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

[SteveTibbetts]

I spent good money on an LED masthead light that I'm assured can be seen from 2 miles away by the American coastguards. (they must be wondering here the water went, I'm in brum). The light is fitted on top of a multi sided radar reflector. It's occurred to me that you cannot see the light from 6' above the water level unless you are more than about 25 metre from the boat.
Possibly useless as a returning from the pub anchor light on a moonless anchorage but I use a 'proper' anchor light on those occasions anyway.

What's the collective wisdom - leave as it is? Take away the radar reflector? Lift the light so it's visible closer to the boat? If so, how close do I want to get while keeping the light visible?


Steve

(NB - a great day trying the brand new jib sail for size on the brand new (plastimo!) furler. I reckon the average age of the boat dropped by a few months)

 

[William_H]

Anchor light

Yes interesting question. Either the light is obscured by the radar reflector. I presume you mean it is mounted on top of the reflector not on the side where it would be obscured on one side of the boat. or the light is so focussed in the horizontal that it does not shine downwards.
I love to sail past our lights on spit posts marking shallow water at night. If you get close enough you can see the light radiation pattern form the fresnel lens marking a band of light on the sail. They too are quite dim when you get close and underneath them.
re anchor light my own belief is that like nav lights, sometimes up high is bad as it is not the place any other skipper is looking for hazards. He will be looking at water level. One suggestion is to have an LED shining downward to light up the hull and deck as well as outward to give long range. I don't think it any great value to be seen from 2 miles away when anchored but you want to be seen from 100 metres or less away when it is time for avoidance action. Perhaps 2 lights one fore and one aft to give all round coverage but only 2 metres above the water would be best. good luck olewill

 

[vyv_cox]

I'm in just the same situation. My Lopolight is bolted to the masthead and is so squat that it can't be seen closer than about 50 metres. I never use the anchor light part of it anyway as it is my belief that this is far from the best place for one. Our biggest threat is from small fishing boats, who i doubt can see a masthead light from their low cuddies and wheelhouses. I use a Triton LED, unfortunately no longer made, that I still find to be the brightest in any anchorage. I mount it on the end of the boom.

 

[BrianH]

The masthead is a terrible place for an anchor light but many anchored yachts in the Med. use a toplight, probably because most are charterers and that's how they are fitted out.

One can understand the rationale - it's the only place to conform to colregs, 360° visibility. Anywhere else and something will obstruct it.

I have mine on the wind generator mast about 2m above deck level and I find it optimal. Yes, there's a very small segment where the mast obscures it but either my boat is moving slightly or the approaching one is moving a lot, so it cannot be a real problem in practice.

 

[bikedaft]

preserves your night vision

unlike ours ;-)

 

[noelex]

It is a common problem, even without a radar reflector the large top plate on my mast means the anchor light is obscured just when it's most needed.
My solution was two anchor lights mounted a couple of meters above the deck. At least one can always be seen and they are bright enough to illuminate the superstructure which makes judging distances much easier.
The Bebi owl lights I used have very low power draw and are not very expensive so installing two is not impractical, if you have suitable locations for them.

 

[Poignard]

I feel safer with my big anchor light (oil fired) hanging at eye level.

 

[SteveTibbetts]

I think I will leave it as it is. - it must be a very small risk of a small vessel arriving behind me un-noticed in the 'blind spot' and for the skipper to be completely unaware that the white light he was following has now disappeared completely.

 

[RupertW]

I've never really worked out what the all round masthead light is for - certainly no use for avoiding being hit when at anchor. I'd be happy you are meeting the regulations and use your lower level light (or lights). I prefer a couple of lights near bow and and near stern and just hope that they are just close enough to avoid somebody trying to steer their boat between them.

For the sake of this thread I won't say what kind of lights I use because people get rather cross.

 

[pagoda]

I've found a very bright white LED lamp (with 360 brightness), suspended from a shroud about 2m off the deck works well, and doesn't flatten the battery before you get back!
I've also rigged up a remote (radio plip) switch to operate an internal saloon light to ensure we don't have to fumble about on dark wet nights.
Identifying your own boat among many when it's dark/wet is surprisingly tricky at times. beer does not help of course

Graeme

 

[noelex]

I've found a very bright white LED lamp (with 360 brightness), suspended from a shroud about 2m off the deck works well, and doesn't flatten the battery before you get back!
I've also rigged up a remote (radio plip) switch to operate an internal saloon light to ensure we don't have to fumble about on dark wet nights.
Identifying your own boat among many when it's dark/wet is surprisingly tricky at times. beer does not help of course

Graeme

One advantage of two anchor lights is they make our boat very distinctive. Great for keeping track that it hasn't moved when eating at the local Taverner.

 

[maxi]

Collective wisdom is that: an anchor light should be well down near to the eye level of skippers of approaching boats, ensuring that it is not hidden behind booms, sail-coats etc. Masthead anchor light is of very little use.

On the other hand, I do use my all-round-white masthead light offshore at night, in preference to a tricolour. The white light has probably, a range twice that of a similar light shining through a colored screen, and may therefore expected to be seen at twice the range.

From long experience on the bridge of large ships, I would always prefer to see a yacht at a distance, rather than spotting a dim coloured light close to. 80' above sea level on a stable bridge equipped with gyro compasses, it is a simple matter to deal with a slow moving yacht.
If you cannot see that yacht, or not until the very last minute, then problems can occur.

I do however, revert to a compliant set of lights where a close quarters situation may develop, but with a greater expectation that I have already been seen.

 

[noelex]

Collective wisdom is that: an anchor light should be well down near to the eye level of skippers of approaching boats, ensuring that it is not hidden behind booms, sail-coats etc. Masthead anchor light is of very little use.

On the other hand, I do use my all-round-white masthead light offshore at night, in preference to a tricolour. The white light has probably, a range twice that of a similar light shining through a colored screen, and may therefore expected to be seen at twice the range.

From long experience on the bridge of large ships, I would always prefer to see a yacht at a distance, rather than spotting a dim coloured light close to. 80' above sea level on a stable bridge equipped with gyro compasses, it is a simple matter to deal with a slow moving yacht.
If you cannot see that yacht, or not until the very last minute, then problems can occur.

I do however, revert to a compliant set of lights where a close quarters situation may develop, but with a greater expectation that I have already been seen.

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.

 

[Puggy]

I'm in just the same situation. My Lopolight is bolted to the masthead and is so squat that it can't be seen closer than about 50 metres. I never use the anchor light part of it anyway as it is my belief that this is far from the best place for one. Our biggest threat is from small fishing boats, who i doubt can see a masthead light from their low cuddies and wheelhouses. I use a Triton LED, unfortunately no longer made, that I still find to be the brightest in any anchorage. I mount it on the end of the boom.

Yes - my lopolight suffers from the same problem. I have mounted on a stainless steel bracket to lift it about 15cm to give better visibility. But I agree with the general theme that you cant see mast head anchor lights close it, and I too use one of those diode operated plug in anchor lights lower down

 

[rich]

Coming into St Aubins bay one night,there were 2 boats at anchor right in the middle of the bay, I saw the 1st one he had cabin lights on,the other one I just saw at the last minet , never spotted his masthead light!

PS It could of been nasty, my mates cat is 58ft

 

[barnaclephill]

you cannot see the light from 6' above the water level unless you are more than about 25 metre from the boat.

Seems to be an issue with the position of the radar reflector. Moving it to the backstays will help the light problem, and be more of an advantage than a disadvantage there.

I have one of these all-round lamps, generic type with an LED bulb fitted.
It has some scattering of light I can see from the transom area, and it reflects off the windicator (mechanical, not electronic). The LED is a 4 Watt thing, 4 or 5 miles visibility, and is a first line of defence. A radar reflector could be hoisted lower down, if I were in a busy area, but the light gets attention first and foremost. Then when they're closer do they see the red & green lower lamps. Or I get out the spotlight, or radio them, etc.

 

[sailorman]

I feel safer with my big anchor light (oil fired) hanging at eye level.

And made by Davey & Co

 

[Poignard]

And made by Davey & Co

No - made by DHR (a Dutch firm?). This is the one:

http://www.toplicht.de/en/shop/lamp...nd-wandlaterne/positionslaternen/ankerlaterne

It cost less than half that price when I bought it many years ago from that fine old-fashioned chandlery in Cherbourg. Which has long gone and has been replaced by a useless shop (from a mariner's point of view ) selling tartans and shortbread.

 

[Poignard]

Coming into St Aubins bay one night,there were 2 boats at anchor right in the middle of the bay, I saw the 1st one he had cabin lights on,the other one I just saw at the last minet , never spotted his masthead light!

PS It could of been nasty, my mates cat is 58ft

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.

OK - I would have been held to blame (both legally and, worse still, in the Court of the YBW Forum ) but I wouldn't feel easy turning in with an anchor light that was 40-50 feet up in the air and no other light showing.

 

[Elemental]

This thread is interesting. I have always used my masthead all-round white when at anchor in the belief that it would be very visible and therefore safer. I've never considered that the reverse might be true - 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 do generally leave a cabin light on too when ashore.

I do use my all-round-white masthead light offshore at night, in preference to a tricolour. The white light has probably, a range twice that of a similar light shining through a colored screen, and may therefore expected to be seen at twice the range.

So do you turn the tricolour off? And why would white be visible at twice the distance? My all round white is a lower power bulb than the tricolour. Also it's illegal - with good reason - other boats will (visually) have little idea of your course/intentions.