Nav Lights question

[[163233]]

I've bought a warm white to replace my mast head bulb. When I fit it, I will test it, who wouldn't?

Underway? Not just after you've put it in?

Also AIS should've told the op it wasn't a big boat shouldn't it?

Seems a lot of fuss about nothing to me, god knows what you lot would think of our disco lights..

 

[VicS]

I've bought a warm white to replace my mast head bulb. When I fit it, I will test it, who wouldn't?

I though a cool white was recommended for a masthead and other white lights.

 

[LadyInBed]

I though a cool white was recommended for a masthead and other white lights.

As I understand it, cool white for anchor and warm for coloured navigation lenses.
Testing would be subjective for correct colours at fitting.

 

[prv]

Also AIS should've told the op it wasn't a big boat shouldn't it?

He said there were “no other details”, which presumably means he hadn’t received its static data message and so wouldn’t have information like size or type, only position and movements.

Pete

 

[oldmanofthehills]

As I understand it, cool white for anchor and warm for coloured navigation lenses.
Testing would be subjective for correct colours at fitting.

Warm white should enable LEDs to be used in filament bulb type red/green etc as cold white turns the green to blue and the red to a sort of orange. Coldwhite better for stern or all round as brighter though warm white no worse than old filament bulbs. And of course have a big effective radar reflector on mast not one of these bird feeder styles that dont work.

Personally seeing as we creep along at 4kts almost any light will help some container ship charging along at 16kts to see us, and avoid us if they feel like it. We often cant do much about it, so really try and keep just outside the main channel in crowded waters. I notice however on recent long overnight trips that the brilliant deck lights of cargo ships and the brilliant lounge lights of cruise ships means I cant make out their port starboard lights till half a mile off. I rely on my AIS receiver and change course or stop her to let the b***ers pass.

 

[prv]

I notice however on recent long overnight trips that the brilliant deck lights of cargo ships and the brilliant lounge lights of cruise ships means I cant make out their port starboard lights till half a mile off. I rely on my AIS receiver and change course or stop her to let the b***ers pass.

The two masthead lights should give a rough idea when they’re too far away for sidelights.

Pete

 

[oldmanofthehills]

The two masthead lights should give a rough idea when they’re too far away for sidelights. Pete

Indeed but they are hardly visible either, and stern lights get obscured by deck lights too so we started readying for evasive action for a boat which on second check of AIS had already passed us. The worst confusion was a brightly lit thing with apparently red over red, which worried me as it did not change bearing despite being in an 4kt cross tide. As I got within perhaps half a mile I realised it was red white red thus a firmly anchored dredger not a vessel drifting down tide

 

[KellysEye]

Crossing Biscay a ship a approaching us had a red port light a red starboard light on the bows and a large red light on the stern, I would have happily shot the skipper.