blue (instead of green) navigation light

[lilianroyle]

I've seen a couple of Aqua signal bicolour nav lights for sail which are blue /red rather than green/red. I've not come across the idea of blue rather than green as starboard light. Does it indicate something about the vessel or is just blue a 'better' green.

 

[sarabande]

The chromacity (colour boundaries) of navigation lights are very very carefully defined in Annex 1, part 7 of Colregs.

If you can see that the Aquasignal lenses are blue, then I would first of all question the origin of the lights: they may be rip-offs.

Secondly, are they lights with LEDs as source ? There may be a modification of a LED temperature and frequency by a 'blue' lens. Whilst that is possible, I have not seen anything in a chandlers about it. A quick scan of Aquasignal lights does not show any images of blue starboard lights.

 

[[70521]]

I've seen a couple of Aqua signal bicolour nav lights for sail which are blue /red rather than green/red. I've not come across the idea of blue rather than green as starboard light. Does it indicate something about the vessel or is just blue a 'better' green.

Can you post an example?

Only ever seen blue navigation aids in Plymouth Sound and that confused me.

 

[ithet]

How is your own colour vision? My own perceived boundaries between blue and green are not the same as those with "normal" colour vision.

 

[rogerthebodger]

A cool white LED will tend to show blue through a green lens.

I use warm white LED in my aqua signal Nav lights and to me they look green

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Can you post an example?

Only ever seen blue navigation aids in Plymouth Sound and that confused me.

An AtN with a blue light is likely to be an emergency buoy to mark a recent wreck. They have vertical blue and yellow stripes and are lit with alternating blue and yellow lights. They were introduced, IIRC, about six years ago.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

I've seen a couple of Aqua signal bicolour nav lights for sail which are blue /red rather than green/red. I've not come across the idea of blue rather than green as starboard light. Does it indicate something about the vessel or is just blue a 'better' green.

Have you seen these products directly, or through the media of print or a computer monitor, which can modify the perceived colour?

 

[[70521]]

An AtN with a blue light is likely to be an emergency buoy to mark a recent wreck. They have vertical blue and yellow stripes and are lit with alternating blue and yellow lights. They were introduced, IIRC, about six years ago.

Not in Plymouth, take a look at Navonics online. With Plymouth being a military port they do odd things.

Edit:

Found an example

 

[Dellquay13]

I’ve just received a ‘cool’ white led lamp instead of ‘warm’ white in error, and that looked blue instead of green in my aqua signal tricolour, luckily I tried it at home before going back up the mast, and the supplier is sending me a replacement FOC ASAP.

 

[rogerthebodger]

I’ve just received a ‘cool’ white led lamp instead of ‘warm’ white in error, and that looked blue instead of green in my aqua signal tricolour, luckily I tried it at home before going back up the mast, and the supplier is sending me a replacement FOC ASAP.

The cool white could be used in your anchor, stern of steaming light as I have done. These can be seen from farther away than warn white.

 

[Dellquay13]

The cool white could be used in your anchor, stern of steaming light as I have done. These can be seen from farther away than warn white.

Or back to the supplier so he doesn’t charge for the correct replacement

 

[JohnGC]

The chromacity (colour boundaries) of navigation lights are very very carefully defined in Annex 1, part 7 of Colregs.

If you can see that the Aquasignal lenses are blue, then I would first of all question the origin of the lights: they may be rip-offs.

Secondly, are they lights with LEDs as source ? There may be a modification of a LED temperature and frequency by a 'blue' lens. Whilst that is possible, I have not seen anything in a chandlers about it. A quick scan of Aquasignal lights does not show any images of blue starboard lights.

Some years ago I plotted the coordinates onto the CIE curve. You can see that the red and yellow regions are tightly controlled, white much less so and green has a very large range/area which includes a very blue/green.

You need to make allowances for the actual colours in this image which where never calibrated but you should get the idea. It may simply be that you are seeing an unusual but still valid bluey-green.

 

[JohnGC]

Not in Plymouth, take a look at Navonics online. With Plymouth being a military port they do odd things.

Edit:

Found an example

View attachment 111675

I can see that mark from my window as I type.

 

[[70521]]

I can see that mark from my window as I type.

Thanks John always good to have conformation. First time I saw the one at Jennycliff, on a dark and stormy night, I thought I was seeing things! Now Plymouth is my "home port" I rather like there uniqueness.

 

[JohnGC]

Thanks John always good to have conformation. First time I saw the one at Jennycliff, on a dark and stormy night, I thought I was seeing things! Now Plymouth is my "home port" I rather like there uniqueness.

Actually we walked almost to it at low tide earlier this week. If you haven't done it I can recommend taking the Cremyll Ferry from Admiral's Hard and walking towards Kingsand along the SW Coast Path. Or further.

Also it's a real blue, not bluey-green

 

[Pye_End]

I've seen a couple of Aqua signal bicolour nav lights for sail which are blue /red rather than green/red. I've not come across the idea of blue rather than green as starboard light. Does it indicate something about the vessel or is just blue a 'better' green.

Seen several of these.

Presume it is people putting an inappropriate LED bulb into the housing. Need to take care choosing the right bulb.

 

[lilianroyle]

I've seen a couple of Aqua signal bicolour nav lights for sail which are blue /red rather than green/red. I've not come across the idea of blue rather than green as starboard light. Does it indicate something about the vessel or is just blue a 'better' green.

I've seen a couple of Aqua signal bicolour nav lights for sail which are blue /red rather than green/red. I've not come across the idea of blue rather than green as starboard light. Does it indicate something about the vessel or is just blue a 'better' green.

look here
Aqua Signal TD40 - Ship Salvage Blue Red Signal Navigation Light - Bi-Colour | eBay

 

[ithet]

look here
Aqua Signal TD40 - Ship Salvage Blue Red Signal Navigation Light - Bi-Colour | eBay

Have you seen these in the flesh? I think that is just a photo/printing effect and a poor description. If you search online for the normal Aquasignal Bicolours many of the images also look blue, probably due to digital colour sensitivity under artificial light. I've met a professional photographer who did not know how to white balance his camera.

 

[vyv_cox]

After many years in place the green plastic of my pulpit nav light had faded to distinctly blue. Presumably an effect of UV light.

When transiting the Kalkhis bridge at about 0200 some years ago several yachts displayed blue lights instead of green, perhaps due to the LED bulb phenomenon or maybe fading as mine.

 

[JohnGC]

Not in Plymouth, take a look at Navonics online. With Plymouth being a military port they do odd things.

Edit:

Found an example

View attachment 111675

Taken in daylight so not lit. But Sandy's mark "Bridge Fl(2) Bu 5s" is in this image taken from my window a short time ago.