Lights - legal requirements

[ssullivan]

Colin,

What's even more distressing is that many boats come fresh from the factory lacking the proper lights. I mean how many of us have tested our anchor and/or running lights to see if they are actually putting out the required candelas? I sure haven't, and wouldn't know if they are up to specs or not.

[nolatom]

An earlier post mentioned a sailboat may carry red over green on the mast. You hardly ever see this, but it does help the memory jingle that helps you identify a fishing boat, pilot boat, and maybe a sailboat:

Red over White--fishing at night;

White over Red--Pilot ahead;

Red over Green--sailing machine


Now, if you're discussing all this at the bar, and your buddy's had a couple too many, you can insist: "Always remember, red is green, and port is starboard". He will then nod his head ;-)

[Talbot]

What a long thread!

You havent seen much of these forums if you reckon this is a long thread.!

[Vasco]

Colin,

The worst culprits are cruise ships. No deadlights on the forward ports, lights all over the place, takes 15 minutes to discern their sidelights. With the modern ones, even in daytime you can't tell the bow from the stern.

[Talbot]

at least the lights all down the ship's side give you the full impression of size. I very nearly got into serious trouble one very dark night when a VLCC only had its nav lights on and I mistook the size, shape and course of the ship, thinking it was two different vessels.

Not the closest call I ever had, that was back in 1976, and I was watchkeeping officer on a heavy cruiser exercising with a mixed fleet of warships in the dark, with no lights, or radar. Suddenly saw a small light fairly close ahead, and not being sure what it was, did an emergency turn away. Just as the Captain arrived on the bridge to ask what the devil I had been up to, I was able to identify the light as a small torch being shined at us by a Brazilian destroyer that had had a total power failure while directly ahead of us. If I hadnt turned I would have been responsible for sinking that ship.

[Weyalan]

I must confess that I am one of those guilty of not knowing all the rules and regulations on light requirements. Where I am situated, the only qualification necessary to operate a 40' yacht is a State issued Motor Boat License, and frankly, it is a very, very basic test that you have to pass to get this license. The course & exam for the license does briefly cover lighting, but it is really is aimed more at small run-abouts and motor launches rather than sailing vessels, so if you come out knowing red/green & white are port/stbd & stern, that is about as much as they expect of you. I suspect that for many of us, unless we have spent some period with a maritime career (Navy, Merchant Navy, Coast Guard, commercial fisherman, etc), we will not have had any real training in the lighting requirements, or, indeed, the other areas of the COLLREGS.

I haven't owned a boat for very long, but I have displayed reg/green bow & white stern & masthead lights when sailing and have used my "docking" light (which I now know is a motoring light, when coming in to, or leaving the dock (which is pretty much the only time I use the motor). This was not something that I had been formally shown, but that I had picked up from years of casual crewing on other vessels.

It is forums like this that afford less experienced sailors such as I the opportunity to increase our knowledge. To me, it is more important to support those of us (like me) who are seeking to increase our knowledge & skills, than to chastise them for their lack of knowledge.

[Boracay]

Does anyone have any knowledge of situations where the wrong lighting caused a problem, or where a boat has been pulled up by the coastguard or the water police?
For a small boat just having a visible light can difficult, let alone lights that comply with what can be confusing regulations.
What I'm thinking is a white light on top of a tricolour on top of the mast for a cruising yacht or a simple high white light with red and green side lights for a power boat. Not strictly legal, but is this acceptable?

[colemj]

I had a strange thought pop in my mind the other day: what is the proper navigation light display for lying to a sea anchor? Towing a drougue? I am assuming no sails up for the sea anchor and perhaps a small storm sail for the drougue situation. I could probably look this up, but Gord is so much faster!

Mark

[S/V Elusive]

Mark - and the rest of use who have a boat over 12 meters (39 feet) in the US, are required to have on board, at all times, the Coast Guard's Navigation Rules This book DETAILS all the different requirements and situations for both INLAND and INTERNATIONAL rules.

Also - as I read the rules, you may be hove to, but you are STILL SAILING (not anchored to the sea bed, and not motoring), and lights whould be shown appropriately. You just aren't going anywhere very fast.

[GordMay]

Thomas is correct (IMHO).
If lying nearly head to wind and stopped, and maintaining this position by trimming sail or working engines (“hove to”) - you are either sailing, motoring, or motor-sailing, and must display the appropriate lights for a vessel under sail, or under power.

[Talbot]

The situation of lying to a parachute anchor is not really covered by the rules. The nearest is to use the anchored lights, but that doesnt warn other boats of the long (100meter+) lines to the parachute.

A drogue means you are still using windpower with the mast as the effective sail (or even a small amount of canvas. either way, you are making way and the appropriate sailing lights are required.

[GordMay]

"The situation of lying to a parachute anchor..." (/w 100meter+ lines) might be covered under “towing”.

Rule 22:
In inconspicuous, partly submerged vessels or objects being towed;
* a white all-round light; 3 miles.

And

Rule 24:
A power driven vessel when towing shall exhibit:

* (i) instead of the light prescribed in Rule 23(a)(i) or (a)(ii), two masthead lights in a vertical line. When the length of the tow measuring from the stern of the towing vessel to the after end of the tow exceeds 200 meters, three such lights in a vertical line;
* (ii) sidelights;
* (iii) a sternlight;
* (iv) a towing light in a vertical line above the sternlight;
and
* (v) when the length of the tow exceeds 200 meters, a diamond shape where it can best be seen.

[ssullivan]

I'd have to side with Gord on this: using a sea anchor (para-type) would certainly require the same lights as any other vessel underway. It would also require (possibly) the all around white light vessels use when towing a partially submerged object.

In fact, any vessel not made fast to the ground in some way or another is considered a vessel underway... no matter if it is motoring at 15 knots, or adrift.

From there, the normal Rules of The Road apply (Vessel not Under Command, etc... )

[Talbot]

technically of course you are correct (which is why I consider this is an area that needs to be re-defined by IMO) You also would not be wrong to consider use of Not under command shapes/lights,

[GordMay]

”... Not under command shapes/lights ...” might be more appropriate to a vessel lying “ahull”.