Flopper stopper etc warning light

[cagey]

If you deploy a flopper stopper/s using a fore/aft braced boom at night should you hang warning lights from the boom, if so what.
I’m thinking of other yachts looking for an anchorage or people returning to their boat getting caught on a boom they wouldn’t be expecting.

 

[lpdsn]

Nothing in the ColRegs. Can't see how it would do any harm providing you think about how you'd make it non-confusing.

If someone looking for a space comes within a boom length (- 1/2 beam) of you in a rolly anchorage you've probably got more to worry about than your flopper stopper.

 

[geem]

If you deploy a flopper stopper/s using a fore/aft braced boom at night should you hang warning lights from the boom, if so what.
I’m thinking of other yachts looking for an anchorage or people returning to their boat getting caught on a boom they wouldn’t be expecting.

If they get that close to my boat they deserve to hit it.........

 

[Neeves]

Most people coming into an anchorage will have a spotlight on, looking for buoys (if nothing else) - one passive thing to consider is reflective tape at the boom, or pole, end.

If I saw someone with flopper stoppers deployed I'd try to anchor somewhere else, where they might not be needed.

I think the idea that a deployed boom end might be a bit close for anyone is very valid.

Jonathan

 

[Dockhead]

If they get that close to my boat they deserve to hit it.........

Sure, but do you deserve it? :/

 

[Dockhead]

If you deploy a flopper stopper/s using a fore/aft braced boom at night should you hang warning lights from the boom, if so what.
I’m thinking of other yachts looking for an anchorage or people returning to their boat getting caught on a boom they wouldn’t be expecting.

I think it's very good practice to light it up.

I had a collision two years ago with a fishing boat whilst at anchor. He said he couldn't see my boat at all, although I had the correct anchor light on.

Since then I try harder to make my boat very visible at anchor. If there's any chance of traffic, I leave a deck light on.

If I had a spin pole or boom out with a flopper stopper on a dark night, I would most definitely hang a lantern from it. Sometimes people pass close by, and it will be not only they who get damaged, if they run into your rig. Could bring the mast down, if you think about it.

 

[prv]

I had a collision two years ago with a fishing boat whilst at anchor. He said he couldn't see my boat at all, although I had the correct anchor light on.

Where "correct" means "legally sufficient but in practice ineffective".

Sorry for the damage to your boat, but you do make a wonderful example of why anchor lights mounted way out of view at the top of the mast are a bad idea.

If I had a spin pole or boom out with a flopper stopper on a dark night, I would most definitely hang a lantern from it. Sometimes people pass close by, and it will be not only they who get damaged, if they run into your rig. Could bring the mast down, if you think about it.

Yep. And even if larger boats are keeping clear, a tender could easily get caught up in it.

Pete

 

[Dockhead]

Where "correct" means "legally sufficient but in practice ineffective".

Sorry for the damage to your boat, but you do make a wonderful example of why anchor lights mounted way out of view at the top of the mast are a bad idea.

I agree completely. It was a hard but valuable lesson, and I no longer rely on the mast top anchor light.

To make it worse, the fisherman was uninsured. My own insurance paid for it (many kudos to Pants who did the above and beyond), without taking any deductible nor taking away my no claims bonus (thanks, Pants!), but my boat was out of service for half a year.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Perhaps All-Round Red over White over Red at the masthead with Two Vertical Reds amidships on the side(s) where the the flopper-stopper(s) is/are deployed?
http://sailskills.co.uk/colregs/Sai...lity_manoeuvre_dredge_UW_ops_obstruction.html

 

[geem]

I think it's very good practice to light it up.

I had a collision two years ago with a fishing boat whilst at anchor. He said he couldn't see my boat at all, although I had the correct anchor light on.

Sincaae then I try harder to make my boat very visible at anchor. If there's any chance of traffic, I leave a deck light on.

If I had a spin pole or boom out with a flopper stopper on a dark night, I would most definitely hang a lantern from it. Sometimes people pass close by, and it will be not only they who get damaged, if they run into your rig. Could bring the mast down, if you think about it.

So anybody with a bow sprit needs a light on the end? And what about the davits? Seriously, most booms deploying a flopper stopper are a couple of metres from the hull. You cant get the boom perpendicular to the hull. I would consider any boat getting close enough to hit the boom, thus depolyed as a near miss on the hull itself. What about all the boats in the Caribbean with the boom held out at anchor so that the sun can get to their solar panels mounted above the sprayhood?
If it is common practise where you sail to have other vessels come so close to you as to risk hitting you like this I would move! What about the dinghy on a painter behind the boat? Are you going to leave a light on that at night as well? In my experience nobody comes so close to your boat in the dark. Why would you? I could only imagine it happening in a boat that wasnt carrying an anchor light or it was obscured. Better general lighting on a boat would help but if you light all minor apendages you are likely to confuse anybody entering the anchorage at night. In my experience all lighting should be bright. Garden led lights have no place on a boat. A dim light looks like a far away light and leads to confusion. If its a light its bright is a good rule.

 

[noelex]

I think some additional lighting would be a good idea. With modern LED emitters the power draw and cost are not high.

The collision regulations specify the very minimum illumination and were written in days when anything more was not practical for smaller boats.

Some people are concerned that additional luminaries contravene collision regulations. My understanding is the regulations encourage extra deck illumination when at anchor. For larger vessels this is compulsory.

I think if regularly deploying flopper stoppers, wired LED spreader lights running from the house bank would work well in illuminating the hazard. These are reliable, bright, and will not be confused. There are also cheap battery operated LEDs that could be hung from the end of the boom. The fishing industry commonly uses these to mark fishing floats. They also great for alerting boats to the presence of shore tie lines, or for emergency anchor lights, so it is worth having some on board.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

How about ; All Round Red over White Over Red, with Two Reds Vertically, amidships, on the side(s) where the flopper stopper(s) are conducting their underwater operations. If flopper stopper only on one side, Two Greens Vertically on opposite side ?

 

[Dockhead]

So anybody with a bow sprit needs a light on the end? And what about the davits? Seriously, most booms deploying a flopper stopper are a couple of metres from the hull. You cant get the boom perpendicular to the hull. I would consider any boat getting close enough to hit the boom, thus depolyed as a near miss on the hull itself. What about all the boats in the Caribbean with the boom held out at anchor so that the sun can get to their solar panels mounted above the sprayhood?
If it is common practise where you sail to have other vessels come so close to you as to risk hitting you like this I would move! What about the dinghy on a painter behind the boat? Are you going to leave a light on that at night as well? In my experience nobody comes so close to your boat in the dark. Why would you? I could only imagine it happening in a boat that wasnt carrying an anchor light or it was obscured. Better general lighting on a boat would help but if you light all minor apendages you are likely to confuse anybody entering the anchorage at night. In my experience all lighting should be bright. Garden led lights have no place on a boat. A dim light looks like a far away light and leads to confusion. If its a light its bright is a good rule.

I guess it depends on how long your boom or pole is. My spinnaker pole is 9 metres long. My boom is 6 metres long.

Yes, people sometimes pass close by, especially in a tight anchorage, not only in yachts but in tenders. On a dark night I agree with the OP that there is a serious risk involved. It's not like a sprit or davits because the gear goes all the way to the water. It doesn't bear thinking about what kind of accident could happen if someone tried pass close by moving fast in a tender, and runs into your gear.

I do agree with you about garden lights. But we always have a couple of LED camping lanterns on board which would be very good for such a purpose.

I think that this type of lantern ought actually to be the standard anchor light -- hung in the foretriangle rather than at the top of the mast. My old Father actually -- and this is just a lesson I guess I never learned -- didn't trust mast-top anchor lights, and had a kind of handy light which plugged into a 12v socket in the cockpit of his boat. He hauled it up on a halyard, and not too high. I should have paid attention.

 

[Dockhead]

I think some additional lighting would be a good idea. With modern LED emitters the power draw and cost are not high.

The collision regulations specify the very minimum illumination and were written in days when anything more was not practical for smaller boats.

Some people are concerned that additional luminaries contravene collision regulations. My understanding is the regulations encourage extra deck illumination when at anchor. For larger vessels this is compulsory.

I think if regularly deploying flopper stoppers, wired LED spreader lights running from the house bank would work well in illuminating the hazard. These are reliable, bright, and will not be confused. There are also cheap battery operated LEDs that could be hung from the end of the boom. The fishing industry commonly uses these to mark fishing floats. They also great for alerting boats to the presence of shore tie lines, or for emergency anchor lights, so it is worth having some on board.

I think this is worth underlining.

It's what commercial mariners do to be seen at anchor -- light up the deck.

I have LED spreader lights and an LED deck light. The power draw is negligible and I do leave a deck light on now when anchored on dark nights.

Another thing I do -- I supposed I can be forgiven for being paranoid -- is to leave on accent lights in the salon which illuminate the insides of hull ports. Gives the eye another reference point.

 

[geem]

I guess it depends on how long your boom or pole is. My spinnaker pole is 9 metres long. My boom is 6 metres long.

Yes, people sometimes pass close by, especially in a tight anchorage, not only in yachts but in tenders. On a dark night I agree with the OP that there is a serious risk involved. It's not like a sprit or davits because the gear goes all the way to the water. It doesn't bear thinking about what kind of accident could happen if someone tried pass close by moving fast in a tender, and runs into your gear.

I do agree with you about garden lights. But we always have a couple of LED camping lanterns on board which would be very good for such a purpose.

I think that this type of lantern ought actually to be the standard anchor light -- hung in the foretriangle rather than at the top of the mast. My old Father actually -- and this is just a lesson I guess I never learned -- didn't trust mast-top anchor lights, and had a kind of handy light which plugged into a 12v socket in the cockpit of his boat. He hauled it up on a halyard, and not too high. I should have paid attention.

In a busy anchorage we suppliment our mast head light with another very bright led anchor light in foretriangle. Both turn on/off automatically so we dont have to think about it. Viewing the boat from the dinghy at night the boat is well enough illuminated.
Several years ago I was anchored in Bequia in the Grenadines and we had a bright anchor light in the foretriangle. We got rammed by a local boatboys ply wood speed boat at 0500 in the morning. He did a runner. Doesnt matter how well illuminated you are if somebody is high or drunk! I chased the culprit in my rib( and boxer shorts) and caught him up. He was running down the dinghy dock having left his boat tied up. Luckily for me he was a fast runner or ge probably would have beat me up. He was a big guy! Took photos of the boat that hit me that still had the gelcoat stuck to the front of it! We cuaght him three days later with help of thr local police and he paid for the repair at the local boatyard. The impact stuck a hole in us!