Nav lights/day shapes when using drogue or sea anchor

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Viking Sailor

Since I don't have NUC lights - I will be showing an anchor light. A nice bright anchor light. Or, two anchor lights, Or, maybe even three anchor lights.

As the Captain of the SS Citadel Victory once instructed, "At night you are not to run over anything with a light on it!"

You'll get much more benefit from having a really good radar return. Ships start the missing you process long before they see any lights, usually before they appear over the horizon.
Add a radar alarm and ais alarm then you're actually getting towards pointing the odds in your favour enough to safely get some sleep..

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Cpt Pat

"My vessel is stopped and making no way through the water."

But since the flags aren't in the COLREGs, none of them may mean anything to the other vessel.

In my opinion, in these situations where the Rules don't give any clear guidance, we fall back on basic seamanship and Rule 2.

I think that, first of all, it's not really very good to voluntarily -- without any urgent necessity -- put yourself into a position where you can't maneuver. This creates extra risks for yourself and for other vessels. I think you should start with that position.

However, "not really very good" and "you must never do it" are totally different things. The Rules are not really dogmatic -- Rule 2 overrides everything else. But you shouldn't forget that it's not really good, and I think shouldn't do it without a fairly decent reason.

I think the Mike flag has some logic, but what I would show in such a case -- because every mariner will know what it means, and the goal is communication -- would be NUC. All you need is two anchor balls and two battery powered red all around lights (easy and inexpensive to acquire). It's not proper, because you're in that situation voluntarily, but in my opinion it most clearly communicates the real situation, and is most likely to produce a safe and correct response from other vessels.

It's what those drifting tankers do -- some pedants condemn this practice, but (although I'm a pedant myself) I don't think it's so bad. I probably wouldn't do it if I were the master or the shipowner -- think about the insurance in case of an accident -- but altogether it's a reasonable practice which saves a lot of fuel and doesn't create in my opinion huge risks.

If I were single handing on a long passage and needed to sleep, I would heave-to and show NUC. With a radar guard zone alarm and AIS alarm set.

Coherent (if not strictly correct) signals is one thing, another thing is just being seen ("don't hit anything with lights on it" -- ha ha). An anchor light is ok, maybe, but I think deck lights would be better. Or maybe a strobe if you have one. In the first place, you definitely want to be seen.

[JPA Cate]

It was quite a long time ago, about 1991, iirc. Both Jim and I were hors de combat from the Victoria A flu, and, about 3 days north of New Zealand, were hove to, with no one on watch. We had the anchor light on. And that's it. Today, we could program the AIS,perhaps, to show NUC. We were both running from above and below, and coordinating toilet time was of the highest importance. No one was on watch, we were too sick. For 3 days.

Yes, it was creepy. The only thing close to it for creepy, was in a gale, leaving HI, at night, and it was pouring rain, so very poor vis, and myself putting out blind calls on the VHF: "Any station who can copy this transmission (3 x), this is the sailing vessel Dominique, approximate DR position, sailing in x knots wind, and visibility 0 km, please stand clear." ....I did see distant lights move to avoid our position.

There was no radio contact, but even then, ships tried to avoid us.

If you're in dire straits, do the best you can, and hope for the best, you may be favorably surprised.

Ann

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

. . . Today, we could program the AIS,perhaps, to show NUC.

Unfortunately you cannot do that with Class "B", which cannot show nav status. Another big advantage of a Class "A" set.

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

If you're in dire straits, do the best you can, and hope for the best, you may be favorably surprised.

Ann

Indeed!

That's seamanship; there's not a rule to cover every situation.

[Viking Sailor]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

That's seamanship; there's not a rule to cover every situation.

BINGO!!!

[RaymondR]

Since I always single hand I use the heave-to and very bright deck light and "in the hands of the gods" technique to get a nap. Fortunately the seaways down here are not very busy and it has sufficed so far.

[Jim Cate]

An all around white light will appear as a stern light to any approaching vessel. You will not be making any significant way, and so the approaching vessel will assume correctly that he is overtaking and should keep clear, and this is a satisfactory outcome, even if not clearly by the books. No harm, no foul as it were.

Seems simple to me... it worked for the Hiscocks on many occasions, and was our choice of signals when we needed to be hove to at sea. Don't know if there was ever a vessel that had to avoid us... we never were aware of one.

Jim

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by Cpt Pat

"My vessel is stopped and making no way through the water."

But since the flags aren't in the COLREGs, none of them may mean anything to the other vessel.

OK, thanks for that information. I'm halfway jesting here, but perhaps a more effective flag would be the "SCUBA Diver Down" flag (white X on red background)! Obviously it's a lie out in the middle of deep ocean but the whole world knows what it means and it would warn other boats that you cannot move.

All these ideas about shapes and flags are only good for daytime use, but that's the best time to be sleeping. Better to stay awake all night since that's the most dangerous time for a collisionl

[Jim van Cleve]

I do a number of overnight, solo passages here in Fiji and I of course show the usual nav lights but for the times of doubt, I have mounted and show a flashing yellow light.
This is not uncommon here.

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by waterman46

OK, thanks for that information. I'm halfway jesting here, but perhaps a more effective flag would be the "SCUBA Diver Down" flag (white X on red background)! Obviously it's a lie out in the middle of deep ocean but the whole world knows what it means and it would warn other boats that you cannot move.

All these ideas about shapes and flags are only good for daytime use, but that's the best time to be sleeping. Better to stay awake all night since that's the most dangerous time for a collisionl

The idea is as good as the rest. No more, no less, inaccurate and not quite right, but indicative and better than nothing. Still, why is it an obvious lie? I have used scuba gear in the middle of the the deep open ocean (although I was not deep).

[RaymondR]

The circumstances when either hove-to or slowly drifting are more analogous to being at anchor with an anchor light than being under way with port, starboard and stern lights - comes down to "dodge-ability" of the almost stationary vessel by the underway vessel.

It is a case where one must be aware of the underlying logic which was applied when the rules were formulated. Both parties in a maneuvering-in-proximity situation are responsible for avoiding a collision but wherein lies the greater responsibility - logic would appear to assign the greater responsibility to the more maneuverable vessel.

From a practical viewpoint, showing all-round, white lights, which are generally being visible at a greater distance than colored and therefor providing the lengthier decision-and-implementation time period to the avoiding vessel would appear the most desirable.

Using the available electrical power to provide the brightest all-around white light would appear to be the most practicable when one wishes to indicate a not-under-command situation at night and perhaps the not-under-command day shapes during daylight hours.

Perhaps those who make it their business should consider that in a world which has progressed from only wooden hulls and oars or woolen or flax sails and the developments of light easily managed equipment and self steerers and autopilots there are going to be more single handers out there and make explicit rules for the probable real-world circumstances.