Proper anchoring lights please!

[john_morris_uk]

We sailed in from France yesterday morning home to Plymouth and as we had done the trip two up and it was 0330 in the morning by the time we arrived we thought we would tuck ourselves into Cawsand to get a few hours kip.

As many know, the best anchoring place is tucked up under the cliff/trees and the place is fairly popular.

As we approached, we couldn't see much, but I ran below and saw that the radar showed that there were half a dozen boats at anchor. Initially we could only see two lights. A glance upwards showed up a couple more who were using their masthead anchor lights (I've no axe to grind here - at least they had them on and I knew to look upwards..!) One boat had NO light and one boat (when we got very close) had two faintly glowing rechargeable garden light things. They were USELESS and barely visible even when up close - and from half a mile away totally invisible.

So - here's another plea for decent anchor lights - masthead or deck level I don't much mind - except that the best light was the nice bright one hanging in the bow of a 30 footer.

We hang an storm type oil light up when we anchor at night, and I suppose I ought to take a trip in the dinghy and check how bright it is!

PS We then had a quick curry and rice out of a tin at 0400 went to sleep trying to work out if we had just eaten an early breakfast or a late second supper.

 

[snowleopard]

I was anchored in Cawsand Saturday night, along with a dozen or so others. At least half were unlit. But then there are lots of moorings scattered around the bay and boats on them are always unlit.

 

[oldvarnish]

I was anchored in Cawsand Saturday night, along with a dozen or so others. At least half were unlit. But then there are lots of moorings scattered around the bay and boats on them are always unlit.

That raises an interesting point. Imagine you have never been to Cawsand before at night. You do not know there are any moorings, and the chart doesn't plot the positions of any.
From your point of view, is there any difference between a boat on its mooring without a light, which is acceptable to most of us, and a boat at anchor without a light, which is unacceptable to most of us?

 

[[2574]]

From your point of view, is there any difference between a boat on its mooring without a light, which is acceptable to most of us, and a boat at anchor without a light, which is unacceptable to most of us?

for that reason we always show an anchor light when on a buoy which seems as though it needs one. An example is the first buoy in the river yealm when approaching from seaward.

 

[Poignard]

for that reason we always show an anchor light when on a buoy which seems as though it needs one. An example is the first buoy in the river yealm when approaching from seaward.

I sometimes show a light if I am sleeping on board on a mooring which seems to be in a vulnerable position. It's bad enough to have your boat sunk when you are not there but if you are tucked up in your sleeping bag and she sinks . . .

 

[doug748]

Cawsand is rather unusual in that you regularly find anchored boats half a mile from the head of the bay where the moorings are, they also tend to be spread over a huge area when conditions are settled.
My night vision is shot. I find a low light helps me to judge if there is a boat there at all, if it is a little boat very near, or a big boat far away (to borrow a thought from Father Ted).

 

[RupertW]

I'm a garden light fan

I choose a couple of garden lights over a high anchor light anytime. Nobody can hit me when they're half a mile away and I want any incomers looking at head height not looking up at masthead lights.

Takes no power and switch on and off automatically. The only time I'd consider battery power is if I was in some kind of channel or anywhere where boats might come in after midnight - that doesn't really happen where I sail.

 

[Chris_Robb]

I choose a couple of garden lights over a high anchor light anytime. Nobody can hit me when they're half a mile away and I want any incomers looking at head height not looking up at masthead lights.

Takes no power and switch on and off automatically. The only time I'd consider battery power is if I was in some kind of channel or anywhere where boats might come in after midnight - that doesn't really happen where I sail.

I have seen a variety of lights used in Greece from mast head strobe lights - highly annoying as the light is so intense, to quick flashers which look like the needles fairway buoy. And then the garden lights..... Almost universally these are so week, and if you get up at 3 in the morning for a pee, most of those have run out of battery, so they are not only useless but totally illegal.

I agree that a lower light is better than a mast head light, but they generally need rigging every night, where as an LED mast head light is so convenient and cheap to run (0.1 volt) it doesn't even matter if you fail to turn it off during the day.

 

[[2574]]

Navy boat hit on a mooring close to Drake's island

See here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-14665415

I wonder if she was showing an anchor light?

 

[RupertW]

And then the garden lights..... Almost universally these are so week, and if you get up at 3 in the morning for a pee, most of those have run out of battery, so they are not only useless but totally illegal.

I agree that a lower light is better than a mast head light, but they generally need rigging every night, where as an LED mahead light is so convenient and cheap to run (0.1 volt) it doesn't even matter if you fail to turn it off during the day.

I simply don't see the point in a light that's in completely the wrong place at the top of the mast no matter how simple it is to flick the switch. Of course the weaken well before dawn so wouldn't use them where the is night time traffic as opposed to pre-midnight only.

I also would prefer somebody to be thinking - what the he'll is that just in front of me - rather than hearing a clunk when somebody miscalculates the distance as they attempt to judge my boat's position from a light of unknown size and brightness at an unknown height above them.

 

[Marmalade]

Moorings are (often) marked on a chart - so there's a fighting chance you'll be aware of them. We replaced our masthead lights with LEDs while it was down last winter so we can run an anchor light without major drain on the batteries.

I've always wondered what my insurers would say if I was struck whilst unlit???

 

[sailorman]

See here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-14665415

I wonder if she was showing an anchor light?

so the government are spending £46M a month in Iraq & cant afford to charter another

 

[Seajet]

The previous owner of Sarie Marais was my YM examiner, and it would be hard to find a nicer or more experienced person ( did virtually every Fastnet for last few decades, etc )

A, I'm ashamed to say I can't remember his name, but hope he is well, he was mentioning he may have to sell her

B, If anyone goofed on SM he'll not be happy; hope she is repaired well and in time - I'm sure this use for her will be to his thorough approval...

 

[john_morris_uk]

I choose a couple of garden lights over a high anchor light anytime. Nobody can hit me when they're half a mile away and I want any incomers looking at head height not looking up at masthead lights.

Takes no power and switch on and off automatically. The only time I'd consider battery power is if I was in some kind of channel or anywhere where boats might come in after midnight - that doesn't really happen where I sail.

My problem is that the 'garden lights' were completely shot by 0300 and whatever their position I couldn't make out what was there from a few metres away let alone half a mile when they were completely invisible. I only knew that they had garden type lights at all when I got really really close and could see their faint glimmer...

 

[john_morris_uk]

The previous owner of Sarie Marais was my YM examiner, and it would be hard to find a nicer or more experienced person ( did virtually every Fastnet for last few decades, etc )

A, I'm ashamed to say I can't remember his name, but hope he is well, he was mentioning he may have to sell her

B, If anyone goofed on SM he'll not be happy; hope she is repaired well and in time - I'm sure this use for her will be to his thorough approval...

I have sailed SM many times - and its used for a lot more than R&R for Marines back from operations. Its used for navigation training and lots of other connected seamanship training.

To the post who said why not charter another one? Where are you going to charter a boat coded for ocean use and fitted out to their standard of safety kit in a hurry?

 

[Poignard]

I simply don't see the point in a light that's in completely the wrong place at the top of the mast no matter how simple it is to flick the switch. Of course the weaken well before dawn so wouldn't use them where the is night time traffic as opposed to pre-midnight only.

I also would prefer somebody to be thinking - what the he'll is that just in front of me - rather than hearing a clunk when somebody miscalculates the distance as they attempt to judge my boat's position from a light of unknown size and brightness at an unknown height above them.

+ 1.

 

[Conachair]

Moorings are (often) marked on a chart -

Worth looking on google earth as well. Every little helps.

 

[GrahamM376]

I choose a couple of garden lights over a high anchor light anytime. Nobody can hit me when they're half a mile away and I want any incomers looking at head height not looking up at masthead lights.

Takes no power and switch on and off automatically. The only time I'd consider battery power is if I was in some kind of channel or anywhere where boats might come in after midnight - that doesn't really happen where I sail.

Illegal, poor light and usually out of charge well before dawn, they're a menace. Mast head lights may not be the easiest to see but they're legal, meaning insurance should pay out if you're hit but, they often won't if you're showing garden lights. In many European countries, hefty fines are levied if not properly lit.

Personally, I use a Bebi LED light (draws around 100ma and has over 2 mile range, auto on/off) low down but, if the policia maritima wanted to get pedantic, any low light doesn't have 360 degree visibility as the mast gets in the way. Also use it on moorings.

 

[TQA]

One of the posts above suggested that it was normal practice NOT to show an 'anchor' light if on a mooring. I can see why people might not do this but surely it can not be good practice.

The purpose of an anchor light is to prevent someone running into your boat, they don'y know if you are at anchor or on a mooring. In many anchorages out here in the Caribbean anchored boats and boats on moorings will be side by side.

Noways a dinky solar panel and battery will run a LED all night. So no excuse for not showing a light.

 

[john_morris_uk]

One of the posts above suggested that it was normal practice NOT to show an 'anchor' light if on a mooring. I can see why people might not do this but surely it can not be good practice.

The purpose of an anchor light is to prevent someone running into your boat, they don'y know if you are at anchor or on a mooring. In many anchorages out here in the Caribbean anchored boats and boats on moorings will be side by side.

Noways a dinky solar panel and battery will run a LED all night. So no excuse for not showing a light.

Its certainly conventional to not show an anchor light from a boat on a mooring.

Regarding your 'dinky solar panel and light combination', the point that I was trying to make was that this very combination that was useless on the boat I nearly hit in the anchorage I was approaching at 0300 the other day. It may be that theirs wasn't working properly, but there are lots of people in these parts who claim that the garden solar lights are the best thing since sliced bread, and my experience a couple of days ago was that this is not always the case.

PS the poorly lit boat must have been concerned at his overnight lighting arrangements as he had put two of the things up. This made it even more confusing as I got closer and closer.