Am I the only one....

JumbleDuck said:
Rule 30 covers vessels anchored and aground.
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Yes I see. I have often wondered if 'moored to a buoy' counts as 'made fast to the shore', or 'anchored', or neither as pointed out by James above. I would love to know where to find out little things like that about the Rules,any suggestions? cheers Jerry
 
jerrytug said:
Yes I see. I have often wondered if 'moored to a buoy' counts as 'made fast to the shore', or 'anchored', or neither as pointed out by James above. I would love to know where to find out little things like that about the Rules,any suggestions? cheers Jerry
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Anchored = follow COLREGS also an anchor can drag.
MOORED = as OP need not apply as he is fixed to shore.

So going back to the original poster. To please everyone.

If you want to protect your property then have a couple of garden solar panel lights stuck on the boat for those times when your away and on board. They provide just enough light to NOT upset anyone and can be visible from a reasonable distance. The other thing is to organise your boat while moored to be on AIS.

The strobe light is what my step dad uses on his boat it's usually hanging at the bow, Blinking away.
For the moaners who don't like Strobes I invite you to visit Marchwood, Southampton waters at night
 
I'd have thought that should you ask the MCA about what if any lights to display whilst on a mooring they'd advise an all round white as if you were anchored. It's definitely the safest option since upon seeing a single white light at sea you are pretty much obliged to keep clear of it if you don't know precisely what it is.
 
Jamesuk said:
Anchored = follow COLREGS also an anchor can drag.
MOORED = as OP need not apply as he is fixed to shore.
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Some moorings also use anchors which can and sometime do drag. Like jerrytug I have never been clear what the distinction is or whether there is one. My general policy is to use a riding light when it seems to me that other people might not expect me to be there, which generally means at anchor only. I use a hurricane lamp at the cross trees, and one fill of the reservoir lasts at least two scottish summer nights.
 
As someone who spends 360 nights a year on the hook and sometimes has to find his boat amongst many others in the dark in a crowded anchorage I feel I know what works and what does not.

Masthead anchor lights are of little use in a crowded anchorage in preventing someone running into your boat as drivers/helmspersons look forward not up. A white light under the bimini shows up well as it reflects off a large area. It seems to be more visible than one in the foretriangle.

These garden solar lights are better than nothing but are a bit dim. Some change colour which can be disconcerting especially if they alternate between red and green. They often do not last the night through. People using them often have three or four with one at the bow and one at the stern. In the rain on a dark night they are very hard to see.

The only time I use my mast head anchor light is if I was anchored in an unusual spot away from other boats. I would have my bimini light on as well. If I felt it was a high risk area I have my spreader lights on as well.

But by far the most visible are the flashing 'strobe' style lights. They are so visible I have determined that I will buy one for use in high risk anchorages like Falnmouth Harbour Antigua during race week or Trinidad during carnival. It might have an additional benefit as a thief deterrant if it lights up the back of the boat when fitted to the rear arch. Would a blue one be better than a white one? I guess I might upset the local police with a blue one.
 
As someone who spends 360 nights a year on the hook and sometimes has to find his boat amongst many others in the dark in a crowded anchorage I feel I know what works and what does not.

Masthead anchor lights are of little use in a crowded anchorage in preventing someone running into your boat as drivers/helmspersons look forward not up. A white light under the bimini shows up well as it reflects off a large area. It seems to be more visible than one in the foretriangle.

These garden solar lights are better than nothing but are a bit dim. Some change colour which can be disconcerting especially if they alternate between red and green. They often do not last the night through. People using them often have three or four with one at the bow and one at the stern. In the rain on a dark night they are very hard to see.

The only time I use my mast head anchor light is if I was anchored in an unusual spot away from other boats. I would have my bimini light on as well. If I felt it was a high risk area I have my spreader lights on as well.

But by far the most visible are the flashing 'strobe' style lights. They are so visible I have determined that I will buy one for use in high risk anchorages like Falnmouth Harbour Antigua during race week or Trinidad during carnival. It might have an additional benefit as a thief deterrant if it lights up the back of the boat when fitted to the rear arch. Would a blue one be better than a white one? I guess I might upset the local police with a blue one.
 
TQA great reply
, I too am on board a yacht 360 days per year but at 20 metre the budget is there to be in a marina. Great reply
 
My boat spends most of its time on a swinging mooring and neither I, nor any of the other boats around me, use an anchor light. It would just be a drain on batteries.

I always use the light when I'm at anchor and occasionally when on a mooring elsewhere if I feel that it is a bit exposed.

Nothing wrong with using a strobe if it makes sure that you are visible. But I would be cautious about using one in an anchorage which is open to the sea; that might cause confusion. In a sheltered river I doubt that it would be problematic.

I did play with a strobe at one time; it was a pain because the thing was flashing above me in the fore peak and I couldn't get to sleep.
 
Oh what fun it will be to enter a busy anchorage where everyone is storbing away and you cant see any navigation marks.

To train for this sad day, try entering Cadiz after sunset with the backdrop of flashy wind generators......
 
capnsensible said:
Oh what fun it will be to enter a busy anchorage where everyone is storbing away and you cant see any navigation marks.

To train for this sad day, try entering Cadiz after sunset with the backdrop of flashy wind generators......
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Or Marchwood with Southampton docks as your back drop.
 
Twister_Ken said:
Assuming you may be on a mooring for days or even weeks - who is going to turn it off at daybreak and on at dusk, and how is the battery going to be kept charged?
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We have one which turns on & off automatically and draws around 100ma when on and with solar panels no battery problems. Always use it on moorings and anchor. http://www.bebi-electronics.com/owl.html
 
The original post referring to a strobe said "similar to the ones on road works", a orange strobe is unlikely to cause confusion in an anchorage. not too many submarines or hovercraft around in amongst the moorings (should you mistake the orange for yellow) and no nav marks in this situation are likely to be flashing orange.
Commercial vessels at anchor display all there deck lights and this are all colours and patterns!:)
 
GrahamM376 said:
We have one which turns on & off automatically and draws around 100ma when on and with solar panels no battery problems. Always use it on moorings and anchor. http://www.bebi-electronics.com/owl.html
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I bought a £2 s/s garden light with a solar panel from asda, on the basis that for the price I may as well have it on the radar pole. i might add that I do have a hella 10w to hoist & is used as req
 
GrahamM376 said:
We have one which turns on & off automatically and draws around 100ma when on and with solar panels no battery problems. Always use it on moorings and anchor. http://www.bebi-electronics.com/owl.html
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Got one of them too. Good, innit :)

Mine is the version with downward-pointing LEDs as well as the outward ones, because originally I thought I might use it as a cockpit light as well. In fact I never have, but as an anchor light the downward illumination gently floodlights the whole deck, making the boat very visible, identifiable, and means that even on a dark night I don't need a torch if I go on deck to frap a halyard, let out a bit more chain, or go for a pee.

Pete
 
prv said:
Got one of them too. Good, innit :)

Mine is the version with downward-pointing LEDs as well as the outward ones, because originally I thought I might use it as a cockpit light as well. In fact I never have, but as an anchor light the downward illumination gently floodlights the whole deck, making the boat very visible, identifiable, and means that even on a dark night I don't need a torch if I go on deck to frap a halyard, let out a bit more chain, or go for a pee.

Pete
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Don't use ours in the cockpit, light attracts too many mossies

Don't forget the life time guarantee. The photocell in our first one went dodgy after about 3 years of daily use so I emailed them to order a new one. Bebi replied the same day, very upset it had failed and wanting our current address to post F.O.C replacement to. Brilliant service:o
 
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