Nav light question

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MOBY2

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Hi, Was coming in the other evening with my running lights on when a chap in a small boat with no lights shouted across I had my sail lights on.... so my set up is... under 10 metres Trident 24 sailing cruiser, when running lights are on it shows the stern light, combination light on pulpit, steaming light roughly 2/3rds way up the mast... combination light at top of the mast, my question is should the one at the top of the mast be on a separate switch, also the one at the top of the mast has an anchor light but on a separate switch and obviously not on at the time,

any help appreciated
 
MOBY2 said:
Hi, Was coming in the other evening with my running lights on when a chap in a small boat with no lights shouted across I had my sail lights on.... so my set up is... under 10 metres Trident 24 sailing cruiser, when running lights are on it shows the stern light, combination light on pulpit, steaming light roughly 2/3rds way up the mast... combination light at top of the mast, my question is should the one at the top of the mast be on a separate switch, also the one at the top of the mast has an anchor light but on a separate switch and obviously not on at the time,

any help appreciated
Click to expand...
If you are motoring, just the lower lights and the steaming light. The Masthead is for sailing only - no other lights should be on when using that. Any other combinations are in breech of the collision Regs.

So he was quite right!
 
MOBY2 said:
Hi, Was coming in the other evening with my running lights on when a chap in a small boat with no lights shouted across I had my sail lights on.... so my set up is... under 10 metres Trident 24 sailing cruiser, when running lights are on it shows the stern light, combination light on pulpit, steaming light roughly 2/3rds way up the mast... combination light at top of the mast, my question is should the one at the top of the mast be on a separate switch, also the one at the top of the mast has an anchor light but on a separate switch and obviously not on at the time,

any help appreciated
Click to expand...

As said you should not have had the Tricolour on at the same time as the other lights. It can used on its own as an alternative to side and stern lights when under sail.

You should make yourself familiar with common nav light combinations that you might use as well as lights that other vessels you may encounter could be displaying.

See https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/281965/msn1781.pdf

The diagram below illustrates the legal combinations of navigation lights that vessels under 12m may display. Under power and under sail

Navigationlights.jpg
 
Power-driven Vessel Underway, ie a yacht not sailing, and under 12 meters may exhibit an all-round White light (your masthead light), and sidelights. Your Steaming Light, may actually be only a deck light??

Vic beat me to it (again)
 
Appledore said:
Power-driven Vessel Underway, ie a yacht not sailing, and under 12 meters may exhibit an all-round White light (your masthead light), and sidelights. Your Steaming Light, may actually be only a deck light??

Vic beat me to it (again)
Click to expand...

and if less that 7m with a max speed of 7 knots need only show an allround white, but should show the other lights if possible.
 
Appledore said:
Power-driven Vessel Underway, ie a yacht not sailing, and under 12 meters may exhibit an all-round White light (your masthead light), and sidelights. Your Steaming Light, may actually be only a deck light??

Vic beat me to it (again)
Click to expand...

He won't be able to do that with his current setup though, because the sternlight comes on with the bicolour.
 
For the OP, i would have the following switches :

Tricolour.
Bicolour and sternlight.
Steaming light.
Anchor light.

You can then sail with either the tricolour or the bicolour and sternlight, handy if the tricolour stops working to have the backup of the bicolour and sternlight, which is not possible if the steaming light is on.

Motoring or motorsailing you use the bicolour and sternlight plus the steaming light. The anchor light could be used as a backup in the event of a sternlight failure.
 
PaulRainbow said:
For the OP, i would have the following switches :

Tricolour.
Bicolour and sternlight.
Steaming light.
Anchor light.

You can then sail with either the tricolour or the bicolour and sternlight, handy if the tricolour stops working to have the backup of the bicolour and sternlight, which is not possible if the steaming light is on.
Click to expand...

Yep - and it's not just a backup. Proper deck-level nav lights are easier for other boats to see at close range, versus peering up into the sky (or more likely, not) for a masthead tricolour.

The tricolour was only ever a compromise to allow the red, green, and white to be shown using a single bulb, to save power in the days when boats had small batteries and LEDs hadn't been invented.

Pete
 
I have mine on a revolving 3 position switch so i don't make errors in the lights I pick and a single switch on the fuse panel for nav lights. Anchor, Power & Sail

This is a nice clear diagram of colregs nav lights for under 12m.

qBzwlCwt.jpg
 
Last edited:
Tammany said:
I have mine on a revolving 3 position switch so i don't make errors in the lights I pick and a single switch on the fuse panel for nav lights. Anchor, Power & Sail

This is a nice clear diagram of colregs nav lights for under 12m.

qBzwlCwt.jpg
Click to expand...

I have that image salted away too but I find it confusing in that at first glance it appears to show a boat under sail with a tricolour as well as a bicolour and stern . Also does not show the side light options.

It could have been a very good illustration if it had shown all the alternative combinations that my diagram shows.

I wanted to draw something similar but my artistic skills are not up to 3 dimensions hence the one I posted.
 
Yep, I nearly got caught out with that one too when I first wrote my wiring diagram for the switch & diodes.
 
VicS said:
As said you should not have had the Tricolour on at the same time as the other lights. It can used on its own as an alternative to side and stern lights when under sail.

You should make yourself familiar with common nav light combinations that you might use as well as lights that other vessels you may encounter could be displaying.

See https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/281965/msn1781.pdf

The diagram below illustrates the legal combinations of navigation lights that vessels under 12m may display. Under power and under sail

Navigationlights.jpg
Click to expand...
Just wanted to say how clear and how useful that graphic so is

Always foud written versions very confusing.

Thanks
Alan
 
Has anyone a simular clarification for Canal Cruiser regulations? We eent on a canal trip from Camden Market, the Captain appraoching a tunnel blew his horn 3 times, then exsplained that was to signal he was going to reverse to the oncomming boat - but doubted the other captain would know these signals.

berating while to take a test for his licence any can jump into a barge and drive it.

Well i don't know any of these signals, so anyone have a copy of what they mean?

Keep it adult please guys ;).

Alan
 
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