anchor ball and mooring

[Bosun Higgs]

Or anchor light for that matter. I dont see any practical difference between being tied to an old railway wheel and being tied to an anchor. So should you put an anchor ball up when on a swinger? And a light?

From both a practical point of view and also a legal / insurance one. If you dont need them on a mooring why should you use them in an anchorage, particluarly a recognised and popular anchorage.

 

[sailorman]

Or anchor light for that matter. I dont see any practical difference between being tied to an old railway wheel and being tied to an anchor. So should you put an anchor ball up when on a swinger? And a light?

From both a practical point of view and also a legal / insurance one. If you dont need them on a mooring why should you use them in an anchorage, particluarly a recognised and popular anchorage.

positions of moorings are known & often marked on charts
at anchor with a CQR could be any where even at sea

 

[Seajet]

Bosun Higgs,

I see what you're getting at, though technically one should only show a ball or light at anchor, not a mooring.

However after reading on these forums of moored boats at the edge of busy channels getting clobbered, in that situation I might well set up a light operated by a photovoltaic cell, coming on in the dark; those solar powered garden lights spring to mind.

In daytime it should be rather obvious the boat is moored, if the watchkeeper can't spot the mooring buoy and / or line or chain on the front, there's not much one can do...

 

[l'escargot]

...If you dont need them on a mooring why should you use them in an anchorage, particluarly a recognised and popular anchorage.

Because that's the rules.

 

[yesod]

positions of moorings are known & often marked on charts

lightships are also marked on charts, and you can bet they're not just anchored - yet they also show anchor lights and ball....

 

[PhillM]

Last year I noticed that the boats on the moorings outside Yarmouth all showed an anchor light at night but didnt have a ball in daylight.

 

[Poignard]

Bosun Higgs,

However after reading on these forums of moored boats at the edge of busy channels getting clobbered, in that situation I might well set up a light operated by a photovoltaic cell, coming on in the dark; those solar powered garden lights spring to mind.

.

I show a light if I am sleeping on board on an exposed mooring. It is not illegal to do so and it might save being run down in the night.

 

[PetiteFleur]

An anchor light is recommended when sleeping aboard when on a mooring on the River Orwell - after an incident some years back when a ship took a short cut and picked up a yacht on it's anchor.

 

[nevis]

I show an anchor light so i can find my way back from the pub

 

[electrosys]

Or anchor light for that matter. I dont see any practical difference between being tied to an old railway wheel and being tied to an anchor. So should you put an anchor ball up when on a swinger? And a light?

From both a practical point of view and also a legal / insurance one. If you dont need them on a mooring why should you use them in an anchorage, particluarly a recognised and popular anchorage.

As I understand the issue, it hinges on whether a vessel is engaged in navigation or not. A vessel at anchor is considered to have only temporarily suspended navigation, whereas a vessel at a purpose-built mooring or tied to a dock is not, or is no longer engaged in navigation.

 

[onesea]

I show an anchor light so i can find my way back from the pub

+1 Although I have started using the solar garden lights. Have not come back to find it out yet

 

[GrahamM376]

No legal reason to show a light when moored but to me it comes under the heading of self preservation. We have a Bebi one with photocell which turns on/off automatically, draws about 100ma.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

Because that's the rules.

I(s it? I havent had time to check but I can't remember anything in colrges separating a moored boat from an anchored one. Not surprising really since not that long ago people used to lay their own moorings for a few day to a few months simply by dropping two anchors, one upstream and one down stream.

Not can I remember anything in colregs about the time you are at anchor ie if / when at anchor becomes moored.

 

[l'escargot]

I(s it? I havent had time to check but I can't remember anything in colrges separating a moored boat from an anchored one. Not surprising really since not that long ago people used to lay their own moorings for a few day to a few months simply by dropping two anchors, one upstream and one down stream.

Not can I remember anything in colregs about the time you are at anchor ie if / when at anchor becomes moored.

Colregs is quite clear about obligations at anchor, it doesn't extend them to when moored. I don't recall any mention of moored boats in colregs, only anchored ones.

 

[electrosys]

I can't follow why Colregs is being used as a reference regarding vessels which are moored - as they are not engaged in navigation, Colregs doesn't apply to such vessels.

You may be better served trying to establish legal definitions as used by insurance companies, such as:
"A vessel is “moored in safety,” within the meaning of a policy of marine insurance, when she is moored to a wharf or dock, free from any immediate danger from any of the perils insured against." and so on ...

If a vessel is merely 'anchored', then it ain't "free from any perils" - or that's how I read it - and as it's still engaged in navigation (although temporarily suspended) Colreg's anchoring requirements still apply.

To be honest - I don't see what the problem is ...

 

[Seajet]

There are times when one has to say 'stuff the rules' and use common sense; if my boat was on a mooring in a position where she might get clobbered, I'd apply some dayglo paint, reflective tape and fit a light which came on at sunset.

If I was sleeping aboard, I'd double it !

Quite a few yachts at their moorings have been taken out by ships.

I suppose the real common sense is not to be there to start with, as in the famous report on a Naval Officer; " shows great ability to get out of situations he should never have got into ! "

 

[Bosun Higgs]

I reckon Seajet has the only practical answer but there must have been some legal cases about boats on moorings being hit.

Electrosys - colregs apply as in "rule 1(a) These rules shall apply to all vessels upon the high seas and in all waters connected therewith navigable by seagoing vessels." Colregs does not differentiate between "mooring" and "anchoring" ( most likely because big ships rarely if ever moor) so its a reasonable assumption that they are the same thing under colregs.

Your "vessel is “moored in safety,” within the meaning of a policy of marine insurance, when she is moored to a wharf or dock" rather supports this argument in that it makes no mention of the sort of mooring we use such as swingers.

 

[Woodlouse]

lightships are also marked on charts, and you can bet they're not just anchored - yet they also show anchor lights and ball....

I think you'll find they are anchored. They'll have about four out, but when she gets taken off station, she'll take them all with her.

 

[little_roundtop]

Colregs is quite clear about obligations at anchor, it doesn't extend them to when moored. I don't recall any mention of moored boats in colregs, only anchored ones.

A mooring is just a permanent anchor.

 

[shaunksb]

A mooring is just a permanent anchor.

fairly permanent...



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