Am I the only one....

Ex-SolentBoy said:
Who cares?

Moorings are more like towns than open fairway. Set up the disco lights and you are unlikely to get hit. Sit in darkness and accept the penalty if a muppet crashes into you.
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- your insurers?
- other vessels trying to figure out WTF it is?
- MAIB?
- coroners court?

BelleSerene said:
Certainly confuses all navigating vessels in the vicinity, who try to relate your flashing pattern to something on the chart. Imagine if we all set up flashing lights at sea: you'd never be able to navigate by the buoys. It's a cute idea, but unnecessary and inconsiderate.
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+1

Jamesuk said:
So no Disco lights then? :-(

.... Well the strobe light I suggested which "in the Rules" is fine to have it is off by day (charging) and flashing (dimmed) by night.
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Which rules would that be then?

PW
 
I do not use my anchor light when connected to a mooring buoy. On the Firth of Clyde, some admiralty, or Harbour Authority mooring buoys have fixed yellow lights attached to them; most are useless because they blend in with the street lights. IIRC there was at least one (Rothesay Bay) with a flashing yellow light as well - now that could be confusing as the Clyde does have a the odd submarine rumbling about on surface. I believe the risk is low of being hit when on a mooring but my perceptions are from the Firth of Clyde and West Coast which don't tend to have busy channels lined with moorings; the approaches to Rhu Narrows being a notable exception. However, if I felt uneasy, I would not hesitate to switch on a deck light - far better to illuminate the yacht effectively than rely on a 10W or less bulb. Having sailed from the River Itchen once, the over riding memory was of a busy waterway.
 
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In answer to the OP,yes I sleep very well on moorings with ships going past,in fact I am now on a buoy just near Harwich ro-ro/ferry terminal,and I like the soothing sound of 10,000 hp diesel throbbing past,as I am completely confident that the Harwich pilot will not stray in to yacht moorings,assuming he could without going aground. There is no argument whatsoever for strobes,beacons or whatever to avoid being hit by big ships, but those of a paranoid disposition can leave on deck or cabin lights,why not, if they want to.And presumably have a radar reflector up as well.

The chances are surely much greater of being hit by a cold,tired and lost,or drunk,or ignorant small craft,and in some cases it might not matter if you are lit up like a christmas tree,eg drunk kids in a speedboat. But again why not leave your deck or cabin lights on for peace of mind.


Personally I am against sticking lights up which could be confused with anything in the Rules or with buoys,and I have just checked Rule 20 (b) and it is specifically not allowed.
I would like to see a yachtsman prosecuted and fined by the MCA for leaving strobe on,just as a reminder that putting up lights willy-nilly is confusing for all.
There are enough lights around already in places like The Orwell which the OP mentioned,and most moored boats are unoccupied so they won't have lights anyway.

Cheers Jerry
 
jerrytug said:
In answer to the OP,yes I sleep very well on moorings with ships going past.

Personally I am against sticking lights up which could be confused with anything in the Rules or with buoys,and I have just checked Rule 20 (b) and it is specifically not allowed.

Cheers Jerry
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Hi Jerry,

I did like your post it is not far off my thoughts on having 'no lights' on if im interested in the milliamps but we burn 20amps per hour at anchor and if having a light on at a mooring helps a nearby yacht spot us then sure we will put it on, even at a mooring.


As for the COLREGS you cannot use Rule 20b as being relevent to a vessel on a mooring, because (going out on a limb here) the Rules don't apply to vessels attached to land. Just like the chain ferry at Cowes has its white flashing light, it does not need to comply with COLREGS and so its white flashing light is A ok, a stobe perhaps ;-)

Cheers

James

Ps rule one (a) These Rules shall apply to all vessels upon the high seas and in all waters connected therewith navigable by seagoing vessels.

A mooring is like a marina, COLREGS do not apply. So view being on a mooring as like being in your house with a sea view, put on any lights you like. A strobe is easy to spot, LED cree bulb mast lights if your really anti strobe.
 
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Another thread where the introduction of the mere phrase Col Regs lends an air of authority to the poster.

Let us know the next time a sailor is taken to magistrates court for displaying a strobe light.
 
One reason NOT to display a strobe is it may well get confused with a light attached to a lifejacket and misdirect any potential rescuers. I know I am namby pamby expecting people to come to my aid but that is just the way I am :)
 
Paddingtonbear said:
One reason NOT to display a strobe is it may well get confused with a light attached to a lifejacket and misdirect any potential rescuers. I know I am namby pamby expecting people to come to my aid but that is just the way I am :)
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Good point Paddington,strobes should be saved for special occasions,imagine if a dozen yachts on moorings all had strobes going at night,each one a different speed and intensity. It would be impossible to pick out a lifejacket light,and further,it would make yachts moored with no strobe,or whatever, much more DIFFICULT to see... thus increasing the risk of someone crashing in to it!
When the collision with the unlit moored yacht did occur,the insurance company would inevitably think of asking,"all the other yachts on the moorings were displaying strobe lights in accordance with a silly article in the yachting press,except YOU Mr Jerry,so that is contributory negligence.."
Let's not go there!
 
Paddingtonbear said:
One reason NOT to display a strobe is it may well get confused with a light attached to a lifejacket and misdirect any potential rescuers. I know I am namby pamby expecting people to come to my aid but that is just the way I am :)
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Good point Paddington,strobes should be saved for special occasions,imagine if a dozen yachts on moorings all had strobes going at night,each one a different speed and intensity. It would be impossible to pick out a lifejacket light,and further,it would make yachts moored with no strobe,or whatever, much more DIFFICULT to see... thus increasing the risk of someone crashing in to them!
When the collision with the unlit moored yacht did occur,the insurance company would inevitably think of asking,"all the other yachts on the moorings were displaying strobe lights in accordance with a silly article in the yachting press,except YOU Mr Jerry,so that is contributory negligence.."
Let's not go there!
 
SimbaDog said:
I find that all my blue underwater lights cast a nice glow around the boat :cool:
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Do you have them so they pulse in time with the chemical brothers tracks You have thumping out of the stereo?

That would be really confusing.

Oooh errr skipper, oi think the pattern is "music;response".

FIRE UP THE DISCO BALL number one!
 
Lakesailor said:
If I was approaching and saw a strobe light my reaction would be extreme caution (without recourse to reading Colregs).
So it would have the desired effect.

In reality Col Regs are only for the tribunal afterwards.
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In "My Ship Is So Small" Ann Davison said she carried all sorts of lights, not strictly legit, because she would rather the watchkeeper on a ship said "What the hell is that?" than missed the proper lights.
 
All this week in Studland Bay the moored and anchored vessels all displayed anchor lights and jolly nice is has been. We usually display a light when moored, an LED foretriangle light costs about an amp a night and is clearly worth it. Masthead anchor lights are practically useless, very hard to relate to which boat it belongs to and who's looking up at the sky to avoid a collision? SWMBO however says they're very pretty and can we have one please :)
 
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