]

Question: If the OP wired his steaming lights (forward 225-degree white on front of mast and aft 135-degree white on stern/transom) separate from running lights, would it satisfy rule for an all-around white light? Assumes the nav lights are properly installed, of course.

"All-round light" means a light showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 360 degrees.

Thoughts?

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Question: If the OP wired his steaming lights (forward 225-degree white on front of mast and aft 135-degree white on stern/transom) separate from running lights, would it satisfy rule for an all-around white light? Assumes the nav lights are properly installed, of course.

"All-round light" means a light showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 360 degrees.

Thoughts?

I would say no to that, since I could imagine, since they are emanating from two different locations, even though you don't see running lights, it could be confusing; it might appear to be a boat underway. The stern light, being lower may not have 2 nm visibility on some smaller boats also.

[Dave22q]

IMHO the masthead is the only location where your light is not obscured by the mast. 360 visibility is just not possible anywhere else. In crowded anchorages additional lighting such as leaving the spreader lights on is a very good idea.

[thinwater]

A lantern must be bright. The standard is 55 lumens, but that is in the focused plane, and probably requires >500 lumens with an unfocused bulb. I've tested (photoed from a distance) 75-250 lumen camp lanterns and they were far too dim to meet the standard (there is no direct conversion factor, because it depends on the lens).

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Question: If the OP wired his steaming lights (forward 225-degree white on front of mast and aft 135-degree white on stern/transom) separate from running lights, would it satisfy rule for an all-around white light? Assumes the nav lights are properly installed, of course.

"All-round light" means a light showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 360 degrees.

Thoughts?

I've wondered this as well. I think it would be legal, but I'm not sure. Hopefully the Colreg legal-beagles will chime in with the right answer. It would certainly be preferable to no light.

Corollary: would a 360º anchor light legally replace the combo stern light and forward steaming light?

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Dave22q

IMHO the masthead is the only location where your light is not obscured by the mast. 360 visibility is just not possible anywhere else. In crowded anchorages additional lighting such as leaving the spreader lights on is a very good idea.

True. But there are two other things to consider.


a. The regulations allow 6 degree blindspots. 360 is better.


b. Your masthead light may not be visible at all within 100 feet of the boat. Many are not, because of the lens angles. I have never been able to see my anchor light unless I got off the boat and walked at least 6 slips away. only a 15 degree down angle is required.


So a mast head light can be obscured by it's height.


I don't have a set opinion. I enjoy the discussion. I am more concerned about visibility within 100 feet than at 2 miles (remember, this is an anchor light thread, not a steaming light thread).

[Don C L]

Personally I would say spreader lights on is a bit extreme unless you are concerned about dinghies or jet skis speeding through at night. There is something really nice about an anchorage that is not awash in light at night. An anchorage with a collection of gently swinging kerosene lanterns is my preference.

[OS2Dude]

I display two: The traditional masthead LED and a lantern above the Bimini. (Hangs from the backstay)

[a64pilot]

I have an Aqua Signal Tri color at the top of my mast. Mast head is actually the front of the mast?
Anyway I was very unimpressed with it as it is the same color as an incandescent (sort of yellow) and just doesn’t look very bright at all, and have since mounted a Marine Beam anchor light on the trailing edge of my Solar panels, it’s very bright, a bright wire color and is much more visible as it’s bit brighter, better color and down lower.
Besides I like having a back up, assuming your installed anchor light breaks, I can’t imagine any LEO giving you grief for using a lantern or anything else available.
I have never heard myself of anyone ever being given any grief about not having an anchor light, even Commercial vessels.
I would expect if I ever got a visit from and LEO about my anchor light, that there is actually another reason for the visit, meaning someone called complaining about the boat in their back yard.

[Paul Kelly]

I use a battery powered lantern which has a plastic loop on the top. I've tied a long trailing line round its base. I tie this to a fitting on the deck forward of the mast and hoist it 4 - 5 metres up using the spinnaker halyard. Seems to do the trick and vision is not obscured by the mast at all, from what I can see.

[SV__Grace]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

This seems like pretty poor advice. The point of an anchor light is not to avoid a ticket, it's to ensure you're seen at night while anchored.

There are indeed these "Special anchorage areas" where boats under 20 metres are not required to show an anchor light. But why would you not, even in these cases? Heck, even in a mooring field, why would you not want to be seen?

As for not using it in remote places few go, this seems like very poor advice. In fact, this is exactly the place where you want a good anchor light. You can't possibly know you're the only one who knows about this location. If someone else shows up in the pitch dark of night, thinking the same way you do, then you're even more likely to be hit.

With the advent of LED anchor lights there's really no reason or excuse not to be lit up. Some light -- any light -- is better than no light.

I like Mike's point that the purpose of an anchor light is to be seen by approaching boats.

For this reason I don't bother with my mast mounted light when anchored in a location with houses or civilization on or near the shoreline, as a mast mounted light will just blend in with the shore lights for an approaching boat.

So a remote location with an unpopulated shoreline is the only place I use my mast mount light, otherwise I use a couple of landscape solar lights, one on the bow and one on the stern, mounting the tubular holders on stanchions with zip ties.

When not at anchor the lights are removed. Having two lights provides backup in case one goes out. They are cheap and by getting a set of 12 or so means I can have some in reserve to rotate and replace them. Here in PNW the solar light might need 2 days to recharge, and since the light is easily removable from the tubular mount, swapping them out is easily done.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Personally I would say spreader lights on is a bit extreme unless you are concerned about dinghies or jet skis speeding through at night. There is something really nice about an anchorage that is not awash in light at night. An anchorage with a collection of gently swinging kerosene lanterns is my preference.

I have once or twice anchored overnight on the Bank in the Bahamas and left my deck light on, as well as the steaming light. The spreader lights are too bright for me to sleep, but I wanted to be seen from a good ways off. I wasn’t on a route, but many don’t run the routes anyway.
Where the anchor symbol is at Memory Rock for example.

[a64pilot]

I have tried several landscape to include Stainless ones made for Marine use sold at Defender, none have lasted through the night, early morning hours, they are all dead.
Best ones I have found are the ones that are meant to be deck lights, they may make it through the night, I mounted one on the outboard cover, just to give it a light too as I don’t always hoist it up.
But I would not rely on a garden light as an anchor light. No way could you argue that met the specs.

[Kumbaya31]

I used an LED lantern hoisted on my staysail halyard when I realized my anchor light was not working.
But I recently purchased a brass anchor lamp that burns lamp oil. It's made by Weems & Plath and I bought it from defender.com. They have three models.

I just think a brass anchor light is neat. Also the lens is supposed to function like a light house.

[OS2Dude]

According to Merriam-Webster
Definition of masthead
1 : the top of a mast

Don't forget a light's LOCATION also lends meaning. A white light (or more) on the deck may be visible, but does not necessarily denote ANCHORED or STEAMING. Depending on the area you are in, lights at deck level can be lost among background lights along the shore. IMO the best is two, a light Forward mounted high (masthead) and second light lower above the cockpit (hanging from backstay). That gives you the best of both and complies with regs.

I see multiple boats nearly every night covered in light ropes, lanterns, and underwater lights. Sure I can SEE them, but I can't make out the navigation lights among the clutter. What kind of vessel is it? Is it anchored, under sail, steaming, coming at me, going away, WHAT? (Not to mention with all those lights I doubt they can see much beyond their rails either.)