Lighten up!

[andsarkit]

As an ex OOW of ships .... I applaud those who shine a light on their sails or if mobo along deck to get attention. As to strobes / tricolours / amber etc. - I am dead against as I think they are less effective and can lead to confusion. IMHO as an ex OOW

I have occasionally shined a spotlight on my sails and agree that it is a good way to clearly indicate your presence and type of vessel.
What have you got against tricolours as I always assumed that they should be more visible being at the masthead well above any waves?

 

[Neeves]

We have 2 nav light circuits.

Masthead tricolour for use in open waters and deck lights for use in confined 'inland' waters, rivers, canals and the like. Having 2 independent circuits means if we have a failure in one circuit, lose a bulb, we have a fall back. The steaming, or engine light, half way up the mast is common to both circuits. We don't heal - so that is not an issue for us. If we have any doubts on having been seen - we have spotlight at hand and play it on the sails.

The regulations may be simple and you may meet the regulations but the regulations take no account for human frailty on the approaching vessel. If you have any doubts, and have obviously not been seen, use anything you have to draw attention to your self (and take avoiding action). That's when a strobe might be useful. You are less likely to have issues in busy waters - as watch keeper will be more alert

If you have AIS you can, of course, call up the approaching vessel. There is nothing wrong in doing so as soon as you detect the vessel on a questionable course before you actually see it. Its one reason to have AIS.

Jonathan

 

[Neeves]

I have occasionally shined a spotlight on my sails and agree that it is a good way to clearly indicate your presence and type of vessel.
What have you got against tricolours as I always assumed that they should be more visible being at the masthead well above any waves?

Human frailty and a lack of knowledge. Many, some, watch keeps on commercial vessels simply do not see many tricolours - they don't know what they are, or represent.

Large commercial vessels are obvious - looking a bit like floating piers with a string of deck lights (often so bright you cannot see the red/green)

The danger for us, on the Australian coast, are not large commercial vessels they are all lit and they are obvious (and our view is simple, keep out of their way). The dangers are the small run about (private individuals on a fishing trip), or less small, with an ineffective light on a pole which might be only 2m above water level and constantly obscured by the seas.

Jonathan

 

[Boathook]

The danger for us, on the Australian coast, are not large commercial vessels they are all lit and they are obvious (and our view is simple, keep out of their way). The dangers are the small run about (private individuals on a fishing trip), or less small, with an ineffective light on a pole which might be only 2m above water level and constantly obscured by the seas.

Jonathan

The danger is the same for a lot of us that that sail or motor in congested waters. I would also add fishing boats returning to port on autopilot with no one at the wheel.

 

[Roberto]

Many, some, watch keeps on commercial vessels simply do not see many tricolours - they don't know what they are, or represent.

?
When in range, anyone will just see either a white, red or green light, how do one know it's a tricolour or why should he/she be confused?
Single green/red is sailing vessel, single white give way whatever it is, sail, anchored, sternlight, etc.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I have an LED aquasignal at the masthead. Nice bright light. But when I am heeled over I notice the glare off the red or green on the sea, implying the light is part focused by the lens into a bright horizontal beam, now angled up or down by 15 degrees. I imagine my visible range will be less when heeled over.

The visible range may be less than you think in less than perfect conditions, especially with sea level lights. I wonder if larger ship watch keepers note and log the bearing of a small vessel light to check how the bearing changes over time?

The answer to that problem is to buy a multihull.

 

[Supertramp]

The answer to that problem is to buy a multihull.

With the added bonus that I could outrun those high speed ferries?

 

[Chiara’s slave]

With the added bonus that I could outrun those high speed ferries?

I’m not suggesting that you buy it used off Ben Ainslee!

 

[Supertramp]

I’m not suggesting that you buy it used off Ben Ainslee!

The speed I normally travel at I could easily be mistaken for a buoy..

 

[zoidberg]

The speed I normally travel at I could easily be mistaken for a buoy..

'Well, hello, sailor...!'

I've carried a Personal Strobe in the pocket of my foulie jacket for years. I've used it twice, to good effect.

Once, at night in a storm, 20 miles south of The Lizard. The lifeboat couldn't see us at the GPS coordinates we were giving them.
Another time, crossing the 'Irish Box' fishing grounds, a large Spanish fishing boat came haring up close behind on a converging/collision course.
Neither vessels' crews could see see our nav lights - until I fired up my strobe and held it up to flash off the wet sails. They each saw that immediately.

On both occasions, the pocket device was an ACR milspec unit. You can buy them retail - just a different colour of plastic.

 

[thinwater]

I have an LED aquasignal at the masthead. Nice bright light. But when I am heeled over I notice the glare off the red or green on the sea, implying the light is part focused by the lens into a bright horizontal beam, now angled up or down by 15 degrees. I imagine my visible range will be less when heeled over....

The required vertical angles are in the Colregs appendix.

 

[Supertramp]

The required vertical angles are in the Colregs appendix.
View attachment 146882

Thanks - that explains the bright horizontal band and reassures me that I'm still visible from a good distance when heeled. I never exceed 25 degrees heel on principle!

I do feel that masthead nav lights are a big improvement on deck mounted for small craft. And I think the strobe on sails idea is a good one to follow up.

 

[Neeves]

?
When in range, anyone will just see either a white, red or green light, how do one know it's a tricolour or why should he/she be confused?
Single green/red is sailing vessel, single white give way whatever it is, sail, anchored, sternlight, etc.

Between Melbourne and the SE corner of mainland Oz we have a traffic separation scheme to keep large commercial vessels away from the oil rigs. The TSS heads, roughly SE, into Bass Strait and then NE once it has cleared the most southerly well.

You cannot make this stuff up.

We had left the SE corner of Oz and were heading SW to cross the TSS at the point where the TSS turned through roughly 90 degrees. We were aiming for the NW corner of Tasmania preparatory to sailing down the west coast. Its very simple navigation, nothing in the way - except for the TSS - which is simply on a chart - no lights etc.

It was night time, no moon.

Cutting the conversation short

VHF piped up - vessel at position X (that was us - there was no-one else about) come in please. You are showing the wrong lights.

Mass panic on Josepheline, I was the only one on deck, I was on watch. Rushed from the helm station to the bow - we were showing our red and green tri-colour.

Advised interrogating vessel that our lights were correct.

Interrogating vessel replied - we have been monitoring you for some time. You are averaging 10 knots, you are not showing a steaming light.

We too had been monitoring our speed, their observations were correct, we managed 100nm at 10 knots.

I advised interrogating vessel we were a yacht and, yes, we were averaging 10 knots.

They made the 90 degree course change and were definitely going to pass about 1 nm apart

But

Interrogating vessel altered his course, to what looked like a collision course. As we closed I got a bit twitchy and headed away, vessel followed my moves, I got more twitchy. As they closed they switched on a searchlight but had left it too late and could not turn the searchlight to illuminate us. I put a spot light on our sail. They were a bulk fuel carrier, with pipes all along the deck. The deck was awash. We were throwing up much water at the bow and developing a fine rooster tail. We had a screecher and full main up.

Interrogating vessel sheepishly wished us a good journey. Conversation was very polite.

And yachts can average better than 10 knots - we are nothing special.

Now tell me commercial watchkeepers know their stuff.

I missed a trick. As they came up over the horizon, I too was puzzled. They were simply showing 2 bright white lights, from either side of the bridge. I could not see their nav lights nor their DG red light. It was a bit like an opening scene on a 3rd rate horror movie. As we closed I could pick out the nav lights and DG red light more easily seen close to and the 2 bright lights were spot lights shining on the awash deck. I should have queried their use of lights but was more concerned by the slowly developing story as I felt decidedly vulnerable

Jonathan

 

[Supertramp]

Sinking of sailing yacht Ouzo after encounter with ro-ro passenger ferry Pride of Bilbao with loss of 3 lives

If you don't want to read the whole thing, it's worth skipping to the recommendations.

That is a powerful story, and made more so by the fact that both vessels were manned and behaving normally. Also shows how a series of small decisions and actions can escalate to tragedy. I will be adding a battery spotlight or strobe to my inventory (which already has AIS, radar, EPIRB, PLB).

Thanks for making us aware.

 

[zoidberg]

A long time ago, and for some years, I was crewed in military twin jets. That's two of us. I learned from my betters that if something is within visual range, it is a Hazard, and to be very vigilant until it and/or us had gone away.

That attitude carried over into my sailing.

If something is 'hull-up' on the horizon and coming our way - even obliquely - it is a Hazard..... until it has passed and gone 'hull-down'.

It may not become more than a 'slight Hazard', but ships/fishing vessels/other yachts big and small turn, stop, do strange manoeuvres at times. Others are complacent about large moving lumps of steel. Not me.....

.

 

[GHA]

Between Melbourne and the SE corner of mainland Oz w....................

Interesting story but irrelevant to the question.

Which was how can anyone tell if a red or green light is up the mast or on the bow?

"Many, some, watch keeps on commercial vessels simply do not see many tricolours - they don't know what they are, or represent."

How can anyone possibly know that it's a tricolour just from a red dot in the distance?

 

[thinwater]

My understanding is that the tricolor was accepted long ago as a way for small sailboats to save light, using a single lamp. Thus, it is an anachronism, but I'm afraid, one that won't change. I believe part of the problem is us; sailors, as a group, don't want more lights, even with low draw LEDs.

Consider this study, presented to World Sailing: sail lighting study

 

[Refueler]

The danger is the same for a lot of us that that sail or motor in congested waters. I would also add fishing boats returning to port on autopilot with no one at the wheel.

"fishing boats returning to port on autopilot with no one at the wheel." ...... only then ?? Actually many FB's have no-one keeping watch most of the time as they are intent on 'catch' ....

 

[Refueler]

I have occasionally shined a spotlight on my sails and agree that it is a good way to clearly indicate your presence and type of vessel.
What have you got against tricolours as I always assumed that they should be more visible being at the masthead well above any waves?

Tricolours are not as good in separating the 'colours' as some believe. Second - its a small light with a single bulb swinging about at top of a mast ..... imagine what happens to the angular requirements when you are heeled over ........ its bad enough when lights at deck level - but up there ???

 

[thinwater]

Tricolours are not as good in separating the 'colours' as some believe. Second - its a small light with a single bulb swinging about at top of a mast ..... imagine what happens to the angular requirements when you are heeled over ........ its bad enough when lights at deck level - but up there ???

Is the angle of heel different up there?