alant
Well-Known Member
Rule 25, does 'not' state that they shouldn't be used together, even though common sense might imply that.
Basic nav lights question...
- Thread starter orion50
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Rule 25, does 'not' state that they shouldn't be used together, even though common sense might imply that.
andygc
Well-Known Member
It does, actually. It says, as already posted previously in this thread:
(b) In a sailing vessel of less than 20 metres in length the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule may be combined in one lantern carried at or near the top of the mast where it can best be seen
You must use the lights prescribed. You may, if in the right size boat, combine them in one lantern - it doesn't say "may add an additional lantern with combined lights"
Rigger Mortice
N/A
I suppose I'll be shot down in flames for saying this but does it really matter when people get things like this wrong? Or, to put it another way, have any accidents been caused by people making errors like this?
Having said that, I do try to do these things "properly" but I can't get excited about it when I see it being done incorrectly by others. 99% of the time you simply see lights, realise that there's a boat there and act accordingly without needing to work out exactly what the boat is, or what it is doing.
Last year, coming out of Ploumanac'h on a very dark miserable night we saw a boat off our port bow and couldn't work out what it was for a while. It turned out to be a yacht with deck lights and tricolour. Though the lights were wrong it wasn't as if we didn't know it was there.
Of course we should try to get things right, but I have my doubts that it's quite as important as some may make out.
Pye_End
Well-Known Member
Judging what is around you, which way it is going and trying to understand whether any action is needed is all made more difficult if a boat has a confusing set of lights. It also means that your attention is drawn to one set of lights for perhaps minutes, taking it away from what else is going on. Considerably easier if the correct lights are exhibited.
theoldsalt
Well-Known Member
As skipper of a vessel we all have the responsibility to comply with ColRegs, whether in charge of a 16 footer or a 100,000 ton tanker and in consideration of all other vessels whether large or small. It may not matter to ones self if we get it wrong but others expect us to get it right. So it is even more important to satisfy others expectations as well as our own.
Phoenix of Hamble
Well-Known Member
I personally feel it does matter.... Do a large amount of night sailing, and sooner or later you'll come across a set of lights that confuse the hell out of you... Throw in a bit of tiredness and some foul weather, and while you might not cause a major incident, you will cause a lot of concern and worry to another boat by being careless
prv
Well-Known Member
That's a fair point. I generally don't run the engine out of gear for any length of time under way, so it works for me. Ideally I'll let the engine warm up a little bit before calling for serious power, but it does its warming up with the prop turning.
If I did need to keep running the engine in neutral, then having built the system I wouldn't find it difficult to disable (slip a spade connector off its terminal). But the only reason I can think of for wanting to do so would be for battery charging while racing, which I don't.
Maybe others should have a manual - auto - off switch?
Pete
theoldsalt
Well-Known Member
"But the only reason I can think of for wanting to do so would be for battery charging while racing,"
This raises an interesting point. For discussion see separate thread "Battery charging while racing"
This raises an interesting point. For discussion see separate thread "Battery charging while racing"
Topcat47
Well-Known Member
I have occasionally used the tri when motoring but only when one of the deck lights or the stern light has failed. I also used the anchor light as a steaming light when that failed during a night passage. I covered the stern light with an old sock.