OK, let's start again - Lights v Rockets

[NigeCh]

OK, let\'s start again - Lights v Rockets

I didn't even mention rockets. What I wanted to know was what do 2 green lights on the port side mean? ... and what do two reds over two faint whites over two reds mean?

You're all ducking the issues here - Is it that you are like me and don't know the answers? Perhaps I should email this to consultant navinchief Tom Cunliffe (together with the lee bowing question) and see what the grand master makes of the questions?

I'm a learner. I know just a little about nothing and by nothing I mean nothing either full or by the head ( and thats why the scatling poops over the dhow mashribia :0)

 

[johndf]

Re: OK, let\'s start again - Lights v Rockets

Surely you mean both full and by (the head), not either full or by the head?

 

[NigeCh]

An excerpt from a little well song ....

It took Carter the £$%^&* to start 'er ... I know nothing about either ellipsis or parenthesis either, all I ask is for a (tall) ship and a star to steer her by - Yes Masefield was right, 'Full and By' only applies to square riggers .... and I still don't know of any boat that is allowed to have green lights on the wrong side!

 

[Chris_Stannard]

Re: OK, let\'s start again - Lights v Rockets

Sorry,

The red, white, red combination of lights means that he has restricted manouvring cabaility and therefore you have to give way. It is usual to only have it up on one side but I guess he is making sure it can be seen. The lights should all be of equal strength, so the whites should not be dim. By day the lights would be replaced by a red ball over a white diamond and a second red ball.

The green lights indicate that it was clear to pass on his port side. I guess if you had been on his starboard side you might well have seen two reds to indicate that you should not approach that side.

I would suggest that you get ' Small Boat Guide to the Rule of the Road' by John Mellor and published by Fernhurst Books. It is a very clear and concise publication and gives you all you need to know. But you have to learn it befoire you need it if you are to sail safely, there was a recent case of a yacht being sunk by going between a tug and its tow posssibly because the skipper did not understand what the tugs lights meant.

Chris Stannard

 

[Guest]

Anchor balls!

Nige,

Surely the lights on so many ships are about as much use as their anchor balls - in other words, what's the use of a 400' ship showing a puny little round ball to indicate she's anchored. Not like anyone can really see it from any useful distance.

I frequently find the nav lights of ships obscured by their deck lights, cabin lights etc. even when they're underway. Makes me as nervous as hell, but then I'm not reluctant to call them if I'm in doubt AND feel in potential danger.

Humperdinck

Email: HJ@Seacracker.org
Website: www.seacracker.org

 

[peterb]

Re: OK, let\'s start again - Lights v Rockets

Nige

Are you a CA member? The Winter issue of their magazine Cruising had an extended version of that Colregs quiz. You might be interested.

 

[NigeCh]

CA

Peter,

I'd love to be a memer of CA, but I can't afford the £84 approx annual membership fee. I sail on a shoe string where very penny has to count. If I had a few more pennies then my membership wish list would be RNLI Offshore and CA. I suppose if I stopped gadding about all over the world sailing on other peoples boats then I could afford to take up both the above memberships.

I'm intrigued by your CA Winter Issue IRPCS quizz - I've got your Colregs flowchart which is bound into Birgitta's Safety Manual - It's very useful and is used often,

Cheers,

Nige

 

[NigeCh]

Red-blank-red ...

Red over red is NUC. IRPCS says that all 'all round' lights should be visible for 2 miles. At night, with respect, the appropriate lights should be visible and not obscured or blanked out by other conflicting lights. Also the invisible lights were not in accord with the lumens required for safe passage and understanding by passing boats.

Regarding tugs, can you tell me how Rule 35(e) works in restricted visibility when the last boat in the tow is not manned?

Cheers,

Nige

 

[NigeCh]

Of shoes and ships ...

and sealing wax,

Of cabbages and Kings ....

Humperdinck,

I don't have either an anchor ball or an inverted cone - and I'm wrong in not having them nor displaying them when I should display them. I don't fly the red ensign either - and that's wrong because my boat is SSR Part 3 registered. When I see one of Her Majesty's Warships I loose a catapult with rotten eggs ... and that's wrong too ....

Last week I was on the east coast and what was most noticable was, by day, that boats motoring wore an inverted cone; boats at anchor wore a black ball and that at night oil lamps were hoisted when sailboats were anchored in rivers or just off fairways.

I sail all over the place, but the only place that I've found where IRPCS is observed is the east coast - The south coast is a total disaster and the west coast not much better. There must be a reason, but the only thing I can think of is that there are more wooden boats manned by proper sailors on the east coast than anywhere else.

Nige

 

[Guest]

Re: Of shoes and ships ...

....and why the sea is boiling hot

and whether pigs have wings...


You're not wrong in loosing your catapult unless you miss. Also you're probably not wrong about the east coast. I suspect that sailing on the south coast, particularly the Solent, is the marine equivalent of driving in London and look how carefully the road traffic acts and highway code are observed there. Complacency is too easy. Familiarity breeds contempt and all that.

"If a job's worth doing...it's worth paying someone to do it for you!"

 

[Chris_Stannard]

Re: Red-blank-red ...

Towing the tug will sound Delta, Long followed by two shorts, as will many other vessels, fishing, sailing etc. The towed vessel would sound Bravo if manned but when not manned, as you suggest, makes no signal.

Answer as always if you hear some big b******d sounding Delta in the fog stay well clear!

Chris Stannard

 

[Mirelle]

Rule 27 (d)

Cable ship, working cable, not making way, no obstruction on port side. OK?

 

[homa]

Re: OK, let\'s start again - Lights v Rockets

Just to clarify...
The lights you saw were as mentioned in earlier replies,
that is 2 vertical greens..safe passing on the (port) side indicated
2 reds over 2 whites over 2 reds... red over white over red, a vessel restricted in its ability to manouevre. almost certainly a dredger with safe passing on the port side.
the reason for the double set of lights is that they were probably mounted on a large mast. and one light would not be seen 360 deg. so they put 2 lights at the same level, one each side of the mast. from a distance the 2 lights look as one.
You must have been pretty close to see all 6 lights !!