Steaming with a tricolour, right or wrong?

[Sinbad2222]

I thought that if a yacht is under power at night she should show a white steaming light and red/green lights showing port/starboard forward and an aft facing white light. The red/white light could be combined as one lamp at the bow. But a tricolour at the top of the mast should never be used when steaming.
However I note that some new Beneteaus are offered only with a tricolour option and a friend with a newish Najad 34 has only a tricolour fitted at the factory.
Have the regulations changed? or do these big manufacturers think that owners never motor their yachts at night?

 

[john_morris_uk]

No the regulations haven't changed.

Interesting as Bav's used to only be fitted with bicolour, steaming light, and stern light. Part of the economy of the model...

I find it hard to believe that a boat can meet CE regulations etc without being able to show correct lights. Don't know what is going on.

 

[Birdseye]

This is not new - my Prout cat supplied in 1987 was like that. But then most new boats are supplied without the radar reflector now legally required .

Its as if the car manufacturers supplied cars that didnt comply with the construction and use regs - but then you are more likely to come across Dibble in your car than you are on the sea. So maybe the colregs dont really matter?


P.S. The argument against using tricolour ans steaming light together is that you could be mistaken foir a fishing boat. OK, but you would still be seen.

 

[john_morris_uk]

[ QUOTE ]
P.S. The argument against using tricolour ans steaming light together is that you could be mistaken foir a fishing boat. OK, but you would still be seen.



[/ QUOTE ] I think an even stronger argument is that you look like a prat who doesn't know the col regs.

 

[Topcat47]

Since when has a radar reflector been a legal requirement?

 

[brianrunyard]

"Regulation V/19 requires all small craft to fit a radar reflector ‘if practicable’."

The get out clause is "if practable".

 

[Elissaar]

The small Najads (if it was newish maybe its a 332 or 331) has a tricolour for sailing and single bicolour mounted on the mast below the first shrouds for motoring. There is also a steaming light. Najad fitted this set-up to improve visibility as well as reducing the number of bulbs required. The lights used when motoring do meet the col regs although this is an unusual set-up with the bicolour steaming light being so far above the deck rather than at the bows. I have spoken to Najad about this (I have a Najad 331 by the way) and they said that this arrangement also conforms to CE mark regulations too. They also enquired with a local shipping line I gather and most of the captains preferred the arrangement on a small yacht since visibility was much improved. I queried this arrangement when i first acquired the boat. Even the most recent Najad 332s have this arrangement, I guess its one of the Swedes quirks. Incidently, the bigger yachts have 'conventional' arrangements.

Simon

 

[Sinbad2222]

Thanks for that. Interesting. I think my friend's Najad must be a bit older. (I wonder if Beneteau use the same sytem?) - I presume the required aft white light is fitted as a conventional nav light at the stern?

 

[Topcat47]

Wouldn't the bi-colour be obscured by the headsail, at least when motorsailing? I reckon my rolled up genoa might obscure it on some points. Just a thought....

 

[jimbaerselman]

Which is why most sail vessels mount them on the pulpit. If you've a bow sprit whose mounted jib hides it, it's not legal tender . . . see quote from colregs . . . 'unbroken' . . . fit a light each side instead. [ QUOTE ]
(b) "Sidelights" means a green light on the starboard side and a red light on the port side each showing an unbroken light over an arc of horizon of 112.5 degrees and so fixed as to show the light from right ahead to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam on the respective side. In a vessel of less than 20 meters in length the sidelights may be combined in one lantern carried on the fore and aft centerline of the vessel.

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[Topcat47]

'swot I thort.....................

 

[Malcb]

[ QUOTE ]
"Regulation V/19 requires all small craft to fit a radar reflector ‘if practicable’."

The get out clause is "if practable".

[/ QUOTE ]

Think you'll find that in SOLAS Chapter V Annex 19
'If practicable, craft of 150 gross tonnage or below shall be provided with a radar reflector, or other means, to assist detection by ships navigating by radar at both 9 and 3 GHz.'

Not Colregs

 

[Stevie_T]

[ QUOTE ]
"Regulation V/19 requires all small craft to fit a radar reflector ‘if practicable’."

The get out clause is "if practable".

[/ QUOTE ]

However, if there was an incident that went to court you would have a hard job proving that it was not practicable on anything much more than a small tender.

 

[bobgoode]

I was just thinking don't get me started...but too late. Ok so when I picked up Miss Grace I never thought to check the lights then...bam, only got pt/stbd and stern and anchor lights. No steaming light. Found a Lalizas at the boat show for 12 quid...bargain of the show....and fitted it. I too can not understand the idiotic paper pushers who never figured out the need for correct lights but worry whether my boat will survive 8m seas but is not safe in 8.00001m seas. When I asked at sea ventures I was told it's to do with the fact that the French sail rather than motor . G*D and to think we won Trafalgar...

 

[bobgoode]

Wow, I do feel at lot calmer having got that one off my chest.

 

[gandy]

Sidelights plus all round white would comply for motoring. Maybe that's what they had in mind, using the anchor light, assuming you could switch that combination on without lighting the stern light.

 

[jb2006]

I noted that the article in PBO (?) recently on sailing at night regarded the pulpit bicolour as the best option in close quarters because it gives the best impression of distance and is less likely to get lost in shore clutter when view from eg a ship's bridge. Obviously if your eye line is low this may not be the case.

 

[Topcat47]

I had a long debate with my regular crew last season, about wiring lamps. In the end, we decided NOT to wire the steaming light switch in line with the Decklights, in case we developed a problem with them and had to use the tricolour instead whle steaming.

That said, I'm not at all sure that if we switched on the tri-white anchor light instead of the steaming light, it might be OK.

Belay that, the all round white is below the tricolour on my masthead unit.

 

[nigelhudson]

Check out the Colregs for sailing vessels under 12m. The use of a tricolour and a masthead anchor light in combination when under power is allowed. So the issues of potential non-compliance raised above only applies to vessels >12m where the traditional light configuration is mandatory.

 

[Skyva_2]

Most combined masthead lights have the tricolor above the all round white.

Is this still allowed for yachts < 12m under power? I can't find the reference.