Achor light on a mooring buoy

But Richard, at their size the Colregs require them to have their decks lights on.

Personally, I take JJ's position.... i'd prefer not to use an anchor light at night when on a mooring, but would possibly do so if I felt particularly vulnerable...

Putting on more than one light is (IMHO) not sensible, as it fails to fit with any light combination recognised under Colregs, and could cause all sorts of difficulty for other skippers.
 
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Haven't you seen ships at anchor? They have all their deck lights on. It makes seeing their anchor light rather unnecessary. But of course, they have their nav-lights switched off.

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Yes, but we are not talking about ships here. We are talking vessels under 50 meters.
 
The reason why ships leave their deck lights on is to make them more visible when at anchor and particularly their extent.

One anchor light is fine on a yacht, but at the mast head it still makes estimating the range to the vessel difficult. Having more lights at deck level helps identify a little more what is there.

I don't believe the colregs say that an anchored yacht under 50m is forbidden to show more than one anchor light and no other lights.
 
May I please try to inject a note of sanity here?

The OP asked what is the 'correct thing'. Given that the colregs are silent on the subject, it would seem that we should be guided by custom.

In all the countries I have visited by boat (17 to date) it is normal for unattended boats on moorings to carry no lights. From the point of view of other water users, an occupied boat is likely to leave the same sized hole as an unoccupied one so it makes no odds.

In reality I have found that fewer than half of the cruisers I have seen at anchor have shown anchor lights and maybe 10% show the day shape. The exception is areas like Chichester where the authorities enforce the rules.

So - pragmatic advice: You don't have to show a light on a permanent mooring but it may be a good idea. I have a photocell-switched anchor light that I switch on at the start of a cruise and switch off when I get home.

A garden light seems an eminently sensible idea.
 
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James

I must respect your authority but I cannot find in collision regulations any definition of mooring or, indeed of anchoring. I can find a definition of underway which means that a vessel is not at anchor, or made fast to the shore, or aground. By a similar process of elimination this must mean that a vessel on a mooring is underway, which is clearly nonsensical.

I don't really understand the resistance to having an anchor light. And I should have said that Rule 30 required it. The RYA would seem to agree. From their sea sense campaign:

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Give anchored craft a wide berth, help others help you - use your anchor ball

Whatever your choice of activity, there will be actions of others you appreciate and others that you deplore. Our request for consideration extends to when you are tied up in a marina or anchored and to vessels passing others at anchor. Remember your anchor ball or anchor light is a requirement under the colregs to indicate your status to others.


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This would seem to be an area where clarification of colregs is required.

Michael

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This is a good example of reading and being over efficious with the reading. Being moored is - if you were to ask MCA or other parties involved in Regs - treated as made fast to shore. This was clarified in my first weeks as a Merchant navy Cadet. The rules are there to be read sensibly, not to be read word for word and stretched out to fit.
It used to be the case that Aurals exams were verbatim rule quotes to situations presented to the candidate. It wasn't long before that practice was frowned upon - that WORKING PRACTICAL knowledge of Rule application was required.

Lets give an example ....

An actual question to me by DTi examiner Southampton.

You see a tug and tow showing appropriate lights on port bow, but not restricted in ability lights - tell me your actions and why.

I answered that I would monitor by taking compass bearings to ascertain risk of collision. Technically I can stand on as he is crossing from port bow and he is not restricted in ability to manoeuvre, but in act of good seamanship - I would most likely make large bold alteration of course to allow him to pass ahead. Reason is that a tug and tow even if not showing restricted ability lights / shapes is more restricted in ability than my ship is. It is prudent action in my opinion.

The examiner smiled and said "I totally agree young man - you understand the rule but also understand good seamanship"

Next question ...

So you can see - there's an examiner trained to catch out the colregs questions in Aural exams of MN Officers. He illustrates very well the practical use of the rules and also the ability to use them constructively.
No-one is saying ignore or bend them. You use them to solve your situation. They also have many words / terms / situations missing in them as they cannot cater for every episode on the water. That is why the general rules are there allowing other action outside of the specific.

Later when studying them deeper for later examinations - I got really bored and fed up with the rules and how badly worded they were. I dare say there are other MN officers who found similar ?

Whether you agree or not - common sense usually complies with them. It's when you get a renegade or idiot that they fall apart.

The light question is a good one - but leads some as we see here to read into rules something that is not there. OP asks if light is based on charted area or not as well ... well in answer to that - if you think a boat may run you down - then show a light. You certainly don't have to show a shape in the day - your boat is a big enough marker !!
 
In total agreement - what do you make of this?

What-might-be-wrong-a.jpg
 
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