Navigation lights

[prv]

Yes, and I think that such a light with the one metre separation would not be too hard to manufacture.

Well, simply manufacturing a stick with a light at each end isn't hard, but that doesn't mean I'd want to have it plonked on my masthead!

Maybe if you were able to make the upper light unit very small, at the top of a thin fibreglass wand, and incorporated a VHF antenna into that wand, it might work ok.

Pete

 

[Kukri]

The thing-with-all-the-lights-etc, on it, mounted above a ship's monkey island, has been called a Christmas Tree for quite a while, now.

Our mastheads are going the same way - lights, wind thingy, VHF thingy, maybe radar reflector-thingy, etc...

Happy Christmas

 

[prv]

Our mastheads are going the same way - lights, wind thingy, VHF thingy, maybe radar reflector-thingy, etc...

Speak for yourself

My main masthead has a sheave for a burgee halyard, and that's it.

The mizzen has a VHF antenna on top of it.

Job jobbed.

Pete

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

The thing-with-all-the-lights-etc, on it, mounted above a ship's monkey island, has been called a Christmas Tree for quite a while, now.

Our mastheads are going the same way - lights, wind thingy, VHF thingy, maybe radar reflector-thingy, etc...

Happy Christmas

My masthead has windex, VHF, Seame, TV, tricolour.

I really can't see myself sticking a pole a metre long on top of it. Airdraft is 20 m already.

There are times when I think it's safer to put on the tricolour, deck level nav lights, deck floods, saloon lights and steaming lights. May be against regulations but you are unlikely to go unnoticed.

 

[prv]

I really can't see myself sticking a pole a metre long on top of it. Airdraft is 20 m already.

Indeed. I was thinking that one might mount the red at the masthead, and then a 180-degree green on each side of the mast lower down. Problem is that the green would be blanked by the sail for part of the arc.

There are times when I think it's safer to put on the tricolour, deck level nav lights, deck floods, saloon lights and steaming lights. May be against regulations but you are unlikely to go unnoticed.

True.

On Stavros the wardroom lights are always left on at night - we had one trip where some tidy-minded person kept turning them off when the room was empty, and the captain was very keen that the perpetrator be found and educated on the error of his ways. The wardroom lights are visible from astern through three or four big 12" portholes, and the officers wanted to give their colleagues in container ships etc every chance of noticing us wallowing along at a fraction of their speed.

Pete

 

[peterb]

During the Inquiry into the sinking of the Ouzo I believe it was mentioned that a navigation light at masthead level can look like a deck-level light at a greater distance when seen from up on the bridge of a ship.

I have been nearly run down because of this. We were running down past Great Yarmouth towards Harwich under just genoa, at night, showing a masthead tricolour. A ship inshore of us, heading north, suddenly turned and came straight at us. The helmsman slammed the helm over so that we hove to, while I picked up the pocket torch we had in the cockpit and used it to read off the ship's name. I doubt whether the CPA was more than 20 ft.

We called up the ship on VHF and asked what was going on. They were very apologetic, but said that they tended to judge the distance off of small craft by how far down they had to look to see the lights. Our tricolour was at the same height as their bridge; they didn't need to look down at all and hence we must be a long way away from them.

Since then, whenever we've been near ships the tricolour has gone off and the deck lights have gone on.

 

[Robin]

I have been nearly run down because of this. We were running down past Great Yarmouth towards Harwich under just genoa, at night, showing a masthead tricolour. A ship inshore of us, heading north, suddenly turned and came straight at us. The helmsman slammed the helm over so that we hove to, while I picked up the pocket torch we had in the cockpit and used it to read off the ship's name. I doubt whether the CPA was more than 20 ft.

We called up the ship on VHF and asked what was going on. They were very apologetic, but said that they tended to judge the distance off of small craft by how far down they had to look to see the lights. Our tricolour was at the same height as their bridge; they didn't need to look down at all and hence we must be a long way away from them.

Since then, whenever we've been near ships the tricolour has gone off and the deck lights have gone on.

What was their excuse for not watching the radar range then?

 

[clyst]

Probably like most people, I use the all round tricolour when on passage but switch to separate side and stern lights when in the approaches to a port.

I'v seen my local sailing school yachts coming into the marina displaying both tri and sides . makes my p*** boil .

 

[Robin]

I'v seen many local sailing school yachts coming into the marina displaying both tri and sides . makes my p*** boil .

Best one I saw was on a Glenans Sailing School boat leaving the anchorage off Houat and showing red and green astern from his tricolour as he went by us. Still, one up on his buddy boats because the other two had no lights at all!

 

[LittleSister]

.... lights that leak light toward the helm or reflect off pulpits etc.
This a reason for me preferring a masthead tricolour, along with the fact that it illuminates the windex.

+1

 

[Boo2]

It seems that the OOW much prefers deck level. With LED's now negating the power consumption issue it seems that deck level LED's is the way to go?

Where can you put deck level light on a sailing boat where they won't be obscured by the genoa on some point of sail ?

Boo2

 

[Kukri]

Where can you put deck level light on a sailing boat where they won't be obscured by the genoa on some point of sail ?

Boo2

The pulpit used to the the favoured spot.

 

[prv]

Where can you put deck level light on a sailing boat where they won't be obscured by the genoa on some point of sail ?

In front of it. Either as a combined lantern on the very front of the pulpit, or separate lights on each side of (slightly less likely to get bashed or hooked).

Or more traditionally, on the shrouds, but I suppose some big genoas come too far aft for that to work.

Pete

 

[JimC]

It seems that the OOW much prefers deck level. With LED's now negating the power consumption issue it seems that deck level LED's is the way to go?Rob

Where can you put deck level light on a sailing boat where they won't be obscured by the genoa on some point of sail ?Boo2

In front of it. Either as a combined lantern on the very front of the pulpit, or separate lights on each side of (slightly less likely to get bashed or hooked). Or more traditionally, on the shrouds, but I suppose some big genoas come too far aft for that to work.
Pete

A bicolour on the extreme front of the pulpit or separate P & S lights fitted either side of the pulpit are fitted to production yachts anyway, even when a masthead tricolour is also fitted, because they are needed when motoring. If using LEDs separate red & green LEDs can be fitted to the separate lamps giving rise to no problems at all, or a warm white LED can be fitted to a bicolour giving acceptable results. The slight overlap between R & G using a LED is not a serious danger in my opinion. You can often see both R and G through an arc of a few degrees when bows-on to a boat with traditional separate nav' lights either side of a wheelhouse or whatever.

 

[PeterR]

My boat was supplied with LED Nav lights mounted on the sides of the pulpit but these are completely useless for sailing because as soon as the genoa is eased it blankets the leeward light and the reflection ruins my night vision. A tricolour is the only thing that works for me.

I know fitting a combined light on the front of the pulpit would work but if you have an open ended pulpit that is not an option. Even for those that can do this about a third of them seem to be hanging off at some obscure angle after presumably plowing into something.

I can see that a low level light might be better for ships to see you when inshore in smooth water but out at sea in any weather they will be hidden behind waves for a lot of the time, even from ships, and hidden nearly all the time from other yachts until you are very close.

Personnally I'd rather warn other yachts of my presence and keep myself clear of ships, many of which seem to try and hit me these days even when they can see me.

 

[Boo2]

The pulpit used to the the favoured spot.

In front of it. Either as a combined lantern on the very front of the pulpit, or separate lights on each side of (slightly less likely to get bashed or hooked).

A bicolour on the extreme front of the pulpit or separate P & S lights fitted either side of the pulpit are fitted to production yachts anyway, even when a masthead tricolour is also fitted, because they are needed when motoring.

Interesting, I've got a bicolour on the pulpit but hadn't thought of putting seperates there. Makes sense on a sailing boat.

Or more traditionally, on the shrouds, but I suppose some big genoas come too far aft for that to work.

Yep, that was the issue that occurred to me. Close hauled, the genoa on my boat comes right back to the hatch, any light on the shrouds would be completely obscured.

Boo2

 

[awol]

If using LEDs separate red & green LEDs can be fitted to the separate lamps giving rise to no problems at all, or a warm white LED can be fitted to a bicolour giving acceptable results. The slight overlap between R & G using a LED is not a serious danger in my opinion. You can often see both R and G through an arc of a few degrees when bows-on to a boat with traditional separate nav' lights either side of a wheelhouse or whatever.

The IRPCS wastes several pages on defining colours and angles of visibility. Seems a shame when all they needed to do was ask for your opinion on what is acceptable. But then why bother to adhere to the rules, no-one will check or drag you through the courts.

 

[halcyon]

My boat was supplied with LED Nav lights mounted on the sides of the pulpit but these are completely useless for sailing because as soon as the genoa is eased it blankets the leeward light and the reflection ruins my night vision. A tricolour is the only thing that works for me.

I can see that a low level light might be better for ships to see you when inshore in smooth water but out at sea in any weather they will be hidden behind waves for a lot of the time, even from ships, and hidden nearly all the time from other yachts until you are very close.

Personnally I'd rather warn other yachts of my presence and keep myself clear of ships, many of which seem to try and hit me these days even when they can see me.

It was once pointed out that a tri-light on a yacht close to the observer, looks the same as a low level light on the horizon.

How does the watch know you are a yacht close to them with a light high up ? may be why all the ships are trying to hit you.


Brian

 

[JimC]

The IRPCS wastes several pages on defining colours and angles of visibility. Seems a shame when all they needed to do was ask for your opinion on what is acceptable. But then why bother to adhere to the rules, no-one will check or drag you through the courts.

By all means disagree with me because, like anyone else, I may be wrong. It does seem a shame though to resort to the lowest form of wit.

 

[awol]

By all means disagree with me because, like anyone else, I may be wrong. It does seem a shame though to resort to the lowest form of wit.

The following must be true - it comes from the Daily Mail!

"It might be the lowest form of wit, but it turns out that sarcasm is a great motivator.
Employees who have to put up with a sarcastic colleague or boss are more creative than those who don’t, a study has found.
An earful of snarky barbs every day makes you work harder and smarter than if your office was a more caring environment.
The researchers said that being exposed to sarcasm required more ‘cognitive complexity’, or the ability to see things from more than one angle."