Masthead nav lights question

[IanCC]

I entered Cawsand early one morning and couldn't see any boats. The white lights at distance looked like street lights and as you got closer like stars. It was a moonless night and the boats were hidden except for a few with low level lights.
We were also shorthanded so no spare crew to wave torches around and our eyesight at the time was good !

Had exactly the same experience there.

 

[Sandy]

I entered Cawsand early one morning and couldn't see any boats. The white lights at distance looked like street lights and as you got closer like stars. It was a moonless night and the boats were hidden except for a few with low level lights.
We were also shorthanded so no spare crew to wave torches around and our eyesight at the time was good !

A very, very different than all the experiences than I have in Cawsand; I am currently Plymouth based.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I entered Cawsand early one morning and couldn't see any boats. The white lights at distance looked like street lights and as you got closer like stars. It was a moonless night and the boats were hidden except for a few with low level lights.
We were also shorthanded so no spare crew to wave torches around and our eyesight at the time was good !

Exceptions don’t prove the rule. I’ve been in Cawsand many times and not had too many problems identifying where boats are. As far as I’m concerned, the trick is NOT to use a torch but to allow your eyes to be truly insulated from the rest of us.

 

[Ardenfour]

Pretty hard nay almost impossible to tell from just that picture, but it looks a newish unit?? So I suspect it is LED. If it is a filament bold type them the bulb will be white but if it is a LED then I think the LEDs will be coloured. Others will correct me if I am wrong.
Nevertheless there are many good reasons to keep a masthead tricolour in use and use instead of pushpit/pulpit level lights instead.

Looks like he a got a bicolour fitted.

 

[Boatsie]

We love our trilight.
Illumination of windcock underway and keep of night eyes looking past bow.
We switch to stern and bow lights when in channel for ease of others to see us along horizontal view.

I'd think it easier to replace unit with Allround white if converting to an anchor light.

For night sailing though.. trilight simply effective for keeping visual night eyes wide open.

 

[Refueler]

Obviously, you'd have to find a suitably robust clear glass that fits. That might not be easy.

I'd worry about the rest of the existing unit, are the plastics weathered and brittle? Anything nasty happening inside?

I'd replace the whole thing. Cost and effort will be about the same.

A smaller light - but I had a masthead anchor light - antique bras frame job - that the glass broke. There was no chance of ever getting replacement glass - so I improvised.

A plastic drinks bottle was cut and placed over the frame - self-amalgamating tape sealed the bottom to the frame ...

That has survived over 10yrs and is still providing a good light .... of course not approved - but who's going to argue about that ?? Boat was inspected a few years later - Inspector asked to see it work ... switched on - he was happy ... Latvian Reg issued.

 

[Refueler]

Pretty hard nay almost impossible to tell from just that picture, but it looks a newish unit?? So I suspect it is LED. If it is a filament bold type them the bulb will be white but if it is a LED then I think the LEDs will be coloured. Others will correct me if I am wrong.
Nevertheless there are many good reasons to keep a masthead tricolour in use and use instead of pushpit/pulpit level lights instead.

I have a similar light - but a two-deck model ... tric with anchor ...

Not LED. But easy enough to put LED bulbs in.

 

[Mister E]

Is there any reason not to have a masthead light and a boom light?

 

[Pye_End]

Is there any reason not to have a masthead light and a boom light?

Depends on your motoring light arrangement.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Is there any reason not to have a masthead light and a boom light?

No real problem. We have both but separately controlled. Masthead anchor/all round controlled from panel plus plug in boom light in cockpit

No more confusing than our blue cockpit illumination lights which we leave on when going ashore on dark murky nights. Nothing worse than rowing out in bad weather and finding one has rowed to wrong boat and are unsure where right boat is

 

[kevsbox]

I also use an anchor light hoisted in the fore triangle. Much better in my opinion. Also fitted with a night gadget which turns it on at dusk and off at dawn. My masthead is a DIY led tricolour which I rarely use.

Now that is not a bad idea

 

[kevsbox]

Do you have a motoring white as well (in addition to stern white)?

Yes, that is just above the spreaders on the mast

 

[kevsbox]

Thanks for the replies, all interesting and mostly good.

 

[rogerthebodger]

AAA Worldwide enterprise have a compatible navigation light that could replace the one you have

AAA WorldWide Enterprises LTD

 

[alahol2]

AAA Worldwide enterprise have a compatible navigation light that could replace the one you have

AAA WorldWide Enterprises LTD

I suspect they sell by the contaier load, no mention of any stockists.

 

[Kwik Decision]

If you are entering an anchorage/mooring field you should be looking not chatting about what is for supper or will you get to the pub before closing time. I've even had crew out on the bow with torches making sure I did not run over a mooring.

It is very, very rarely totally dark and you should see most things, under a full moon it can be extremely light.

I agree entirely with what you say.

However, I have no control over how other boats coming into an anchorage are being sailed. There may be a boat that's just completed a single handed 18 hr passage coming in, with the skipper exhausted, longing for their bed, and not paying as much attention to lights, high or low, as they should. I'm therefore going to make sure my boat is easy for them to see, generally by using the LED deck light, as well as the (COLREG compliant) masthead anchor light.

 

[thinwater]

I also use an anchor light hoisted in the fore triangle. Much better in my opinion. Also fitted with a night gadget which turns it on at dusk and off at dawn. My masthead is a DIY led tricolour which I rarely use.

Just to be pendantic ....

In Colregs, the light at the top of the mast (tricolor) is not the masthead light. The masthead is about 3/4-height and is where the steaming light is located. The tricolor is a the top of the mast, which is not the masthead for the purposes of Colregs.

(I know this seems wrong, just plain boneheaded, but look it up in Colregs annex.)

 

[Refueler]

Annex 1 is actually not that good in detail for average yottie .... but maybe this can help :

https://assetbank-eu-west-1.s3.eu-w...13ab4efdc97643b2aa2d3695c4fb976bbf3bc47072253

 

[wingcommander]

Also I recall, if converting a white incandescent bulb ( atop mast with coloured lenses) to led , one has to use the correct type of led , warm white iirc. The cool white will produce a non conforming colour through the lenses.
Please double check as I may have got this information from a man in the pub.

 

[rogerthebodger]

I suspect they sell by the contaier load, no mention of any stockists.

That may be true but a local chandler may be able to help of a simple E Mail to then may give you some stockiest