anchor light at swinging mooring?

[tim_ber]

Is this acceptable?

A boat is on a mooring and will be left there all Winter. The river is used by commercial shipping. The mooring is quite near the navigable channel.

It may be the only boat left in the water in that part of the river (therefore other boaters may not expect to find a boat in the river one dark night - and may bump into it - or destroy it).

We have a suitable anchor light and means to power it all Winter.

Is it acceptable to use an anchor light when on a mooring?

Cheers

 

[saltwater_gypsy]

I think you have answered your own question in that you are in an area with commercial shipping in an otherwise deserted mooring area. Better safe than..........BANG!!!!!

 

[Seanick]

Is this acceptable?

A boat is on a mooring and will be left there all Winter. The river is used by commercial shipping. The mooring is quite near the navigable channel.

It may be the only boat left in the water in that part of the river (therefore other boaters may not expect to find a boat in the river one dark night - and may bump into it - or destroy it).

We have a suitable anchor light and means to power it all Winter.

Is it acceptable to use an anchor light when on a mooring?




Cheers

Sod the light - if it were my boat I'd move it!

 

[RichardS]

I understood that a boat which is not underway at night should display a 360 degree white light. I was not aware of any difference between being anchored or being moored as far as lights are concerned (but I may be wrong!)

I have seen boats displaying an anchor light whilst in a marina but I'm sure that's not required (although I'm probably wrong again?)

Richard

 

[tim_ber]

Yes, but...

not a lotttt of commercial shipping.

Just now and again.

And the mooring is free.

And it means winter sailing

Thanks

 

[tim_ber]

I understood that a boat which is not underway at night should display a 360 degree white light. I was not aware of any difference between being anchored or being moored as far as lights are concerned (but I may be wrong!)

I have seen boats displaying an anchor light whilst in a marina but I'm sure that's not required (although I'm probably wrong again?)

Richard

Well, that is interesting, because I have never seen a boat on a swinging mooring displaying an anchor light, although I think it would be quite sensible (especially if on one's own, or at the beginning or end of a trot ! - Those in the middle may be protected by tail end charlies?)

 

[activesail]

Is this acceptable?



We have a suitable anchor light and means to power it all Winter.

Is it acceptable to use an anchor light when on a mooring?

Cheers

No is my answer..

A mooring is normally chartered, therefore vessels, commercial or otherwise should be aware of the possibility that a Yacht may be moored and maintain a suitable lookout.

On the other hand an anchored vessel will not be mentioned on a chart and therefore must use an anchor light to warn other vessels of its location and the fact that it is at anchor.

Navigation light protocols, if not used correctly may cause unnecessary confusion.

 

[dt4134]

I think there's a river where the harbour authority advises boatowners to leave an anchor light on at the mooring when they're on board. I think it's the River Orwell.

Anyway, the implication there is it is not illegal. And anyway I wouldn't have expected it to be, I can't see any situation where it would be compulsory for you to keep your vessel darkened.

 

[lenseman]

Is this acceptable?

A boat is on a mooring and will be left there all Winter. The river is used by commercial shipping. The mooring is quite near the navigable channel.

It may be the only boat left in the water in that part of the river (therefore other boaters may not expect to find a boat in the river one dark night - and may bump into it - or destroy it).

We have a suitable anchor light and means to power it all Winter.

Is it acceptable to use an anchor light when on a mooring?

Cheers

You haven't stated the type of commercial shipping that might use the channel. What is their likely draft and from that, you can work out the likelyhood of these ships to be in collision with your moored craft?

The navgation channel might be dredged to 6 metres below MLWS and your mooring could be on the shallow side of 2 metres?

I would mount the anchor light regardless BUT, like another forum member stated, I would find a safer mooring. You can be sure that any vesssel who bumps you, won't stop around at night to leave their name and address!

How would you feel to come down for a 'winter sail' and just be able to make out the spreaders and mast top poking out of the water! You wouldn't need to be on the water to feel very sick indeed.

ps: Is this the Cat you were asking about earlier this year belonging to a charity laying on the Blackwater?

 

[Poignard]

Well, that is interesting, because I have never seen a boat on a swinging mooring displaying an anchor light, although I think it would be quite sensible (especially if on one's own, or at the beginning or end of a trot ! - Those in the middle may be protected by tail end charlies?)

I agree, and I would show a light under those circumstances. Having your boat run down when you're not on board is bad enough but being run down when you're asleep in your bunk is a risk I'd sooner avoid.

 

[Fire99]

My understanding has always been, under normal circumstances, that you only need to display an anchor light when at anchor, not when on a swing mooring and that's how I do things.

However, your circumstances are a little unusual as it appears you'll be the only boat left through the winter. Yes it's probably still a recognised mooring area but there is the risk that assumptions may be made by shipping that the area will be deserted.

Under these circumstances, i'd be tempted to display a light during dark hours.

 

[Marmalade]

Not required but not illegal either I think. A mooring is essentially a buoyed anchor to which you return isn't it? Check out the outside row of the moorings at Marconi SC on the Blackwater during the season - many boats show a permanent light.

 

[Ubergeekian]

It seems wholly sensible to me to display a light. What harm can it do?

 

[PetiteFleur]

I think there's a river where the harbour authority advises boatowners to leave an anchor light on at the mooring when they're on board. I think it's the River Orwell.

Anyway, the implication there is it is not illegal. And anyway I wouldn't have expected it to be, I can't see any situation where it would be compulsory for you to keep your vessel darkened.

Yes it is the Orwell - after a little incident a few years ado when commercial vessel cut the corner at Pinmill and dragged a yacht to Harwich. Recommended to have an anchor light when aboard at night.

 

[VicS]

You have the light !

You can power it.

Use it

Leave the deck lights on too if you can.

 

[chrisedwards]

At Newtown Creek on Friday night on a mooring in the main arm - pitch black and no other boat - not even abandoned boats. - Anchor light on for a good nights rest.

2100 and below freezing - suddenly the hum of an outboard motor - and laughing! Rubber dinghy with young occupants on the way to the pub. Wow they must be tough.

 

[oldharry]

Mine boat was on the first of a trot of moorings. I took to leaving an anchor light on it after it was bumped - 3 times. I used one of the brighter solar garden lights. I would like to say no more bumps - but even in broad daylight it was bumped again.

Needless to say although one time they badly bent the pushpit rail, no one ever owned up! I moved up the moorings as soon as another became available.

 

[Seajet]

I'd definitely leave the light on; also, and the light may be a help here too, I'd point out that in my part of Chichester Harbour, when a boat is on her own on the moorings she tends to become a magnet for thieves and yobs.

Some insurers won't cover a boat on a swinging mooring over winter, so that's well worth checking in case you haven't already.

 

[zzjfawce]

Anchor lights on moorings

Compulsory if you have a swing mooring on the Brisbane river. IMHO the solar powered garden lights that some people use don't really seem bright enough and I doubt visible at 2 miles (which is the regulated brightness for craft under 12m, I think). I use an LED light hung from the backstay because I figure more easily seen by ferry skippers than masthead lights. I purchased a waterproof one from a small Fijian company called Bebi that doesn't draw much current (I think they were tested by PBO a while back) and it is seriously bright. Using an old high school electronics project book I soldered up a light sensitive switching mechanism that hasn't failed yet so overall a small solar panel keeps the batteries charged up (but the sun shines most days here).

We are having an interesting test match just down the road from work, much better than the one three years ago when I was invited along as a token Pom and had to endure a whole day of England looking like they couldn't remember which end of the bat to hold. England seem to have really shaken up the home side this time round. You can tell because people I know are starting to dismiss it as an unimportant match in the series. Yeah, right. It's going to be a really epic contest. Excuse thread drift.

 

[tinkicker0]

The name of the light says it all " Anchor Light" not mooring light.

However I'm with the others in believing that if you can power one effectively and you are close to the main channel, it can do no harm and may well be beneficial to other river users, in that if the mooring is charted, any watch keeper looking in the general direction of the moorings in the dark, will see the light and get better situational awareness.

On an evening I often moor up to a riverbank pontoon on the outside of a river bend.
Tour boats use the river in the evening for wedding receptions and disco's etc, so I rigged up a lamp using a 21 watt LED indicator bulb and the housing off an old solar light.
This gets hung off my boathook placed in the live side rod holder and hooked up to the battery. The pleasure boat skippers can then see the light and as the light hangs a couple of feet out over the water, also see the side of the boat lit up.

Power usage is minimal even if left on from dusk till dawn and is extra insurance against being rammed in the night.

CEVNI rules say this is a requirement in some foreign inland waters anyway.