Daytime anchor ball

[rebel heart]

My $0.02:

With all the things you have to worry about when anchoring, setting two plastic plates on a spreader doesn't seem like a monumental task.

Will it stop any vessel from hitting you? Of course not. Does everyone even know what it means? Nope. Is it a sure bet that in an investigation the anchor ball will make you regain damages to your boat? Maybe, maybe not.

But if I can do something that takes under one minute that improves safety, I'm all for it.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

My $0.02:

With all the things you have to worry about when anchoring, setting two plastic plates on a spreader doesn't seem like a monumental task.

Will it stop any vessel from hitting you? Of course not. Does everyone even know what it means? Nope. Is it a sure bet that in an investigation the anchor ball will make you regain damages to your boat? Maybe, maybe not.

But if I can do something that takes under one minute that improves safety, I'm all for it.

As long as it's not an M.T.D.S


Welcome to the fun rebel heart

Dave

[yotphix]

Actually, we should all go purchase 3 balls. IIRC we are meant to display these when we are aground. Also, a davis radar reflector is not big enough at 11.5"dia. or so. The required size is .6m or about 23.5" I think. I raise a ball when anchored because I have one and it isn't hard to do. Can't say that somebody not raising one has ever endangered my life though. I try not to hit other boats, anchored or not. I did get lambasted by the captain of a charter boat once when I was in the process of trying to get my hook stuck in a weedy bottom with a strong current once and he saw my running lights still on and thought I would move out of his way (He was passing through a designated anchorage) I suppose that I should have killed the running lights and hit the anchor light the moment I threw the hook but I was a little busy!

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by yotphix

Actually, we should all go purchase 3 balls. IIRC we are meant to display these when we are aground. Also, a davis radar reflector is not big enough at 11.5"dia. or so. The required size is .6m or about 23.5" I think. I raise a ball when anchored because I have one and it isn't hard to do. Can't say that somebody not raising one has ever endangered my life though. I try not to hit other boats, anchored or not. I did get lambasted by the captain of a charter boat once when I was in the process of trying to get my hook stuck in a weedy bottom with a strong current once and he saw my running lights still on and thought I would move out of his way (He was passing through a designated anchorage) I suppose that I should have killed the running lights and hit the anchor light the moment I threw the hook but I was a little busy!

I think the only thing more common in sailing than seawater is unsolicited advice. If I had a dime for every "captain" who felt the need to share his opinion with me, I could probably buy a battleship w/crew.

I had a guy yell at me one time, from a powerboat, that he had the right of way (I was under sail; no aux) because he was over taking me.

[yotphix]

Yep that sure was a good bit of info he gave you. Did you call the people who wrote the colregs to tell them they had it wrong?