masthead lights - do we need them?

xeitosaphil said:
Quote : (Motor High is bow bicolour and masthead all-round white, a permitted combination for sub-12m vessels like mine.)

Pete does this Motor High switch setting on rotary switch also illuminate the all round white as well?

My understanding right or wrong, is the 360 Degree white is only used for an anchour light? or for vessels under 7mtrs in length. A normal Tricolour light would be Port Star/brd and Stern light, normal light sectors.

I thought a normal Bow Bicolour set up, would be used with a white Steaming and Stern light with normal light sectors, not 360 all-round white, or did I read this account wrongly - or have I got it wrong?
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Well, there's a very easy way to find out: http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/msn_1781-2.pdf

I'll even give you a hint: 23 (d) (i).

:)

Pete
 
There are two issues with low level nav lights.
1) They are prone to being hidden by sails. and other things like poncy big ensigns.
2) They are prone to damage from other people's mooring lines, spinnaker guys etc.

I'm not sure I buy the idea that low level lights are always more visible close to, or against distant lights. In the case of the Ouzo, the masthead light must have been close to eye level to those on a ship's bridge at the last moment whencollison could have been avoided?

I am baffled as to why manufacturers cannot provide us with LED tricolours that work reliably.
Or perhaps how people break them?
I made a LED anchor light with just LEDs, Solder, resistors and hot meld glue that has been great, despite being made roughly and chucked in lockers etc.
 
lw395 said:
There are two issues with low level nav lights.
1) They are prone to being hidden by sails. and other things like poncy big ensigns.
2) They are prone to damage from other people's mooring lines, spinnaker guys etc.

I'm not sure I buy the idea that low level lights are always more visible close to, or against distant lights. In the case of the Ouzo, the masthead light must have been close to eye level to those on a ship's bridge at the last moment whencollison could have been avoided?

I am baffled as to why manufacturers cannot provide us with LED tricolours that work reliably.
Or perhaps how people break them?
I made a LED anchor light with just LEDs, Solder, resistors and hot meld glue that has been great, despite being made roughly and chucked in lockers etc.
Click to expand...

I certainly agree that they are more vulnerable; I lost the port one to another boat in the Crinan and stbd one by the same cause in the Caledonian canal!.

But I think you misunderstood my point about visibility when the lights are lower down: it's not that they are more visible - probably they aren't for the reasons you list - but when they are seen it's easier to judge that they are close. The difficulty of a light at bridge level (ie at the top of a sailing boat's mast) is that it could be judged to be on the horizon (so far away) whereas a light lower than the horizon is most certainly close.

What I think could be a 'human factors' danger with ships is that they see the yacht's masthead tricolour alright but judge it to be much further off than it actually is so mentally discount it from their list of issues to keep an eye on - and the watchkeeper on the bridge in crowded waters like the channel has a lot on his plate so may very well not re-asses it until too late. I don't know this to be the case, it's just an exercise at thinking myself into the shoes of others, but it doesn't seem wholly far-fetched.
 
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jdc said:
I certainly agree that they are more vulnerable; I lost the port one to another boat in the Crinan and stbd one by the same cause in the Caledonian canal!.

But I think you misunderstood my point about visibility when the lights are lower down: it's not that they are more visible - probably they aren't for the reasons you list - but when they are seen it's easier to judge that they are close. The difficulty of a light at bridge level (ie at the top of a sailing boat's mast) is that it could be judged to be on the horizon (so far away) whereas a light lower than the horizon is most certainly close.

What I think could be a 'human factors' danger with ships is that they see the yacht's masthead tricolour alright but judge it to be much further off than it actually is so mentally discount it from their list of issues to keep an eye on - and the watchkeeper on the bridge in crowded waters like the channel has a lot on his plate so may very well not re-asses it until too late. I don't know this to be the case, it's just an exercise at thinking myself into the shoes of others, but it doesn't seem wholly far-fetched.
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Good point.
I think there is a general problem of not realising something is getting nearer if its vertical angle to you does not change.
A friend of mine came very close to sailing bang into a nav mark he was aiming at, because the light on it was at exactly eye level, it did not appear to change until very close.
I think this may be a danger of only having one light visible from a particular angle?
 
One issue that I think is worth considering is the visibility to big ships. If you keep in mind that the bridge on a big ship can be as high as an 11 story building above the water. Then imagine that ship is on your lee side. Your low ( especially pulpit mounted ) lights are shining into the sea and blanketed by your head-sail. A bit of phosphorescence, ho hum.
 
I fitted my lopolite on the masthead some five or m ore years ago. It's been fault free ever since. The incandescent bulbs seldom lasted a season and I'm too old to climb masts these days. Masthead lights are best for small vessel to small vessel viability even or perhaps especially close to land as we are looking up at them. Big boats, however, looking down on us can easily confuse the masthead light for the land lights. Of course a LOT of commercial vessels carry supplementary lighting that makes identification of their navigation lights problematical, and I'm not just thinking about cruise ships and ferries. I suppose you pays your money............

At least if you have both, there's a small measure of redundancy built in for overnight passages which increases safety factors, by which I mean if one set stops working you cans witch to the other. The masthead light will drain the battery much slower than deck lights, unless you've used less for both, which is always a bonus for me.
 
awol said:
An ensign being worn after sunset? Deserves to be run down!
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I always thought that "ensign down at sunset (or departure to the pub, whichever's soonest)" applied only in harbour. At sea it can be flown all the time - and in foreign waters I believe it must be.

Pete
 
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