Masthead light, can't see it close to the boat

[noelex]

Glad it's not only me. I crept slowly in to the anchorage near St Helens, IOW, one dark and windy night after a very tiring trip from France, and nearly T-boned a large anchored yacht with a dark hull and a masthead light that was hard to spot amongst the lights on the hillside behind.
.

Tales like this are very common from crusing boats. One of the problems is the danger is often never apparent to the poorly lit boat. They will wake up the next morning oblivious to the danger they faced in the night.
With cheap LEDs available these days drawing little power there is no reason not to make your boat easily visible.
The legal requirements are a minimum standard, it's surprising how few boats exceed these requiments. I hope these examples show how increasing lighting will enhance safety.

 

[prv]

indeed I've pondered about how the boats that have low level light probably have a blind spot on the transit of the light + mast.

I don't think this is really a problem in practice. Certainly my light bounces about in the wind; the anchor ball acts like quite a sail so there doesn't need to be much breeze to swing it about. Maybe from astern it would appear to flash irregularly, but it certainly won't be invisible. The light also illuminates the boat generally, so you'd be seeing the rolled headsails, the cabin top, the foredeck, etc etc, not just a point of light. This helps give scale (it's hard to tell how far away a point of light is) and shows which way the boat is pointing.

I suspect masthead "anchor" lights came about because AWB manufacturers wanted to have the complete set of lights available as switches on a panel, thinking that supplying a light with a dangly lead and instructions to hoist it up a halyard would look "unprofessional".

Pete

 

[lw395]

Sometimes a masthead light is less visible than a low down one, sometimes the reverse.
For close-up visibility, a low power light illuminating the deck is very effective. There is no minimum size in the col regs for allowing two anchor lights (aft one lower), or you can use an orange light, which is defined to have no navigational significance.
It is worth thinking about this from the perspective of 'which anchor light is mine' as well as collision avoidance.

 

[KellysEye]

I suppose it's really an insurance question, will they pay if the light is partially obscured and you get hit and it doesn't comply with colregs. That also applies to lights hanging in rigging. I'm also sceptical that LED lights have a two mile range whatever the American coastguard claims. Having seen 25+ blue tinted LED anchor light none had a two mile range, except one in Portugal that the owner said cost £500. LED bow lights I've seen are only bright at about a quarter of a mile and a glimmer at half a mile.

 

[rob2]

Of course, the same applies to the tricolour light when you're sailing - not visible when you're within maybe twenty metres. One would always hope that collision avoidance measures would prevent anyone coming that close, but mistakes happen. It is incredibly difficult to distinguish between a dim light close by and a bright one far off! (Father Ted moment...) Ideally, whichever type of anchor light you use, some level of decklighting so as to show your outline would be ideal.

Rob.
P.S. US Coastguard - aren't they the ones supposed to have approved a silver foil flag as a radar reflector?

 

[Poignard]

I suppose it's really an insurance question, will they pay if the light is partially obscured and you get hit and it doesn't comply with colregs. That also applies to lights hanging in rigging. I'm also sceptical that LED lights have a two mile range whatever the American coastguard claims. Having seen 25+ blue tinted LED anchor light none had a two mile range, except one in Portugal that the owner said cost £500. LED bow lights I've seen are only bright at about a quarter of a mile and a glimmer at half a mile.

http://www.iacs.org.uk/document/public/Publications/Unified_interpretations/PDF/UI_COLREG_pdf162.pdf

 

[dulcibella]

Yes, I used my new Aquasignal LED anchor light for the first time last night and drew the same conclusion. I shall continue with my practice of putting a kerosene lamp in the forward triangle. I may as well use the masthead light too - I can't recall anything in ColRegs that forbids a vessel under 50m from showing two anchor lights. The main thing is to be visible and obviously anchored.

 

[RupertW]

The main thing is to be visible and obviously anchored.

+1

I find the whole 2 mile thing a complete red herring except for legal reasons, or unless you are in the habit of anchoring in channels with fast moving vessels. In any normal anchorage you are rarely hit when the other vessel is 2 miles away but it is good for your size and distance to be obvious when a couple of hundred yards away. So I'm a multi garden light person, but would consider 12v eye level lights if I used anchorages where boats ever come in after midnight.

On boats with only mast-level lights I leave a cabin light or two on, but do resent the battery usage.

 

[noelex]

+1

I find the whole 2 mile thing a complete red herring except for legal reasons, or unless you are in the habit of anchoring in channels with fast moving vessels. In any normal anchorage you are rarely hit when the other vessel is 2 miles away but it is good for your size and distance to be obvious when a couple of hundred yards away. So I'm a multi garden light person, but would consider 12v eye level lights if I used anchorages where boats ever come in after midnight.

On boats with only mast-level lights I leave a cabin light or two on, but do resent the battery usage.

The two mile standard is just a convenient way of defining a light that will be bright enough to ensure it can still be seen under adverse conditions giving enough time to avoid a collision

When it's pouring with rain and there are shore lights behind its not overkill. Garden lights are not adequate even in reasonably good conditions IMHO.

if you let me know all the anchorages you will be in I will let you know if I will coming in after midnight

 

[RupertW]

if you let me know all the anchorages you will be in I will let you know if I will coming in after midnight

Unlit and unbouyed bays throughout Croatia this season. Anybody coming in after dusk has mistimed their journey and usually fail to get their anchor set. Anyone after ten is really unlikely and midnight inconceivable. If i was still in the Channel and Northern France I wouldn't consider garden lights, as much to do with lack of good charging as all night entry to anchorages.

Visibility at night in rain when anchoring.....I am getting soft not even thinking about that.

 

[Conachair]

Have some pity for us fellow yachtsmen tring to work out what direction you are going and fit an LED tricolour. You will save power it will be nice and visible. When you tack will we even be able to work out what's going on.

You missed the word offshore. It´s common practice for long distance cruising boats to use a bright allround white. The fellow yachties aren´t there, just the very occasional ship.

But LED´s low for the anchorage get my vote.

 

[noelex]

You missed the word offshore. It´s common practice for long distance cruising boats to use a bright allround white. The fellow yachties aren´t there, just the very occasional ship.

But LED´s low for the anchorage get my vote.

No I didn't miss it.
There are a few yachts offshore as well, particularly the trade routes. Near misses are all that more frightening when assistance is unlikely.

 

[noelex]

Unlit and unbouyed bays throughout Croatia this season. Anybody coming in after dusk has mistimed their journey and usually fail to get their anchor set. Anyone after ten is really unlikely and midnight inconceivable. If i was still in the Channel and Northern France I wouldn't consider garden lights, as much to do with lack of good charging as all night entry to anchorages.

Visibility at night in rain when anchoring.....I am getting soft not even thinking about that.

I have been into plenty of anchorages in Croatia after midnight. I could say " hope to see you soon", but I guess if I enter after dark that's unlikely

 

[MudShipper]

From colRegs

30. Lights for vessels anchored and aground

A vessel at anchor must display an all-round white light or one black ball in the fore part and another all-round white light at or near the stern at a lower level than the light in the fore part. BUT if the vessel is less than 50 meters in length it may exhibit an all-round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights foresaid.

This seems to say that vessels, in the size range that most of us use, can have a single light hung in the forward triangle, the operative phrase being "where it can best be seen", which to me implies nearer to eye level than the mast head.

 

[onesea]

30. Lights for vessels anchored and aground

A vessel at anchor must display an all-round white light or one black ball in the fore part and another all-round white light at or near the stern at a lower level than the light in the fore part. BUT if the vessel is less than 50 meters in length it may exhibit an all-round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights foresaid.

This seems to say that vessels, in the size range that most of us use, can have a single light hung in the forward triangle, the operative phrase being "where it can best be seen", which to me implies nearer to eye level than the mast head.

I agree with all above but to be picky, I had quick look and under 50m was surprised to see there is no mention of forward?? Just best be seen. Now most of us would stick it forward but do you really have to?

I think the anchor ball has to be forward but it seems not the light?

Also Eye level? who's eye level? The drunken dink coming from the pub? 56 foot sun seekers? or ferry passing in the channel...

When I put one up its either a solar garden light or light in for triangle about 5 foot up (an easy hight to reach)... And fits the regs...

 

[noelex]

U

I agree with all above but to be picky, I had quick look and under 50m was surprised to see there is no mention of forward?? Just best be seen. Now most of us would stick it forward but do you really have to?

I think the anchor ball has to be forward but it seems not the light?

Also Eye level? who's eye level? The drunken dink coming from the pub? 56 foot sun seekers? or ferry passing in the channel...

When I put one up its either a solar garden light or light in for triangle about 5 foot up (an easy hight to reach)... And fits the regs...

There is no need for it to be forward.
A garden light will not meet the minimum visibility requirements, so it fails the regs.

 

[lw395]

30. Lights for vessels anchored and aground

A vessel at anchor must display an all-round white light or one black ball in the fore part and another all-round white light at or near the stern at a lower level than the light in the fore part. BUT if the vessel is less than 50 meters in length it may exhibit an all-round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights foresaid.

This seems to say that vessels, in the size range that most of us use, can have a single light hung in the forward triangle, the operative phrase being "where it can best be seen", which to me implies nearer to eye level than the mast head.

Where it can best be seen can also imply where it's not eclipsed by the mast, rolled genoa, etc etc.
I think it depends on the situation, particularly shore lights in the background. If these are higher up, you need your light low and vice versa. If you are anchoring somewhere like the Dart, which is very dark and has a lot of bends, approaching boats will not see you from far off, but the boat that you most want to see you is the tripper boat, whose skipper is quite high up.

So I like the versatility of having an anchor light ready to switch on at the masthead as well as something to put in the rigging. Particularly sailing a dark coloured yacht!

 

[prv]

I think the anchor ball has to be forward but it seems not the light?

Indeed. Several old books advise hanging a paraffin light from the backstay, just above head height. Some suggest the same under way, as combined stern light and deck illumination; being above and behind the helmsman, it doesn't shine in his eyes.

Mine goes forward, partly because it hangs from the anchor ball and partly because if above the cockpit it would shine down the hatch and keep me awake

Pete

 

[MudShipper]

Indeed. Several old books advise hanging a paraffin light from the backstay, just above head height. Some suggest the same under way, as combined stern light and deck illumination; being above and behind the helmsman, it doesn't shine in his eyes.

Mine goes forward, partly because it hangs from the anchor ball and partly because if above the cockpit it would shine down the hatch and keep me awake

Pete

Like, you, my preference is to hang the light (a paraffin storm lantern) with the ball. It goes up on a spare halliard, so can be raised to a height appropriate to the background against which it can be seen and the likely size of vessels passing.

I don't think there is any one solution to the question of how high or what can be considered "where best seen", they all have short comings. At the end of the day, all you can do is assess the situation and imagine you are the approaching vessel. If they are likely to be coming straight down a line where the mast (for instance) has obscured the anchor light all the way in, there is a good case to say that you are anchored in the wrong place. In most cases, the light will be seen sooner or later if at a sensible height.

 

[Conachair]

Indeed. Several old books advise hanging a paraffin light from the backstay, just above head height. Some suggest the same under way, as combined stern light and deck illumination; being above and behind the helmsman, it doesn't shine in his eyes.

Mine goes forward, partly because it hangs from the anchor ball and partly because if above the cockpit it would shine down the hatch and keep me awake

Pete

Ebay has new pariffin for anchor/cockpit lights which isn´t that messy horrible smelly stuff.