Anchor light position

LittleSister said:
I am sceptical as to whether that is the case. The ColRegs do not define 'at anchor' (nor 'moored').

There may well be some case law on the matter, but what that is, the degree to which it creates any precedent, and whether it applies only in the country of jurisdiction or internationally, I have no idea.

The reality in the UK is that, apart from a few rare souls, boats on moorings in the UK (and everywhere else I've been, as far as I recall) do not display anchor lights or make the sound signals for an anchored vessel. (I'm imagining the cacophony if they did in areas/towns where there are extensive trots and other moorings!) I doubt whether 'a violation', as you have it, would be so widespread.

Given that there have been occasional accidents where ships have wandered out of the defined channel, or lost control, and damaged or sunk yachts moored outside of it, I would imagine the issue of any need for anchor lights would have been litigated in the process of sorting out responsibility for the costs of the damage, and discussed in the yachting press, but I can't recall any such issue being mentioned.

I'm also seeing a fairly clear distinction between a vessel temporarily held in a position by its own gear, and one where it is attached long term to gear permanently installed on the seabed/ground (and in that case is there a difference between a buoy and a pontoon, or between chains and piles, between ground below the waterline and above?).




I am not aware of any such law in the UK.
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In fact, there is no gray here. COLREGS does define mooring and buoys, just not where you expect it and not in the clearest way. You have to read the entire regulation, including annexes and interpretive rules.

Anchored and moored are basically the same. A mooring is just a more perminat anchor, and defining "perminant" would be nightmare, since moorings can and are moved. Around here, many are removed for the winter due to ice, for example. Many would define a boat that is anchored long term as moored. Finally, since permits are not required for moorings in most places, they can and do pop up places not marked on charts.

See COLREGS, Interpretive Rules.
§ 82.5 Lights for moored vessels
For the purposes of Rule 30 of the 72 COLREGS, a vessel at anchor
includes a barge made fast to one or more mooring buoys or other similar
device attached to the sea or river floor....
 
LittleSister said:
I'm also seeing a fairly clear distinction between a vessel temporarily held in a position by its own gear, and one where it is attached long term to gear permanently installed on the seabed/ground (and in that case is there a difference between a buoy and a pontoon, or between chains and piles, between ground below the waterline and above?).
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Technically speaking, I believe vessels on a mooring, if not to be considered at anchor, must then by process of elimination be considered to be underway.

3(i) The word "underway" means that a vessel is not at anchor, or made fast to the shore, or aground.

It's not uncommon for local customs to persist, and until they become particularly problematic are likely to continue in practice. I can't point to a specific UK example, but along the Mississippi River the "point-bend custom" conflicts with the the narrow channel requirement to keep to starboard. To some extent this is accommodated by local regulation, which grants right-of-way to the down-bound vessel as well as requirement them to select the manner and place of the passing.

Glancing at local harbour byelaws, some (Truro, Penryn, Chichester) have special exceptions in place, e.g. "The requirement ... to display an all-round white light when at anchor shall not apply to small vessels which are secured to permanent yacht moorings in the Harbour". However, a glance at some others finds the topic unmentioned, which could indicate inconsistency in views or simply that it never arose as an issue.
 
OK. US rule. Those are the ones I know.

The thing to be careful about is the difference between a place on a chart with an anchor symbol, and a government designated mooring area. That is the confusion in the US. Many areas have be notated with an anchor symbol, because they have suitable conditions. but that does NOT make them designated mooring areas.

Interesting that the UK has not seen fir to define mooring or clarify when an exemption exits. Is it just "established mooring areas," which seems like it would require clarification (since a mooring can be dropped at will) and the difference between an anchor and a mooring (I know it seems obvious, but is it really?).

Well, not my pond.
 
thinwater said:
Interesting that the UK has not seen fir to define mooring or clarify when an exemption exits.
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I think the rules *are* clear - moored vessels are anchored and should display the associated light(s).

But then I think the rules are also clear that we should be using sound signals for port/starboard/astern when manoeuvring, and nobody in a yacht does that either.
 
LittleSister said:
Never mind oil lamps, the yellowish glow of incandescent electric lights would do me. It's definitely not the same atmosphere in an anchorage when it's festooned with blueish-white LED lamps.

I think there should be an Arts Council subsidy for incandescent (or oil) anchor lights. 😁
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Warm white LEDs are available but the blueish ones have been proven to be more visible apparently (apparently… get it😀)
finestgreen said:
I think the rules *are* clear - moored vessels are anchored and should display the associated light(s).

But then I think the rules are also clear that we should be using sound signals for port/starboard/astern when manoeuvring, and nobody in a yacht does that either.
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quite a long thread for what I thought would be a simple answer; “light your boat so it can be seen as a stationary boat”.

Seems there are variables.

I simply do not wish to be sleeping in the forepreak and end up being rammed and killed.
 
thinwater said:
OK. US rule. Those are the ones I know.

The thing to be careful about is the difference between a place on a chart with an anchor symbol, and a government designated mooring area. That is the confusion in the US. Many areas have be notated with an anchor symbol, because they have suitable conditions. but that does NOT make them designated mooring areas.

Interesting that the UK has not seen fir to define mooring or clarify when an exemption exits. Is it just "established mooring areas," which seems like it would require clarification (since a mooring can be dropped at will) and the difference between an anchor and a mooring (I know it seems obvious, but is it really?).

Well, not my pond.
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In general in the UK we have to pay for a licence from the Crown Estates to lay a mooring, so mooring areas tend to have legal standing
 
Common sense, or at least my common sense means I have not-too-bright light dusk to dawn on my mooring.

Just to stop people hitting the boat.

Anchorages especially if busy ones or close to nearby ‘traffic’ I like my boat to be seen from a distance and close up and I like the deck illuminated so others know it is a boat.

I can sleep soundly with that set up.

I believe I comply with all these rules and regs, but common sense rules in my situation and safety mode and I will rather be alive and pay a fine than otherwise.

I did not mean to produce 4 pages of conflicting opinions.

Apologies.
 
Cerebus said:
An extremely evocative subject I can see.

I just read this thread:

Masthead nav lights question

What do people think of an anchor light in the forepeak position as ideal?

My thoughts are that is ideal because if high enough it can be seen from a distance AND it also illuminates the deck clearly showing a boat and not a star or street light?

Illuminating the deck as an advantage seems to trump all other arguments for masthead lights in my h. o.

I would be interested in arguments to the opposite if placed in a factual, experienced and non-argumentative manner; I don’t do arguments these days and consider it very poor form on forums, my opinion only of course.
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I've been involved in a collision where the collider (I was the collidee) didn't see my masthead mounted anchor light.

Since then I illuminate my decks and also keep hullports lit up. In addition to the standard masthead anchor light.

Because it's in fact very difficult to see a masthead mounted anchor light if you're less than a certain distance away.
 
Dockhead said:
I've been involved in a collision where the collider (I was the collidee) didn't see my masthead mounted anchor light.

Since then I illuminate my decks and also keep hullports lit up. In addition to the standard masthead anchor light.

Because it's in fact very difficult to see a masthead mounted anchor light if you're less than a certain distance away.
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This is why or what I thought of masthead lights, since my OP.

They certainly don’t illuminate the deck and shout “boat here” is what I thought and have observed.

A large bay full of masthead lights is obvious but also confusing (to me at least) and one simply slows down and navigates the tender carefully, but the boats themselves are not seen until close up (unless there is a lot of moonlight).

Not to even go near the topic of maintenance.
 
thinwater said:
I don't know about the UK, but in the US ...

No light is required in a designated "special anchorage." These are listed by the USCG and are designated in law.

A light is required in many common anchoring areas, often designated with an anchor on charts, but NOT listed as special anchorages. The presence of buoys has no bearing on whether a light is required; in COLREGS, being on a buoy and being anchored are the same thing. It is common for boats in mooring fields not to show lights, but that is just a local custom and is a violation. There are some exemptions in COLREGS for small boats, less that 7 meters.

§ 109.10 Special anchorage areas.
An Act of Congress of April 22, 1940, provides for the designation of special anchorage areas wherein vessels not more than sixty-five feet in length, when at anchor, will not be required to carry or exhibit anchorage lights. Such designation is to be made after investigation, by rule, regulation, or order, the procedure for which will be similar to that followed for anchorage grounds under section 7 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of March 4, 1915, as referred to in § 109.05. The areas so designated should be well removed from the fairways and located where general navigation will not endanger or be endangered by unlighted vessels. The authority to designate special anchorage areas was transferred to and vested in the Secretary of Homeland Security by section 902(j) of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-241, 120 Stat 516), and delegated to the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard in Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1. The Commandant redelegated the authority to establish anchorage grounds to each Coast Guard District Commander as provided in 33 CFR 1.05-1(e)(1)(i).
[USCG-2007-27887, 72 FR 45902, Aug. 16, 2007]

If there is such an exemption in the UK, please post a link. I'm sure many will be interested. It will be in UK law, not in COLREGS.

---

Now I see requiem posted pretty much that same information. But maybe it bears repeating. IS there a UK equivalent or not? Since no one has posted it and I could not find it, I'm guessing maybe not.
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So would you turn off the anchor light in a "special designated anchorage"? I wouldn't.
 
Colregs 30b states:

(b) A vessel of less than 50 meters in length may exhibit an all-round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule.


That prompts the question:

'Best be seen' by whom?

I want to 'best be seen' by anyone in charge of any vessel that might collide with mine.

In a small craft anchorage that means by people whose eyes are typically 1 to 3 metres above sea level, and that is the height at which I hang my anchor lamp.


This was brought home to me many years ago when I came to anchor in pitch darkness in a bay with steep hills behind on which were numerous white lights of buildings, street lamps etc.

Unnoticed, and unnoticeable, amongst these lights was the masthead anchor lamp of a dark-hulled yacht I came uncomfortably close to running into.
 
Cerebus said:
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Off Brixam once I woke up early to see a very large ship; a lot of them anchor thereabouts as it is an anchorage.

Anchor light was probably present but all the deck lights made it impossible not to see the vessel at anchor.

Common sense is part of ‘boating’; if one does not have it don’t go to sea in my h. o.

Illuminating your ‘spot’ and the deck of your vessel is of prime importance in my h. o.

These days it is easy to do with very low energy output, is it not?
 
technically.., an allaround light at the top of the mast is not a "masthead" light

a masthead light is on the front of the mast, shining forward, and is also known as a steaming light

so a masthead light is never an anchor light.

an allaround light at the top of a mast is an anchor light.

sometimes, the forward-shining steaming light is at the top of the mast - and then i guess you can call it a masthead light.., but it is not an anchor light.
 
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