Lantern as anchor light?

[Sailor_Grant]

So yesterday I climbed the mast of my new boat to change the anchor light, and realized there wasn't one installed! I am not going to install one until next season when I unstep the mast, so what can I use for the meantime?

I was thinking about hoisting up a battery-powered lantern or something like that with a halyard. Would this be a suitable replacement for the time being, and is it legal?

[Rucksta]

I hang a (battery operated LED) lantern from the lazy jacks.

- 360 degree white light.
- more visible from the dinghy than a masthead unit.
- easy to service.
- illuminates the deck.

Similar to how it was done before electricity.

[Shrew]

All around white light requires a 2 mile visibility. Do you plan on anchoring or travelling at night between now and the installation?

[Mike OReilly]

I carry a portable LED lantern which I have used as a backup anchor light. I hoist it up to the first spreader using my courtesy flag halyard. Although it claims to be rated for 2 nm visibility, I have my doubts. But it's certainly better than nothing.

BTW, looking at many official anchor lights in action, I bet a lot would fail the 2nm requirement.

[Dsanduril]

Originally Posted by Sailor_Grant

....Would this be a suitable replacement for the time being,...

Lots of boats do this with a wide range of lights. If the light is bright enough and can truly last all night it can be effective.

Originally Posted by Sailor_Grant

.......and is it legal?

The devil is in the details. Both COLREGS and the US Inland Rules have a lot of technical details about what constitutes "white", brightness, and a few other parameters. Most lanterns probably don't meet these requirements. There are a few "approved" 12V portable LED lights on the market for < $40, if you are concerned about legality might be worth investigating.

[StuM]

Lots of discussion about the best location for an anchor light. Many good reasons for it NOT being at the top of the mast.


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 metres 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.



Many will argue that in an anchorage, a light at a much lower level will be seen better than one at the top of a mast by tenders and other vessels at close quarters.

[roverhi]

A lantern would be a good solution for an anchor light as long as you remember or around to turn it on and off. You'll need a bail at the bottom .o attach a line to keep it from swinging. The kerosene anchor lights often had ferules to run other end of the halyard through so it didn't swing around.

Here's one that I've used with photo sensor to turn it on and off. I drape it over the boom and run the power cord down to a convenient power source. https://www.davisinstruments.com/pro...light-utility/

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by StuM

Lots of discussion about the best location for an anchor light. Many good reasons for it NOT being at the top of the mast.


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 metres 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.



Many will argue that in an anchorage, a light at a much lower level will be seen better than one at the top of a mast by tenders and other vessels at close quarters.

“Where it can best be seen” can be taken at least 3 ways:
A. No obstructed sectors
B. Max range, especially underway,
C. Minimal range for low vessels operating nearby

Best approach would be an all around light at masthead plus 24/7 deck lights that couldn’t be mistaken for any other nav light.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Adelie

“Where it can best be seen” can be taken at least 3 ways:
A. No obstructed sectors
B. Max range, especially underway,
C. Minimal range for low vessels operating nearby

Best approach would be an all around light at masthead plus 24/7 deck lights that couldn’t be mistaken for any other nav light.

Not quite what the rules actually say though...

Irpcs
Annex 1, 9 -

(b) All-round lights shall be so located as not to be obscured by masts, top masts or structures within angular sectors of more than 6 degrees, except anchor light prescribed in Rule 30 which need not be placed at an impractical height above the hull.

[ggray]

I have a masthead light to be "legal" but to do a better job, instead I use a lower light hanging on each shroud.

[Benz]

It only matters if you're anchored where anyone cares. When I lived at anchor in Newport Harbor, a light wasn't required, since it's a designated anchorage. If you cruise NY harbor or the Sound, look for designated anchorages on the chart--there's lots of them, and you need not show a light there. So you only need it when anchored, say, off the channel in the ICW, where there might be a CG patrol going by (my LED headlamp hung from the boom gallows was good enough for them). If you anchor where other people don't go, which is my usual plan, you don't need to bother. If you anchor near a mooring field, where none of the moored boats have lights, you can skip it as well.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Benz

It only matters if you're anchored where anyone cares. When I lived at anchor in Newport Harbor, a light wasn't required, since it's a designated anchorage. If you cruise NY harbor or the Sound, look for designated anchorages on the chart--there's lots of them, and you need not show a light there. So you only need it when anchored, say, off the channel in the ICW, where there might be a CG patrol going by (my LED headlamp hung from the boom gallows was good enough for them). If you anchor where other people don't go, which is my usual plan, you don't need to bother. If you anchor near a mooring field, where none of the moored boats have lights, you can skip it as well.

This seems like pretty poor advice. The point of an anchor light is not to avoid a ticket, it's to ensure you're seen at night while anchored.

There are indeed these "Special anchorage areas" where boats under 20 metres are not required to show an anchor light. But why would you not, even in these cases? Heck, even in a mooring field, why would you not want to be seen?

As for not using it in remote places few go, this seems like very poor advice. In fact, this is exactly the place where you want a good anchor light. You can't possibly know you're the only one who knows about this location. If someone else shows up in the pitch dark of night, thinking the same way you do, then you're even more likely to be hit.

With the advent of LED anchor lights there's really no reason or excuse not to be lit up. Some light -- any light -- is better than no light.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Sailor_Grant

I was thinking about hoisting up a battery-powered lantern or something like that with a halyard. Would this be a suitable replacement for the time being, and is it legal?

When I bought my previous boat there was a 1970s vintage anchor light aboard. It was hoistable and ran on a 6v lantern battery. It was made of 1970s plastic and was in poor condition, so I did not keep it.


Aqua Signal makes their series 40 all-around lights in a hoistable configuration, however they are corded. The various battery anchor lights on the market today are not configured to be hoisted.


In waters under U.S. jurisdiction, it is my understanding that anchor lights must be tested by the manufacturer and be marked accordingly. State laws vary.

[Dsanduril]

Originally Posted by Benz

...look for designated anchorages on the chart--there's lots of them, and you need not show a light there....

US Only...

Unless the anchorage designated on the chart carries the notation that it is a "special anchorage" you must show a light. Under 33 CFR § 109.10 vessels under 65' need not show a light when anchored in a special anchorage as designated by the USCG. There are only about 100 harbors with special anchorages in all of the US. Some of them (San Francisco) only have one special anchorage in the whole harbor/district, others (New York) have multiple.

You can find a list of special anchorages in 33 CFR 110 Subpart A or very carefully check your charts to see that the anchorage area carries the designation of "special", most anchorage areas shown on the charts do not.

[Don C L]

I still have my old kerosene and 6v battery powered anchor lights! I use the battery powered one. I put it above the boom from the topping lift (got a loop there for it.) That far back from the mast, I haven't measured it, but I'm pretty sure the mast is nowhere near 6 degrees of obstruction. They are both pretty visible at 2 miles on a clear night. I'm only lukewarm on masthead lights. I don't have one. One good thing about them though is that when you are coming into an anchorage at night, you can see ahead of time, from those mast head lights, how rough it is in the anchorage; they are swinging all over the place.