Steaming light position on mast

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mikecontessa26

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Spurred on by reading the other thread re-nav lights i understand when the various lights should be on but i'm not clear on the rules of positioning.

If for example I had a seperate stern and steam white light mounted on the mast as well as an all round anchor light at the highest point on the mast head, where should the steam (fore) and stern (aft) white lights be positioned vertically on the mast?
Thanks
 
above the port, stab and stern lights, stern light does not need to be higher than port and stb lights. Anchor light does not need to be at the masthead. Nor does the steaming and stern lights
 
but as the anchor needs to be an all round light sureley the mast head is the best place for it? I'm looking at a combined nav and anchor light unit at the mast head with seperate stern and steam lights. Therefore the steam light can't be higher than the masthead nav lights, is this ok?
 
[ QUOTE ]
is my little 14' speedboat (40kts) ok with just 1 allround white

[/ QUOTE ] No not according to Rule 23 d of the Regulations because 40 knots is more than the limit of 7 knots. You need side lights (or a bicolour) as well as the all round white.
 
That's a tricolour light for use on its own when sailing (combined with an anchor light).

Under power you need sidelights (or a bicolour) at deck level and a stern light and a masthead light (aka steaming light). The latter must be at the prescribed height or more above the sidelights. You can combine the stern light and steaming light into a single all round white light.

Read the regs again in conjunction with my diagrams that you'll get by clicking this thumbnail

<span style="color:white"> ............................ </span>
 
ahhhh thanks, so the sidelights are the low level nav lights on the pullpit. that makes sense.

Thanks, i assumed the sidelights were the masthead red/green lights.
 
Under 7m and under 7knts you can combine steaming and stern light into an all round white. Otherwise they have to be separate.
Under sail you can combine port, starboard and stern lights into a masthead tricolour.
Anchor light is an all round white, so needs to be masthead or in the fore or aft triangles.
 
[ QUOTE ]
So you never ........

[/ QUOTE ] That's correct Tricolour OR deck level lights. The combinations in my diagram are the only legal combinations.

(Except, before some pedant points it out again, vessels under 7m may display just a single all round white, but should use the lights in the diagram if possible.

In fact mine are switched so that I can only use the tri or the deck level lights. Switching of the steaming light is such that it can only be used if the deck level side lights are on.
 
To quote rule 23 of the regs exactly

(d) (i) A power-driven vessel of less than 12 metres in length may in lieu of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule exhibit an all-round white light and sidelights;
(ii) a power-driven vessel of less than 7 metres in length whose maximum speed does not exceed 7 knots may in lieu of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule exhibit an all-round white light and shall, if practicable, also exhibit sidelights;

Elsewhere in the regs you will find the dispensation to combine the sidelights into a single lantern
 
I have been wondering why so many masthead sloop yachts (including mine) have the steaming light 2/3 the way up the mast since this precludes motorsailing with the foresail set? Moving the steaming light to the top of the mast is on my list of jobs to be done at some time when I get round to it.

On a rather different subject I noticed several of the large Navy ribs from Jupiter Point have a full set of nav. and steaming lights on a stub mast at the stern such that when under power the port and starboard lights are obscured by their raised bow for vessels dead ahead!
 
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