Navigation lights

Avocet · 21 Nov 2003

I have a sailing boat less than 12m long. It has an all-round white light at the masthead on top of a tricolour. When motoring, can I just use the tricolour and the all-round white at the same time or do I need separate lights? If it's the latter, can I use a combined pair of red and green sidelights on the pulpit and the all-round white on the masthead or do I need a separate stern light too?

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Evadne · 21 Nov 2003

According to my copy of Big Mac, under 12m you can use a bicolour and a masthead (combined masthead and sternlight, rule 25). This assumes the bicolour is pulpit mounted:
"A tricolour light should not be switched on at the same time as the sidelights and must not be used under power."

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Talbot · 21 Nov 2003

This must be a wind up - your bio says you have had the boat for 7 years, yet you dont know what lights to use??????

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john_morris_uk · 22 Nov 2003

If you check the rules, you will see that there is a minimum distance (vertical separation) between the port/starboard/stern light and the steaming light. Also, the anchor light will give an all round white and so from astern you would have white over white (albeit very close together and effectively one light) for the stern segment.

Would the short answer - no. be any easier...

Happy days,

John

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Avocet · 22 Nov 2003

...Incredible but true, Talbot!

Seven years of blissfull DAY sailing. With a young family. night passages are not really on the menu. Our first foray at night was (more like late dusk really) to see some fireworks and I used the tricolour. As we got back towards the harbour I started to wonder about some different lights once I'd started the engine and that's how this post came about! When you buy a boat that several other people have used for over 30 years you sort of assume that at least ONE of them might have sorted the lights out so I never bothered checking...

...until now.

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sailorman · 22 Nov 2003

y do u blame your lack of knowlege / experence on your "previous" owners.
when u "cast-off" u are responceable.
look in any almanac it will show all combinations of lights. the all round mast hd white is of little use to a vessel of 12M.
the correct lights for a vessel 7+
single or Bi side lights + steaming light not less than 1 M above side lts (its arc 22.5 deg either side of c/line) + stern light.
@ anchor an all round white in the "fore triangle" + black ball hoisted. not all round white @ mast hd.

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sailorman · 22 Nov 2003

should have stated 22.5 deg ABAFT THE BEAM

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Avocet · 22 Nov 2003

Well, I did just that (looked in any almanac) I guess the Macmillan is good enough for you?

Remember my boat is LESS than 12m (quite a bit less as it happens). Anyway, it would appear that a bi-light on the pulpit (as I suggested in my first post) and an all round white is perfectly acceptable (as has been suggested by some of the more helpful posts on this thread). What have you got against all-round whites?

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petery · 23 Nov 2003

I recall that the RYA notes to their collision regs booklet confirms what you say about the use of an all round white at the masthead as a combined steaming / stern light along with a bicolour at 'deck level'.

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petery · 23 Nov 2003

Wrong...

I'm a little confused - if the all round white at the masthead cannot even be used as an anchor light - why do most manufacturers of tricolour lights produce versions with an all-round white - to scare the seagulls?

I think you will find that Rule 30 para b of the colregs for vessels under 50m just require an all-round white in a position where 'it can best be seen' as an anchor light - and where better than at the masthead?

Larger vessels will show two all round lights - one in the forepart (fore triangle?) and the other at the stern

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sailorman · 23 Nov 2003

to high & not in line of sight in.
but we`ve been here before hav`nt we.
its proberbly the ones that use mast hd white all round motor with fenders deployed, just a thought.

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Avocet · 23 Nov 2003

OK, I can understand that argument - although it might be worth mentioning that my masthead is barely 30' above the water and my pulpit is only just about 3' above it so it's very easy to loose me in amongst the waves.

You've lost me on the fender issue though! Is it that they're bright enough to make people think they're white lights? If so, mine are plenty grubby enough not to worry about!

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sailorman · 23 Nov 2003

No just sloppy skippering

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sailorman · 23 Nov 2003

No just sloppy skippering.
if there that dirty perhaps u suould ask the forum how to clean them

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Avocet · 23 Nov 2003

...well I would but I don't know how much more helpul advice I can take!

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steffen · 24 Nov 2003

Irritation

I sometimes wonder why people on this forum react with irritated and somewhat aggressive answers to a perfectly normal question.
In my book a lack of knowledge can never be held against somebody especially when they bother to ask questions
and seek to expand knowledge.

Happy sailing, Steffen

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charles_reed · 25 Nov 2003

Your mast-top all-round white is intended to be used as riding or anchor light.
It's of doubtful value, because yachties who can't see you at anchor, usually can't raise their eyes sufficiently to see a light at the top of a mast.

They are quite frequently used by French yachties instead of a steaming light, but such use is in direct contravention of ColRegs.

Your low-level navigation lights would be a very sensible addition to the masthead tricolour - they're very much more easily percieved by other vessels under inshore conditions that the masthead all-round.
You would be advised to have a bicolour (red/green) up front, a seperate white stern light and, mounted on the mast, a steaming light.

Talk to a professional merchant officer and you'll have a good idea of the problems presented to them by know-all yachties and their attempts at after-dark navigation in crowded shipping lanes.

Good luck and happy sailing.

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Gunfleet · 25 Nov 2003

buy flat blue fenders like me and forget the cleaning

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vyv_cox · 25 Nov 2003

< Talk to a professional merchant officer >

One who discussed this subject on these boards not more than a few months ago stated that his preference would be for all yachts to have only a bright, white, masthead light. Relative speeds of a ship and yacht are such that it is of no interest to him which way they are going - he only wants to know that they are there.

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webcraft · 25 Nov 2003

The all-round white light at the masthead is so you can find the boat on the way home from the pub . . .

It could theoretically be used with pulpit sidelights, but most boats have the stern light wired in with the sidelights, so you would in this case be showing two white lights to the rear, which would be confusing.

Most yachts have a steaming light below the tricolour, often separately switched.

BTW, anyone who would like to is welcome to test the (still embryonic) new lights quiz <font size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.bluemoment.com>http://www.bluemoment.com</font size=1>

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