What does a continuous quick flash white mean?

DeeGee

DeeGee

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Seen on 50ft yacht on W Coast of France: strobe masthead light, quick flashing white. True, the only cardinal mark was a west, and the quick flash was a bit slower than a cardinal mark, but the flash was still visible 3 miles away! French boat, looked like loadsamoney. Will this catch on? Or am I the last to see this sort of thing?

Apart from misleading, it made our exit from crowded moorings a bit more dodgy by the sheer blinding power of it.
 
Haven seen this a few times... and thought the same thing.
I think it something to do with fast moving craft.
It was on ellen's tri that raised the first questions.
Would love to know a better answer.
 
AFAIK, it's another 'cult' creeping in from our ex-colonial brethren. I've seen strobe lights fitted to the mastheads of quite a few american yachts, the rationale being that you'll definately be seen IF there's anyone on the bridge!
 
Over the last couple of years I have noticed this being recommended in several articles as it is supposed that a white flashing light is more visible at night than normal nav lights.
This has always been in the context of being well offshore such as a transatlantic.
Some have recommended switching it on only when another vessel comes within a range where you think there may be a risk of collision.
I have certainly never seen it recommended for close to shore or in harbour.

Sometimes people pick up ideas from magazines and use them out of context and inappropriately.
I think anything that has the potential to increase confusion at sea as this misuse does is best avoided.
The highspeed vessel should show a quick flashing yellow I think.
 
Not recommended under the IRPCS -

Rule 36 uses the words " to be avoided " - a curious turn of phrase

Does this mean that strobes are illegal ?
 
IMHO they are an extremely selfish addition by the owner and create much confusion. I first encountered this misd channel on a dark windy night (Maiden II on a record breaking run). Its use created much confusion on our boat and really at the spped of the cat avoiding action could'nt be taken anyway!!! Closer to shore it can be confused as a cardinal. Its use should be stamped out!
 
Given the risk of inducing an attack in a previously undiagnosed epileptic crew member I should think that mast head strobe lights are the last thing I'd want a a yacht.

As for high speed craft - I think Lizzie-B is right and it should be a flashing yellow.
 
AFAIK, it's another 'cult' creeping in from our ex-colonial brethren. I've seen strobe lights fitted to the mastheads of quite a few american yachts

I think you are letting your imagination and nationalism run away with you from a position of inexperience /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

Strobes on mastheads of yachts have been around for donkeys years and I have seen them fitted to the yachts of all nations. Aqua Signal which is, of course, European, has been manufacturing them for many, many years also so masthead strobes are not a non European thing.

So is not a cult creeping in - our own yacht, which was built for us in 1996 is fitted with a masthead strobe (masthead strobe/tricolour/all-round light manufactured in Europe) and they were old hat then - we are in neither of the USA or Europe.

Our own reason for fitting one (and the reason commonly given by others) was for the safety reason of assisting identification during SAR in bad visibility (as you may be aware, 406 EPIRB's carry a strobe also, for the same purpose) - and as we have not had to be rescued yet the strobe has never been used.

John
 
Less of an actual danger....

...but still an example of inane oe-upmanship is the increasing use in our bit of the Med. of all round reds on yachts with not so tall masts when at anchor or moored at their home berth. Sadly this is usually accompanied by the all night use of the generator to support not only it but also the profuse display of spreader and deck lighting that inevitably goes with it.

Steve Cronin
 
Re: Less of an actual danger....

I think it could be a good idea. Flashing LED lights were illegal on bikes until last year when the authorities caught up with the reality that flashing LEDs were much safer and more visible than still lights.

Given our vulnerability to larger craft, anything that improves our visibility is a good idea. Just need the legislation to catch up with light technology!
 
Re: Less of an actual danger....

Perhaps it should be a different colour/flash group so not to confuse it with other nav lights ....

I'm sure there is a combination that could be used effectively.
 
A bit strong John!
Agree with your point but the fact is you would never normally use it as a nav light would you? If every yacht had a strobe light on the mast head and had it on in place of the normal masthead light all the time it would be chaotic and you would not be able to see which way everyone was going! It's for emergency use isn't it?
In which case the idiots seen using it under normal sailing conditions are not conforming to regs are they?
 
Re: Less of an actual danger....

The first point is that a continuous flashing white light is reserved for a North Cardinal, and that is how this one looked. Actually, to be accurate, it was isophase.

Second point is the sheer intensity. It was being used instead of an anchor light, and I was leaving crowded moorings on a moonless night, when night vision is pretty de rigeur - this light didnt help.

Having said that, any light which helps safety is to be considered a positive contribution. If it could be included as a distress signal, and the frequency were to be, say, a SLOW flashing light with a distinctive on to off ratio (things dont happen quickly to sailing boats generally), then I would be fitting one myself.

What sort of flash is emitted by the Aqua Signal, how does it compare with a NCM?
 
These lights are totally illegal.
if you wade through the international collision regulations right at the back it tells you exactly what lights you can exhibit at what heights and what candle power, and if you are still awake after that !

Some considerable years back after a nasty tanker incident,one of our ministers, annouced that these vessels carrying dangerous cargoes should have a warning like a black flag, and of course at night they would exhibit a BLACK light. DOH!

When close to big ports there is so much back scatter of shore lights these days, i find it very hard to find any navigational lights, and even found myself navigating using a fork lifts flashing beacon once, the worrying thing being it was moving at the time, even more worrying I made it up a narrow channel
 
Flashing yellow seems to have been adop[ted by French fishermen. Saw a fishing boat mid channel with yellow flashing beacon similar to that used by breakdown trucks.
 
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