“Where it can best be seen...”

[Kukri]

Rule 30

(a) A vessel at anchor shall exhibit where it can best be seen;
(i) in the fore part, an all-round white light or one ball
(II) at or near the stern and at a lower level than the light prescribed in sub-paragraph (I), an all around white light

(b) A vessel of less than 50 metres in length may exhibit an all round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule.

Good people, where can the light best be seen?

 

[dunedin]

It depends. We tend to anchor in bays, selected such that we are in shelter - hence the wind tends to be blowing off the shore. Consequently boats arriving at night will generally be coming from astern (as it is land ahead). And generally arriving boats will be looking ahead, not up into the sky.
Hence our anchor light is usually under the boom above the sprayhood. Rarely use the masthead anchor light. Never use an anchor light ahead of the mast.

Might be different if anchored in a river, but cannot recall ever anchoring in a river.

 

[Poignard]

"where it can best be seen" begs the question "by whom is it meant to be seen?".

I invariably anchor where any risk of collision comes from other small craft so I hang my anchor lamp at the approximate eye level of other boats' helmsman.

I can see no logic in having an anchor lamp at the masthead.

Dunedin's reasoning makes complete sense and complies with the regulations. I do much the same as him and hang the light from the boom (although nearer the mast), which is at my eye level when I am standing in the cockpit.

 

[lw395]

Far enough from the mast and other obstructions like a furled genoa that it's only obscured over a tiny angle.
Apart from that, you have to decide who you want to be seen by and what their problems will be.
Our masthead is not far above the bridge of an IoW ferry for example.
People in small boats don't need to see you from a mile away, they need to see you in enough time to know you're there and to realise what's there.
A light at the stern which lights up the cabin side a little can work well, particularly if you have a dark hull.

 

[LadyInBed]

For my boat, best seen is hung above the centre cockpit.

 

[Kukri]

Thanks to everyone contributing to an interesting discussion.

I like my big old fashioned Davey cone burner oil lamp on the forestay because it cannot be mistaken for anything else, but it’s one more job to rig it so I have used the masthead light if really tired, but I don’t trust it.

 

[prv]

I have a small (but bright) LED lamp attached below my anchor ball - the wire for it runs up the inside of the downhaul line and plugs in just inside the anchor locker. So at night the light is in the traditional place above the foredeck. It has some dim warm-white LEDs on the bottom as well as the bright white around the circumference, so the boat itself is gently illuminated and fully visible at close range, not just a point of light. I think under the boom and similar places are fine too, but just looking at other boats on a dark night shows how poor masthead lights on all but the smallest boats are at indicating the position of the parts you might actually hit.

Pete

 

[Zing]

Anchor light at the masthead to comply with the rules. Lights all over to be visible. Spreaders, boom, deck and stern arch. With LEDs using so little power it is not an issue to do this now.

 

[westhinder]

I have a small (but bright) LED lamp attached below my anchor ball - the wire for it runs up the inside of the downhaul line and plugs in just inside the anchor locker. So at night the light is in the traditional place above the foredeck. It has some dim warm-white LEDs on the bottom as well as the bright white around the circumference, so the boat itself is gently illuminated and fully visible at close range, not just a point of light. I think under the boom and similar places are fine too, but just looking at other boats on a dark night shows how poor masthead lights on all but the smallest boats are at indicating the position of the parts you might actually hit.

Pete

That sounds interesting. Do you happen to have a link for the light?

 

[Sandy]

Anchor light at the masthead to comply with the rules. Lights all over to be visible. Spreaders, boom, deck and stern arch. With LEDs using so little power it is not an issue to do this now.

+1

My air draft is only 16 meters so I don't wear the stories that people can't see masthead lights, needs to be in a place everybody, including us returning from the pub, can see it (we have even turned the light on when at her own mooring so we could spot the boat on a dark night).

 

[Uricanejack]

Thanks to everyone contributing to an interesting discussion.

I like my big old fashioned Davey cone burner oil lamp on the forestay because it cannot be mistaken for anything else, but it’s one more job to rig it so I have used the masthead light if really tired, but I don’t trust it.

I used to use an oil lamp from the fore stay.
Replaced with a Battery LED lantern from a mountain equipment store hung from the forestry by a rolling hitch round the furled foreskine.

Have used the masthead anchor light but nearly got hit by a boat load of lads partying in a run about.
Who proceeded to blame me. For not having a light.

 

[Frank Holden]

Under the boom.......

Masthead lights in coastal waters are the work of the devil... both allround white and tricolour..

'Off soundings'?... yes I do use my tricolour if in an area of low traffic density.

 

[Kukri]

Under the boom.......

Masthead lights in coastal waters are the work of the devil... both allround white and tricolour..

'Off soundings'?... yes I do use my tricolour if in an area of low traffic density.

Thanks for the bridge wing pictures, which make it very clear.

 

[michael_w]

I alternate between a parafin powered lamp tied off on the babystay, or an Bebi LED which also downlights the deck, which tends to get used in busy areas, and when we are off next morning in a hurry as it's quicker to stow than the parafin one.

There is a masthead one too, but it's never used.

 

[GHA]

This comes up lot, nice to see lots of people with a light rigged low where it does some good

Mine is in the foretrangle, even from astern almost never gets obscured by the mst and even then only for a moment. Bright homemade LED in an oil lamp which was rubbish with parafin.

 

[BigJoe]

When at anchor, we ALWAYS have 2 all-round white lights, one at the masthead and the other at eye level on the foredeck

We think it's better to be seen

 

[newtothis]

hung from the forestry by a rolling hitch round the furled foreskine.

That's gonna smart!

 

[dom]

Personally, I think the key is to provide an all around white AND some other form of vessel illumination. In other words, not just two point lights; and at the risk of upsetting the purists, not a wheezy old paraffin lamp!

A masthead plus spreader lights works. If no spreader lights, a masthead plus a hanging boom downlighter to illuminate the superstructure, sails, etc.

LED provides lots of choice.

 

[Kukri]

I like to have the paraffin lamp (it was a ship’s NUC lamp, so certified by the Board of Trade to have a range of two miles with a red shade in - it isn’t small!) in case of the dreaded flat batteries. But yes I have also got a smaller one converted to LED as illustrated by GHA in post 15.

I do notice that the regulations permit us to have bow and stern anchor lights.

PS: I’ve just spotted its twin, tarted up, on eBay:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/323952822469

 

[dom]

I do notice that the regulations permit us to have bow and stern anchor lights.

Agreed, as I understand it, one is basically free to light away once the mandated lights are clearly displayed and no confusion is created.

So flashing blue red and green are just fine if emanating from the disco of a cruise ship at sea, but prob not on a yacht anchored in Portsmouth Harbour!