Anchor light alternative?

[vizwhiz]

I used a four-pin plug also, but had a tough time finding the right size four-part wire that was round and would seal with the rubber grommet in the housing. Anyone else have this trouble?

[yukonbob]

None of this is a legality issue, unless you're throwing down your anchor in the icw for the night and even then the masthead is completely legal. This is about peace of mind while you're trying to sleep at anchor and not worrying about some idiot slamming into you. But bigger, brighter and lots of lights doesn't always mean better. The wrong combination of lights can be very confusing, for judging distances or what it is you're looking at, and may have the complete opposite affect. As for the original post, as a sailboat with an engine you are required to have your masthead light separate from your bow and stern lights.

[Divecoz]

I disagree Bob .. In spite of those who contend what you say is true, in reality it isn't..
1 Mast light could be anything..It could be a porch lite on shore where there is no porch lite..I turn my LED top of Mast Light on. Is it 10' or 100' Mast?
Who knows? But then I turn on my twin spreader lights and they, now light up 15' of my mast and most of my deck.. I turn on my LED Steaming light and then with my total of 6 LED solar lights, lighting up the profile of my 26' Macgregor Sailor there is No Doubt, that before you sits a sail boat at anchor.. You see the Mast the deck and the profile of my boat..If someone wants to argue that you wouldn't see it in the fog? Well you will surly see me before you see any other private pleasure boat with a single light..and you will know exactly what I am... On a Normal night you can even read my boats name on the side of my boat at better than 200 feet.. In over 40 nights in about 15 anchorages, within a 50 mile radius? The ONLY comments I ever got were very positive.. One morning I meet the fellow who came into a very crowed anchorage and his only comment was.. At Least I knew Exactly where YOU where last night..Am I in violation of the Col Regs? I would have to really read them.. Are They Minimum Requirements? I don't have with the exception of the steaming, mast mounted light , any Navigational lights on. No Reds No Greens.. No Transom light.. Nothing that would signify I am a vessel underway..If this was Big Bucks? I could see the arguments. But That 2 NM LED Mast Light was about $35... Those LED Spreader Lights were less than $25 for the pair.. that LED steaming Light Bulb was IIRC about $15 and those 6 SS Solar LEDS were less than $50.. add another $25 for silicon Yard Light wire and a couple switches and a few hours of work and I have what ? A Lot Of Night Time Safety Factor , all for less than $150.. I will after I move get several Pictures of my boat sitting at anchor in the dark and carry them on board and on my lap top .. If I should ever get hit at night and I survive it , and I end up in court? The person who hit me? I do believe is SCREWED! $$$ Top of mast light goes on with a single switch..I am not looking for some "thing" I have jury rigged into something it isn't.. The Spreaders are cheap LED lights and mounted very close to the mast and are switched .. Of Coarse The Steaming light has its own switch and the Solar lights sit where they sit 90% of the time.. At night shining on the hull and the deck rail and in the daytime collecting power..
There is all but Zero Drain on my 3 batteries. There is No Looking for nothing at night.. I go down in the Cabin and flip switches.. If some feel $100 additional dollars is a deal breaker? So Be It .. Each to his own.. I like to keep my boat Neat and Orderly .. I have seen numerous Mods here on this board that were GREAT... ideas but not well thought through.. I don't want my baby looking like she once belonged to Fred Sanford.. I have held off on a lot of mods until I can figure out how to do a Good Dependable CLEAN looking Install.

None of this is a legality issue, unless you're throwing down your anchor in the icw for the night and even then the masthead is completely legal. This is about peace of mind while you're trying to sleep at anchor and not worrying about some idiot slamming into you. But bigger, brighter and lots of lights doesn't always mean better. The wrong combination of lights can be very confusing, for judging distances or what it is you're looking at, and may have the complete opposite affect. As for the original post, as a sailboat with an engine you are required to have your masthead light separate from your bow and stern lights.

[yukonbob]

And all those lights could look light a small town or harbor at a distance, and someone with no digital charts desperate to get in could go racing for it. When we see red and green lights we don't think oh theres a christmas tree out here with me...we assume (for the most part through regulations) that it is the front of another boat, sail or power...it doesn't matter. No other boat is going to run into your mast at ten feet or a hundred. And if the other guy hits you he may be screwed in court, but a thirty foot plus bayliner or a twenty foot bow rider slamming into you at forty plus mile an hour (drinks not included) you'd be lucky to make it to the hearing. That being said if it helps you sleep at night great. But these regulations are in place for a reason and that is to set a base standard that everyone can knowingly recognize.

[Divecoz]

Bob:
#1. NONE of us anchor Miles from shore.. Not In These boat anyway..
#2. If you where lost.. and you where in the dark or fog ? If You didn't know where the heck you were ? Why Would You Be Racing... ANYWHERE??
#3. I forgot about Bayliner Owners hahah BagLiner owners tehehe.. BUT ..If He Hits me at night doing 40 MPH no matter what else is going on He Is At Fault Almost .... all the time ..
#4, With ALL our members posting in threads about lights at night at anchor .. Not One has Ever said, he has been ticketed or warned about too Many White Lights showing after dark.
#5. With the 100 + Boating magazines available. No One has Ever posted about any one of those referring to someone, somewhere , ever being ticketed or warned about having too many white lights after dark..
I have a question? Are the Col Regs the minimum due to ancient technology and incandescent lamp draw..?

Bob IMHO its not a sense of false security.. Its Visibility.. Face it Bob .. If we are both in a bay or anywhere at anchor and we are miles apart but anchored under similar situations.. You're going to get hit long before and much more frequently than I am.. When we all read about the 100's of pleasure boat accidents every year we never to seldom read about those Court actions taking place in Maritime Courts... They are taken to municipal court rooms .. Each to his own.. But here is an honest scenario:
Bob: Your Honor.. I was LOST I had No Idea Where I was.. My Visibility was Zero.. I was Traveling at 40 MPH.. ( Right there you are SCREWED!)
All .....My Attorney and I can hear at this point is? Ka-Ching Ka-Ching... $$$$ But you continue while the Judge writes down every word you say.. Lost and in the dark and traveling at 40 MPH I see numerous lights and I figure I am close to shore or coming into a Harbor..( humm at 40 MPH!) and in My Opinion Your Honor it was all those white Lights shining on Mr. Divecoz's boat that confused me.. REALLY ? That's Your defence ? I think you are screwed Bob .. No Less Than when you admitted you were lost .. In The Dark and Traveling at 40 MPH ..
If you can reference an actual case where someone on a pleasure boat at anchor was ticketed for having too many lights on after dark ? Show me..

And all those lights could look light a small town or harbor at a distance, and someone with no digital charts desperate to get in could go racing for it. When we see red and green lights we don't think oh theres a christmas tree out her with me...we assume (for the most part through regulations) that it is the front of another boat, sail or power...it doesn't matter. No other boat is going to run into your mast at ten feet or a hundred. And if the other guy hits you he may be screwed in court, but a thirty foot plus bayliner or a twenty foot bow rider slamming into you at forty plus mile an hour (drinks not included) you'd be lucky to make it to the hearing. That being said if it helps you sleep at night great. But these regulations are in place for a reason and that is to set a base standard that everyone can knowingly recognize.

[capncarp]

None of this is a legality issue? You better believe it is Bob. If you anchor outside a designated anchorage anywhere and get hit you can bet your insurance company and Admiralty law are going to eat you up. The colregs are not meant to conform to your piont of rule or what any of us deem as common sense.
capncarp
99

[Russ]

I have a question? Are the Col Regs the minimum due to ancient technology and incandescent lamp draw..?

I think this is it. You have to set minimums and a single white 360 degree light fits that. If adding more lights disqualifies you, then somebody better tell these tankers out there to dim their lights.

I agree with you Rich, if some idiot slams into this ship, blaming the ship's lights is a poor defense. Not to say some trial lawyer won't make the case anyway. The hearing will go as you described. "Yes, your honor, I was drunk and thought all those lights were the shoreline so I punched the throttle." Good idea to have pre-collision photos at home.

There are 2 issues:
1) Legal (having a white 360 degree 2NM light does that)
2) Avoid collision from idiots. The court does nothing for you if you are dead from being harpooned by a fiberglass Bayliner. A case could be made for lights looking like shoreline. The same case could be made that your single white light is washed out by shoreline. My hope is that drunk Mastercraft captain would once he got close, see those spreader lights and illuminated deck and turn at the last minute. Your odds aren't good with 40mph idiot on the water. They are better if you are more visible. More light=more visibility.

Dark (yet faster) blue hulled Macs seem at a night time disadvantage here. Blue hull blends in with the water. That's why I'm a proponent of the solar "make 'er look like a cruise ship" landscape lights on the deck of the Mac. Few Bayliners seem to crash into Cruise ships at anchor.

[RobertB]

Interesting discussion - I think I will stay with the single 360 degree light and the twin 50 cal mount

[Russ]

Interesting discussion - I think I will stay with the single 360 degree light and the twin 50 cal mount

Now THAT's and idea.
Maybe develop an anti-Bayliner version of this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanx_CIWS

[Divecoz]

I agree Russ.. I don't know where the confusion lies , but to say we must only have 1 - 360 degree 2 NM white light at anchor must be a misunderstanding of the Col Regs..
I see / saw Cruise Boats and Freighters all the time during my years on Cozumel .. Both in the 12 mile wide transport channel and on the Atlantic Side.. They all Looked like the boat you showed.. Moving and at Anchor.. ( they were never anchored on the East Side / The Ocean side)
Since the Captain has in the end the final resting spot for guilt and blame and since his job pays 2 to 5 times what mine ever did? I bet those guys are doing a bunch of CYA!! And I Bet Its All legal.. and indisputable in a Court of law..
Gentlemen do as you wish.. But I will in the future continue to debate what I believe to be proven fallacy, that we must ONLY run 1 2NM 360 degree white Light at anchor to be found faultless by Col Reg Lighting Rules.. BTW Its All In The Math.. If That light has ANYTHING that blocks its view from ANY angle its not mathematically speaking.. a 360 degree light.. That includes hanging it by a cord in front of the mast..

[robbarnes1965]

I guess interpretation is everything but I don't thing you will ever be bothered by authorities if you have white light visible in all directions around your Macgregor. Though I am sure they are more strict with the tankers. The point is visibility. I am not going to be scared to turn on my cabin lights for fear I have more than one light showing

While doing 8 day live-aboard ASA cruising courses this winter, I noted that it's not even common practice to have any lights on in a protected anchorage in the keys. I personally am not comfortable with that but it is nice see the stars only.

[Divecoz]

Huummm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internatio ... ons_at_Sea

Part B - Steering and sailing Section I (for any visibility)
6. Safe speed Any vessel must proceed at a safe speed at which she can to take action to avoid collision and be able to stop within a distance suitable to the prevailing conditions. These conditions include the visibility; traffic density; her manoeuvrability (e.g., stopping distance and turning ability); background lights on shore, dazzle and backscatter from her own lights; the state of the wind, sea, current and nearly hazards; and draft in relation to the available water.
Lots of good reading if you so desire..

[RobertB]

OK - so in order to go 40 kph on my Badliner, I need a light array that would make a tuna boat proud

BTW, after staring this thread, I have ordered the Hella Marine NaviLED 360 All Round Lamp for my mast head and a DPDT ON-ON switch to switch the polarity of the power to my mast wiring.

[Russ]

BTW, after staring this thread, I have ordered the Hella Marine NaviLED 360 All Round Lamp for my mast head and a DPDT ON-ON switch to switch the polarity of the power to my mast wiring.

I think you will be very happy with that configuration.

[Tomfoolery]

Let’s clear up a few misconceptions.

For anchoring, the COLREGS require an all-around white light meeting the following (I've scraped out some of the stuff that only applies to large vessels, to save space):

COLREGs

Rule 21 - Definitions

(e) "All-round light" means a light showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 360 degrees.

Rule 22 - Visibility of Lights

The lights prescribed in these Rules shall have an intensity as specified in [Section 8] of Annex I to these [Regulations | Rules] so as to be visible at the following minimum ranges:

(c) In vessels of less than 12 meters in length:
(i) a masthead light, 2 miles;
(ii) a sidelight, 1 miles;
(iii) a towing light, 2 miles;
(iv) a white red, green or yellow all-round light, 2 miles.

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 subparagraph (i), an all-round white light.
(b) A vessel of less than 50 meters 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.
(c) A vessel at anchor may , and a vessel of 100 meters and more in length shall, also use the available working or equivalent lights to illuminate her decks.

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
Section 8, Annex 1

84.17 Horizontal sectors.

(b) All-round lights shall be so located as not to be obscured by masts, topmasts or structures within angular sectors of more than 6 degrees, except anchor lights prescribed in Rule 30, which need not be placed at an impracticable height above the hull, and the all-round white light described in Rule 23(d), which may not be obscured at all.
(c) If it is impracticable to comply with paragraph (b) of this section by exhibiting only one all-round light, two all-round lights shall be used suitably positioned or screened to appear, as far as practicable, as one light at a minimum distance of one nautical mile.

My interpretation has always been that Rule 30 requires, for an anchored vessel less than 50 meters in length, an all-around white light, or two that cover the same 360 degree arc, mounted where it can best be seen, and deck and working lights are allowed (and are definitely required on large vessels). This all-around white light must be of an intensity so as to be visible for 2 nm or greater (vessels under 12 m), which does not say that it actually has to be seen from 2 nm away – just that the intensity has to allow it (within a +/- 5 degree offset from a horizontal plane, which is in the Annex, but I didn’t copy it) in presumably clear weather with no obstructions to visibility, like the curvature of the earth.

The all-around white light has to be all-around, but is permitted to be mounted or supported such that there is no more than a 6 degree arc that is blocked. A 3” wide mast that’s 10 feet away only blocks about 1.5 degrees of arc, and unless it's glass-flat water with zero wind, a hanging light will move around a bit, effectively narrowing the arc even more, if intermittently.

There is no requirement for mounting height (for small boats, using a single light or close-paired set of lights acting as one), nor is there a requirement for permanent mounting. In fact, many cruisers use oil lamps (which have similar intensity requirements). It is VERY common for cruisers to hang the anchor light, oil or electric, from a spar or stay, in order to bring it down to where it can better be seen in close quarters, and/or serviced (in the case of oil lamps).

My last boat had a 56 ft bridge clearance, not counting the antenna and wind instruments, and the mast-top mounted, 2-bulb anchor light (combo masthead and anchor) would not be seen by other boats in close proximity, especially if the skipper is under canvas or roof, and anyone even close to it would be far below the -5 degrees from the horizontal, resulting in a much dimmer appearance. In a protected anchorage, far from shipping lanes, 56 ft in the air is not what I’d call ‘where it can best be seen’. 10 ft off the water is right in the eyeballs of small boat drivers. Since I've only (ever) anchored in small, protected waters, I don't see the need for having the anchor light 5-1/2 stories in the air. On my modest boat, 33 ft or so is still pretty up there - fine for seeing from far away, but useless when the fireworks are over and the powerboats weigh anchor and make the mad dash en masse to the river mouth.

As far as my wooden kludge arrangement, that’s only so I can use the anchor light as a masthead (steaming) light, when the mast is laying down in the crutch and pinned to the bow rail, for operation on the Erie Canal. The factory masthead light is riveted to the mast and aimed at the airplanes, and the cord wouldn’t reach anyway, so this is what I use. There’s a 12V socket at the helm that I plug into. It meets the letter of the COLREGs and CFRs, takes all of 30 seconds to mount, and it’s not permanently mounted to the mast where it would get in the way when sailing. For anyone NOT operating at night with the mast down, it's not relevant, and it has nothing to do with using the anchor light as an anchor light, which also takes all of 30 seconds to implement using a halyard and loop around the backstay.

The OP asked about alternatives to a permanent mast-top anchor light, so what I offered fits the bill as I interpret the COLREGs and CFRs.