Navigation lights?

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Inselaffe

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Is it right that for my 22 footer the lights under sail should be red/green and white stern light, or an all-round white?

I have a red-green on pulpit & a white on pushpit, but I also have an all-round white at masthead.

Should I put all 3 on at the same time when sailing? (the masthead would presumably be more visible)

Thanks
 
Absolutely not.

Think what you will then look like. From ahead you will look like a motor vessel and from astern you'll look like a large ship missing a side light, or two different sized ships going away. Both cases cause confusion and mean that other vessels will interperate your presence differently from how they should.

Your all round white could be used for 2 things.

1. An anchor light
2. INSTEAD of the stern light when motoring so as to display the steaming light forward.
 
When sailing you should have red to port and green to stb'd, which can be combined into a single (bicolour ) lantern, and a white stern light. OR you can combine them all into one tricolour lantern (at the top of the mast)

When motoring you must show red and green and a stern light PLUS a white "masthead" light, aka steaming light, which is visble through the same arc as the P&S lights, but at a greater height. You can combine the steaming light and the stern light into one white light visible allround (It'll then have to be on top of the mast.

You should read the section in the "Colregs" on lights. It needs careful reading to understand it but once you have the requirements are unambiguous. They will tell you all the requirements like visible range and arcs of visibility and vertical separation.

The RYA booklet is a good one to read and have on board but the regs are Here on the Coastguard site
Part C for lights and appendix I for the technical stuff
 
Thanks,

I thought that a white light was ok for sailing vessels under 7m, but further reading shows I was wrong, I gather its only if nav lights not possible then carry a torch ready.

I asked as well because the switchboard on my boat has two separate switches for toplight & anchor light, but only the toplight one is connected (to the allround white at mast head).
 
[ QUOTE ]
Is it right that for my 22 footer the lights under sail should be red/green and white stern light, or an all-round white?

I have a red-green on pulpit & a white on pushpit, but I also have an all-round white at masthead.

Should I put all 3 on at the same time when sailing? (the masthead would presumably be more visible)

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]
The key fact in your account is the size of your vessel. Rule 23(c)(i) allows you to exhibit (only) an all round white light when under power, and rule 25 (d) effectively exempts you from a requirement to show lights continuously when under sail or oars, although the word 'practicable' may be important and you do need to have a lantern ready to show to avoid collision. I have seen quite a few small vessels just with an all round white and it will do the job, as any vessel from any direction should treat you as a stand-on vessel.
 
An all round white may be used for navigation for a sailing vessel under 7m, but if practical should show port/std/stern light instead.
 
I'm in the same position with my Dehler 22. Its lived on a lake in Germany all its life until now, so its only nav light is a single white at the top of the mast.

Its perfectly legal, but I'd not want to venture far without a full set of Nav Lights showing so I can feel an winter upgrade coming on.

What exactly should I install? A tricolour at the top, and a stern white?? I'm not entirely sure. Either way I've only got a two core wire through the deck at present so that will have to be upgraded.

I've done a wee bit of night motor/sailing in the solent on a couple of occasions, and I was glad of other green/reds showing thats for sure! As a matter of fact I may as well issue an advanced warning to all shipping now as I'l be motoring over from Port Solent to Cowes Marina on the evening of 5th Oct. in a yacht with all proper lights showing. Just tell all those nasty container ships to keep out of my way ..pretty please /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Tim
 
Yes i've looked at the documentation, and sometimes it seems either incomplete or confusing..to my small brain.

But you are right of course..ask on a forum if you want 50 different answers /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Tim
 
[ QUOTE ]
Im sure you can find documentation on this all over the place

[/ QUOTE ] THE place to look is the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. Thats why I provided a link to them. I linked to the MCA site because that is the nearest to an official copy on line that I know of. It is complete with all the appendices , some on line offerings are not, and they are an up-to-date version, others may not be.
 
You will need to have a separate switch for stern light so that can switch it off when motoring with an all-round white at the masthead and red/green on. Otherwise you will show two white lights astern which is a big boy's lights.

I didn't see anyone make this comment about a switch on the stern light.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I didn't see anyone make this comment about a switch on the stern light

[/ QUOTE ] The original question was not about how to wire them up and what switches to use, just about what were the correct lights to show.

The simplest solution is separate switches for all (except that P&S can be on the same switch) but with a little thought and the use of DP and DT swtiches it is possible to devise a wiring system that does not allow an illegal combination. I have done that but it is not intelligent enough to know if I am motoring, sailing, anchored, moored or even if its dark!

That's taken the lid off another can of worms!
 
Ultra low energy solution:
All round white...allowable for under 7m and less than 7 kts for both motoring and sailing.

Low energy solution and an improvement on above:
Tri white at masthead. Use tricolour for sailing and all round white when motoring or at anchor.

Better solution yet:
Bi colour on bow, white stern light for use when sailing. Add an all round white at mast head for use when at anchor or in combination with bicolour when motoring( turn stern light off)

the possibilities are endless but my typing hand now aches.
 
[ QUOTE ]
.......Otherwise you will show two white lights astern which is a big boy's lights......

[/ QUOTE ]

?? Please explain what this would signify and why a big boys lights ? The only two whites that are "big-boys" as you put it are the two fwd facing steaming lights ..... stern is as you - only 1.
 
There used to be a company which made a lights switch which reflected the state of play on your boat, anchored, steaming or w.h.y. But if you think abt it, it's just better that you have a really thorough knowledge of lights both on your boats and on others, otherwise you will get caught in some purse sein net or be unsure which side of a dredger to go down. Knowing what to show and when on your own boat is the first step. Judging by the christmas trees floating out of some South Coast harbours, not everyone learns them.

ps not aimed at sbc, who is more salty than a salty thing. Just a reply to the thread!
 
This was a switch panel I had on my previous yacht. At the bottom is a selector switch to set the correct nav lights and next to it a plan of the yacht with led showing the selectd configutation.

web0757.jpg
 
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