Anchor lights

[NormanS]

We were out at the beginning of month , visibility poor at sea level, not so bad 30ft up.

You can choose to have all the tools available or not.

That'll be good if the helmsman on the approaching boat is also 30ft up then.

 

[B27]

That'll be good if the helmsman on the approaching boat is also 30ft up then.

The bigger fishing boats are more 'up' than we are, so giving them a bit more chance not to hit us doesn't seem like a bad thing. In the limit, an extra few seconds of 'hard a starboard' is the difference between a really bad day and another tall tale at the bar.

 

[mattonthesea]

People love to get excited about this question, but TBH, it's a pretty rare anchorage where you don't see the other anchor lights and suss out the boats long before a masthead light needs 'looking up at'. If your mast is that tall you probably want a red light at the top to ward off aircraft.

I beg to differ but we sail in, perhaps, less populated waters.

 

[Poignard]

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 begs 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 2 - 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.

 

[Antony Collis]

A Cruise ship has a billion lights but they will still have Nav lights on.
Light your boat however you want but you must have a dedicated all round white light for anchoring.

 

[ghostlymoron2]

I think it probably contravenes Colregs to use an anchor light when moored or an orange flashing light under any circumstances - doesn't that indicate a hovercraft.
The whole point of colregs is to be unambiguous.