Nav lights...how hard can it be?

[Iain C]

I came into the Solent at the end of our West Country cruise at nightfall on Friday, heading E up the Needles Channel. We were motoring (as we had most of the way back...light easterlies...grrr!) It was pretty quiet, but we came across the following...

Boat 1-we seemed to be catching it fast. All I could see was a white at the masthead, a very faint outline of sails sheeted hard, so it looked like a bit of a diehard sailor heading upwind/downtide just off the Needles. But then it all got a bit confusing...we're catching it REALLY quickly now...hang on, where the hell is he going...and as the 50 odd foot Hanse slipped past us head to head, motorsailing with just an anchor light on I politely advised them (by hailing...we were really close) just how near we'd been to a collision and she might want to put the correct lights on. In fairness they soon sorted it out but it had been impossible to tell what on earth was happening and it was only as she was illuminated in the moon shadow for a few seconds we worked it out.

Boat 2-following boat 1...bow & stern, tricolour, steaming light. So, are you sailing or motoring?

Boat 3-also heading west and lit with bow/stern and tric. This one had an AIS though, however it came across as a case of "well, I have an AIS transponder so stay out of my way and you'll just have to guess what I'm doing". Of course, when she went past she was clearly motoring but no steaming light was displayed.

Boat 4-the only other yacht we saw all the way to Portmouth...a racing boat (we could tell as we could see the glow from the mast repeaters) correctly lit up with bow/stern/steaming light.

Sadly I see more and more of this...boats often going alongside my club pontoon after dark with the favourite combination of tric and steaming light. Grrrr. Why is this so hard to get right...it's really, really simple, but the wrong lights puts your boat and crew at risk and also causes stress for everyone else as they try and work out what the hell they are looking at.

Very simply;
Anchored-anchor light (all round white)
Sailing-tric OR bow/stern, but never both*
Motoring/motorsailing-bow/stern and steamer but never tric*

(*I have heard in thick fog putting everything on is not a bad idea as if you are motoring it's possible your masthead may be above the fog. Technically illegal but possible common sense)

Are these the types who forget to turn headlights on when driving at night, or put the fog lights on because there's some rain??

Grrrr...rant over!!!

 

[jdc]

Rant away! I'm with you on this. But just to make you feel better (maybe) I spent 6 months in Brazil and gathered the most amazing statistic: not one of the boats we saw in that 6 months had correct nav lights! The very best was a sailing yacht under engine with only tri-colour on, but that was put on 90 degrees out so one got red and green when off its port beam!

 

[prv]

Can’t fault you for ranting. Presumably these same morons don’t understand what they’re looking at when they see anyone else’s lights?

Immediately after the Cowes Week fireworks is quite special for this. Tricolour and steaming light while anchored seem to be a popular combination. I assume it’s the only time of year some people venture out after dark.

Pete

 

[capnsensible]

Bearing in mind that there have been posters on here who have advocated flashing lights, strobes at anchor and other bonkers things.

It's frustrating isn't it when you are abiding by IRPCS and some nerd makes life unnecessarily difficult.

Another dit. Couple of weeks ago I was heading north up the coast of Morocco. One of my crew, a friend of mine, was a commercial fisherman around the UK for forty years. Each night we weaved our way amongst the local fishermen. My oppo had never seen anything like the chaotic lights, manoeuvres and general weirdness going on.....

I could go on too.

 

[robertj]

THe same goes for day anchoring. The main culprits are daysailors who fail to hoist an anchor ball. All the live aboards I’ve notice have the ball up and that goes for night aswell.
I suppose for livaboards it’s self preservation knowing the need to be seen.

 

[robertj]

What amazes me is the amount of anchored boats in Sydney that fail to hoist proper marks. With these high speed ferries bombing around I would have thought they’d be more careful.

 

[Pasarell]

I'm in the marina in Lefkas, Greece, and today is changeover day for the Sunsail boats. Walking back through the marina from a restaurant this evening there was every combination of lights you could imagine - in the marina. Out here Sunsail are one of the better charter companies. Yesterday was changeover day for most of the others and they were just as bad. I assume most of the charterers have at least some basic qualifications but they seem to assume, when on holiday, anything they learnt is no longer relevant. This is in the marina but they are exactly the same when out sailing, moored to a town quay, or at anchor.

 

[Iain C]

I'd almost expect to see non-conformity in some of the foreign places mentioned, and come on let's be honest not every boat anchored in Osborne Bay will fly a ball, and it's often been joked that a cone seen pointing down in a yacht's rigging means "yachtmaster examiner on board...keep clear and wish me luck". Generally, although it can be annoying to change course during the day when sailing to miss a yacht that when you pass has the exhaust spurting merrily away, it's not usually a dangerous occurence. But the Solent is such a busy place with shore lights on pretty much all sides, that the correct lights at night is just vital.

I'd almost understand if no lights at all had been turned on due to forgetfulness, but in each of the cases I mentioned above someone has gone up to the switch panel and thought, "oh I dunno...erm, let's have that one, that one and, oooo, that one tonight".

At some point there's going to be a big collision and someone is going to get hurt or worse. Is now the time for the RYA to start running a campaign, perhaps featuring a small sticker (same as the killcord ones) that the luminally challenged can stick next to their panels? Sadly I see this very much as a yachty problem...mobo-ers for obvious reasons have far less chance of getting this wrong, and if there had been a collision with the Hanse on the Friday it would have been a "their word against mine" situation with no witnesses, with thier boat holding a steady course and mine weaving around trying to figure out what the hell was going on...

 

[Biggles Wader]

Let he who is without sin---------Now where is my motoring cone?

 

[RobF]

Let he who is without sin---------Now where is my motoring cone?

Agreed. I think the logic is that it's really obvious when sailing boats are motoring, therefore the cone isn't really required. However, I think it's equally obvious when boats are anchored so am not sure why people ignore the motoring cone sin, but not the anchor ball sin.

 

[Joker]

If you motor in Germany without a cone, you get stopped by the Wasserschutzpolitzei.

 

[lw395]

Agreed. I think the logic is that it's really obvious when sailing boats are motoring, therefore the cone isn't really required. However, I think it's equally obvious when boats are anchored so am not sure why people ignore the motoring cone sin, but not the anchor ball sin.

An anchor ball makes every other boat the keep clear vessel.
A motoring cone makes it clear when you are the keep clear vessel.
Not using a motoring cone generally inconveniences a lot more other vessels than not using an anchor ball.

I have yet to put up a motoring cone this year. But then I very rarely motor-sail..
I think it's all a bit of a non problem, except that common practice seems to be that any boat with just the main up is motoring and will therefore give way.
That can be a nuisance when you sail a racing boat back from the finish line with just the main for instance.

 

[Graham376]

Agreed. I think the logic is that it's really obvious when sailing boats are motoring, therefore the cone isn't really required. However, I think it's equally obvious when boats are anchored so am not sure why people ignore the motoring cone sin, but not the anchor ball sin.

I disagree with both your points. It's not obvious that someone with main and genoa are motoring, nor is it always obvious in anchorages where many boats are spread over a large area, which ones are moving and which are anchored - unless the ball is used. I must admit to not having used the cone for many years but always use anchor ball.

 

[syc1]

I've spent the last 4 years helming a relatively high speed commercial vessel in the Solent, operating 365 days a year day and night, and I can safely say that I and my colleagues take little or no notice of what lights a leisure vessel is showing. I came from the leisure world, and was quite insulted by the attitude of the experienced crews, but I soon learnt they were absolutely right. We use radar to plot the course of vessels at night, (radar backed up by AIS not the other way round) as it has been proven too many times that the light you can see is not that which you should be able to see, so don't trust any of them. It's worth saying that it's not only leisure boats that can catch you out, the commercial guys can be far from perfect.

 

[Giblets]

The only time I see a motoring cone at the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour is on a training yacht even though almost all the others with sails up are actually motoring as well.

 

[Stemar]

operating 365 days a year day and night

Maybe you should have a chat with your employers about working hours legislation...

Seriously though, you're right. From fishing boats with their I'm fishing, bugger off shapes or anchor balls welded into place to yotties with tricolours under power, I tend to take the same attitude.

A sailing boat with only the main up, especially when going straight upwind, is under power until proven otherwise or we're getting into Rule 17 territory. In open waters, any other vessel is on autopilot and the bloke who's supposed to be on watch is down below, rodgering the crew or on his third bottle of vodka. Again, until proven otherwise.

Oh, and no one's keeping a proper lookout, ever.

Not that I'd pretend to be perfect. I've had a few Oh Sh... moments too. I call them experience...

 

[Stemar]

The only time I see a motoring cone at the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour is on a training yacht even though almost all the others with sails up are actually motoring as well.

Isn't that one of the few places where the cone is superfluous? IIRC, all vessels are required to be under power from No 4 to Ballast, and are deemed to be so for Colregs purposes even when they aren't.

I've come in under sail once and wouldn't want to do it again.

 

[Giblets]

Isn't that one of the few places where the cone is superfluous? IIRC, all vessels are required to be under power from No 4 to Ballast, and are deemed to be so for Colregs purposes even when they aren't.

Maybe so but a nice little get-out for the insurance company should an incident and claim arise I fancy.

 

[lw395]

Around harbour entrances, you are always going to get yachts under power as they set their sails or take them down.
A bit of common sense is needed.
I don't expect anyone to show a cone for the few minutes between hoisting the main and taking the motor out of gear.

 

[Greenheart]

I was fortunate to be steering a Victoria 34 out of the Hamble and heading east for a few hours on Saturday. I think we had the engine on and full sail set for over an hour while the skipper tried to re-rope his reef points...

...I would have been quick to suggest showing the cone if I'd remembered it...

...but I wonder where in the rigging it ought to be hung, in order not to be wholly obscured from half the points of the compass?