Question of the stupid type

[nimbusgb]

Prompted by another thread ( NASA supernova LED ) I have a question. With an all round white anchor light mounted on a goalpost already littered with radar and various other appendages and with a 6 inch diameter mast a couple of metres away, or with tricolour masthead light on a mast with VHF antenna, Windex and wind vane and anemometer, how best does one go about ensuring that your lights, particularly your tricolour is actually visible 'all round' ?

Unless the Tri is mounted at the top of the VHF antenna surely there is going to be at least one dead spot. There are no tricolours with a hole ( like a polo mint ) that would allow these other bits to be mounted above the light.

 

[vyv_cox]

I don't find it to be an issue. Although the mast, and maybe any other large diameter objects could theoretically obscure the light, in practice it just doesn't seem to happen. It would need an approaching vessel to hold a perfectly straight course within a very narrow arc of angle for a light not to be seen.

 

[saltwater_gypsy]

What a STUPID question (only joking its actually a good one considering the junk that is at the top of most mastheads))!

Usually the anchor light is the topmost one above the tricolour but I don't think there should be "blind spots"since, at a reasonable distance, the obstruction from a VHF antenna shouldn't be too intrusive.
I think there is a masthead light with a combined windex and VHF out of the top but it shouldn't be required normally.
For larger items like SeaMe and NAVTEX antennas the siting should be lower than the nav lights.
I don't think your anchor light should be on your goal posts anyway as that is inherently limiting its all round visibility.

PS I see that Aquasignal have the anchor light below the tricolour so I'm not entirely correct. The new generation of LED tricolours have a bracket to fit the VHF antenna on top----neat.

 

[johnalison]

I don't have the rules to hand but isn't an anchor-light supposed to be on the fore part of the vessel. I dangle mine in the fore-triangle when I can be bothered, and there is a small blind spot from the furling jib. I think it is very improbable that both a vessel will approach exactly in the line of a blind spot and the anchored vessel not swing a round a bit.

 

[nimbusgb]

Rule 30

Anchored Vessels and Vessels Aground.
“(a) A vessel at anchor shall exhibit where it can best be seen:
(i) in the fore part, an all-round white light or one ball;
(ii) at or near the stern and at a lower level than the light prescribed in
sub-paragraph (i), an all-round white light.
(b) A vessel of less than 50 metres in length may exhibit an all-round white
light where it can best be seen instead of the lights prescribed in paragraph
(a) of this Rule.

So unless Cariad has grown by some 38 metres since I saw her last the all round light on the radar goalposts over the transom should be OK.

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[johnalison]

Thanks you for the information, but a masthead light can sometimes be at a level where it is harder to see, just as a masthead tricolour can be missed by a ship against shore lights.

 

[richardabeattie]

It's not the question which is stupid but perhaps the title of the post could have mentioned its subject?

 

[RestlessL]

When I added a SeaMe at the top of my mast, I raised the tri-colour with a fibre-glass pole to give it all-round visibility.

 

[nimbusgb]

[ QUOTE ]
It's not the question which is stupid but perhaps the title of the post could have mentioned its subject?

[/ QUOTE ]

But then I wouldn't have wasted your time coming in here and reading the thread! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif