Fitting anchor light

M

mikemc

New Member
Joined
5 May 2004
Messages
21
Visit site
I’m planning to fit an anchor light at the top of the mast on my 26ft yacht. I’ve been looking at the Aqua Signal Series 25 which seem to fit the bill.

There’s already a windex which is bolted through a flanged plate screwed to one side of the mast at the very top. Also, there’s a VHF antenna on a bracket which is screwed to the front face of the mast. The antenna of course sticks up above the windex.

I'm OK with the electrical aspects, but how will I physically fit the anchor light? Do they come with mounting brackets – I can’t find any info about this? What about the shadow from the antenna and windex mounting?

Any help will be much appreciated.
 
I have a spare '25 anchor light fitting you can have for the price of postage or barter, what you got that you are not using. Sailing books go down well!

The unit is one season old. Aqua 25's require special bulbs with dimples rather than spikes on the festoons, if that makes sense. I use aqua's on my stern and sides and am quite happy with them.

I replaced it with a tri-light as I wanted extra redundancy. I also have a fair bit of junk up top including two active antenna's. When I posted this photo to the forum previously there were a few tuts about shadow and blind spots.

I took the tender out one evening and circled the boat, to be fair at 25 yds you could not make out the antenna's and the light seemed good. So from your descriptions I would not worry too much.

Top_Cat_Refb_msthd01_lrg.jpg


Fitting, if you have a 'normal' mast it will have an alloy top. I just drilled pilot holes where needed and used SS self tappers.
 
I had to make a bracket for my AquaSignal, but there may be a fitting available.

I would not worry about the shadows from the antenna and windex (I don't and mines a tricolour) it is possble to get some combinations of these but I don't think i've seen a combination of all three.
 
Anchor lights should be all round. Please refer to the COLREGS.

The only place that you should mount a single anchor light is at the masthead, otherwise you will get large shadow sectors.
 
Bo ll ocks......yes we do know the colregs but I do agree with NAS that the light should be displayed lower than the mast head. I haul mine half way up the backstay where a fair bit of light scatters over the cockpit giving any vessel approaching in the thick of night some form of perspective of the vessel size.

Paul.
 
Rule 30

Anchored Vessels and Vessels Aground

(a) A vessel at anchor shall exhibit where it can best be seen:

(i) in the fore part, an all-round white light or one ball;

(ii) at or near the stern and at a lower level than the light prescribed in subparagraph (i), an all-round white light.

(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.

(c) A vessel at anchor may, and a vessel of 100 meters and more in length shall, also use the available working or equivalent lights to illuminate her decks.

(d) A vessel aground shall exhibit the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Rule and in addition, where they can best be seen;

(i) two all-round red lights in a vertical line;

(ii) three balls in a vertical line.

(e) A vessel of less than 7 meters in length, when at anchor not in or near a narrow channel, fairway or where other vessels normally navigate, shall not be required to exhibit the shape prescribed in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Rule.

(f) A vessel of less than 12 meters in length, when aground, shall not be required to exhibit the lights or shapes prescribed in subparagraphs (d)(i) and (ii) of this Rule.
 
Thankyou Starboard...

Sorry JAE, but go look at a busy anchorage near a busy lit area, and a masthead is near invisible..... many navigation officers have commented over the years that mastheads are difficult to see......

Mine is on my backstay, at circa 6 feet in height and stands out.... it is allround, and at anything further than the front of the boat, doesn't get obscured by the mast......

And I am well aware of the Colregs..... in fact I pride myself on knowing them well..... I am one of the few that still makes an effort to hoist anchor balls... cones when motor sailing etc etc....

Was at an anchorage Saturday night, and didn't notice a boat with a masthead that had crept in during the night until daylight....
 
Hurricane lamp in the spreaders usually, but could be hoisted up the backstay if I could be arsed. Therefore a shadow by the mast/rigging/rolled up genoa.
I wont moor anywhere near Black Rock. Promise.
 
"I won't moor anywhere near Black Rock. Promise"

Falmouth is a long way from Burnham! Are you coming down here?

I wonder how many named "Black Rocks" there are around the UK? Anyone know?

I agree that an anchor light should be a bit above deck level and not too high. On a sailing boat perhaps from the end of the boom? Rarely will the water be calm enough that a mast will obstruct the light except perhaps for a second or two.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I wont moor anywhere near Black Rock. Promise.

[/ QUOTE ]

Rocks? I though you east coast mud wallahs didn't know what a rock was? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Hear hear. The only use IMO for a masthead all round white is as a backup for steaming light and stern light combined - ie if either of those go duff, switch off or remove the bulb from the other and switch on the so called 'anchor' light. If you want to be seen at anchor then a light lower down which illuminates the coachroof/deck is much better for anyone entering the anchorage to see, and if it flutters like a hurricane light so much the better. IMHO of course!

Robin
 
I agree entirely with the comments by NAS and Starboard. Anchor lights set at the top of the mast are a plague of the devil. At close range they are completely out of the line of sight of an approaching yacht and they give no indication of how the boat is lying. If you follow the long-established practice of exhibiting your anchor light in the forepart of the vessel others will be able to see how the tide is affecting you which will help them choose the most suitable spot to let go.

I have a short length of cord above and below mine. I hitch the upper line to the genoa sheets and tack the lower line to the guard wires. The plug on the end matches the deck socket for the steaming light. I unplug the steaming light and plug in the anchor light. Simple, and no extra wires or sockets.
 
<<Rocks? I though you east coast mud wallahs didn't know what a rock was? >>

I saw a rock once on holiday. Big [--word removed--] too, must have been nearly a foot across. Couldnt skim that one over the waves, I can tell you.

Besides, our coast must be more mature than yours, cos we have melted all our rocks down for mooring berths when the tide goes out. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
Black Rocks

[ QUOTE ]
I wonder how many named "Black Rocks" there are around the UK? Anyone know?

[/ QUOTE ]
On the west coast of Scotland no body of water is complete without at least one Sgeir Dubh. There must be hundreds.

I show my solar-powered garden light in the fore part of my rigging.
 
<<The only place that you should mount a single anchor light is at the masthead, otherwise you will get large shadow sectors>>

Most experienced yotties would disagree with this observation.

Masthead lights are difficult to see when close-up, merge into the background shore lighting and run down the batteries (especuially when you forget to turn them off in the morning).

I anchor overnight about 100 nights a year and, though I have a masthead light, I nearly always put a LED suspended from the spi-pole uphaul as the anchor-light.
 
Hi Charles,

Agree with you. Masthead anchor lights are a no-no. We do the same as you and haul ours up on the spi uphaul with another line to a foredeck cleat, so that the light is suspended 'twixt forestay and mast.

In the foreward part of the ship as 'required', clearly visible and nearer head height and giving low level illumination of the foredeck to give indication of boat size.

Used this method for 35 years perfectly satisfactorily.

Cheers Jerry
 
I agree with others that say you should hang your anchor light in the rigging at lower level. It makes a big difference to your perception of what is going on when you come into a busy anchorage at night. A good anchor light is the Mega light from Davis: Good range with miserly consumption. Many of the chandlers stock them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top