Flashing lights and fishing.

[Gwylan]

What is the fashion for inshore, line fishing with coloured strobes on pick up pole mounted on the floats?
Recently returned to our mooring up a drying river, on a moonless night, to find ourselves mightily confused by various combinations of red and green lights.
On closer inspection they were revealed to not be channel markings but these strobe type lights on fishing boats. All bundled up in the boat and just twinkling away.

One of the inspections was nearly too close and pure luck and helmsman skill avoided a confrontation.

It was inconvenient for us and made the entry more difficult than it need be. For unsuspecting visitors it could have been much more serious.

I have shared my concerns with the HM along with naming the worst offenders to him and the local boat owners association.

Apart from not navigating the river at night what else can I do?
What's the regulatory side of this?
Is it Okay to leave your boat moored up with all sorts of lights?

 

[PilotWolf]

Playing devil's advocate but...

- The helmsman should be able to tell the difference between strobes and any type of buoy light.
- If in doubt stop and check the chart/pilotage notes which you of course had to hand.
- And how may here regularly moan because fishing markers aren't lit?

PW

 

[WoodyP]

Going into Le Havre last year we came across loads of these that had a weak white flashing light. The wind was rising, there were loads of boats in and out of the anchorage and we were tired and looking for a cardinal and I for one had never seen them before. They are confusing until you know what you are looking at.