NO to Strobe anchor lights (please!)

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by H0BBES

No joke..! I cam across one at anchor and for the next few anchorages I was praying that boat didn't show up..!!

Isn't there a max Lumins for anchor lights..?

Not that I know of but I’d be in favor of amending COLREGS!

[gs41escapade]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Electronic flares are NOT strobe lights. They blink a specific SOS pattern, with defined, roughly equal, on and off periods. Not a strobe.

Both SOS pattern strobes and just on/off pattern strobes are emergency signals (or government aids to navigation). As an electronics design and manufacturer, we added both strobe styles as options to an LED based Nav light system sold by an historic marine products vendor based in Annapolis. But NOT intended for a regular use other than emergency situations.

[colinalleck]

Thank you, I have read your posts and you have clearly identified and defind the problem.

Next how do we fix it?

We all personally visit those boats and try and educate them –
We refer the problem to the authorities and ask them to police it
We suggest that complying navigating lights become a condition of boat registration.
We post a similar articles in all the CRUISING networks and forums we belong to


Or

We do nothing thing

In australia it doesn’t not seem an issue but I intending on advising Australian Maritime Safety Authority it could be an issue with international cruise yachts visiting in greater numbers.


Very interesting post THANKYOU

COLIN

[MikeFergie]

Sailing around Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, east Africa, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Kenya strobes are the norm on anchored boats. From simple skiffs to fishing boats to sailing vessels that’s what you will see and of course fishing nets. We had white strobes on a fishing net off Madeira island that ran for many miles one night.

Either you do what the locals do or don’t cry when someone smashes a hole in your boat at night destroying your boat and your full time cruising life while you sit on the hard in some remote place having poor quality repairs done.

[rwidman]

Well, they are illegal, but we have a generation of people who believe that laws only apply to other people. There is no enforcement so no consequences.

Some people are just born a$$holes.

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by MikeFergie

Sailing around Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, east Africa, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Kenya strobes are the norm on anchored boats. From simple skiffs to fishing boats to sailing vessels that’s what you will see and of course fishing nets. We had white strobes on a fishing net off Madeira island that ran for many miles one night.

Either you do what the locals do or don’t cry when someone smashes a hole in your boat at night destroying your boat and your full time cruising life while you sit on the hard in some remote place having poor quality repairs done.

NAH, it's just being too cheap to buy proper deck lights instead of a dollar store strobe

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by MikeFergie

Sailing around Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, east Africa, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Kenya strobes are the norm on anchored boats. From simple skiffs to fishing boats to sailing vessels that’s what you will see and of course fishing nets. We had white strobes on a fishing net off Madeira island that ran for many miles one night.

Either you do what the locals do or don’t cry when someone smashes a hole in your boat at night destroying your boat and your full time cruising life while you sit on the hard in some remote place having poor quality repairs done.

Now the strobe marked fishing net is a common thing, even in the Med. Nothing against that.



I get your point about how locals handle at anchor lighting in your area and I do understand why you do the same there.
Shame there are no local officers banning that sort of activities, even though I can see that they might not exist or be not funded to do so.



But generally making up ones own solutions regarding nav lights and anchor lights is not very professional.
Lighting up the deck would achieve the same, too, no?

[TPG]

I've not seen the strobe lights but I have seen other types of improvised lights. I don't really have an issue with them but they seem to be on boats that don't have a proper anchor light for some reason.

[thinwater]

A common reason for strobes is that they use less power; they are only on a small bit of time. For marking a fishing net, I get it. For anchor lights, with modern LEDs, on an occupied boat, this argument does not hold.

• It has been argued that a strobe must be more visible than a steady light. In fact, if combined with some deck lighting, I believe just the opposite is true. I've seen both. A single strobe, such as an MOB, gets your attention, because we are programed to notice isolated movment. But a cloud of strobes, like a crowd of moving people, eliminates that benefit. A person standing still can be more obvious and easier to lock-in on.
• Distance is more difficult to gauge with a strobe than with a steady light, and that is probably the most important factor in tight quarters.
• Light at deck level. My understanding, and my experience, is that anchor collisions occur because the light at the top of the mast is above the go-fast boat's line of sight. A boat with any deck lighting is easy to spot.

Illuminating the deck is the solution.

[Amapola]

I agree.

[RogerLloyd]

Some years ago I was sailing solo at night northwards along the Atlantic coast of France. I observed a north cardinal buoy to my north. This was a bit worrying, especially as there were no such buoys marked on my chart. The light was visible for some time as I sailed north, and so must have been a powerful light. I checked for any lighthouses with that characteristic. Nothing. Eventually as I approach my destination harbour, I realised that this light was coming from inside the harbour. The north cardinal buoy was at the masthead of a French boat on a mooring inside the harbour.

[PhilC]

Here in NZ according to the regs a strobe indicates a hovercraft. However the fast ferries all seem to run them. Perhaps I should enquire with maritime NZ, see if they have made a ruling.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by PhilC

Here in NZ according to the regs a strobe indicates a hovercraft. However the fast ferries all seem to run them. Perhaps I should enquire with maritime NZ, see if they have made a ruling.

https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/media/vu5bafi0/part22-maritime-rule.pdf refer to section 2 22.23 (2)

Yellow strobe = wing in ground (aka hovercraft) when operating in non-displacement mode, or high speed vessel operating within enclosed waters operating at or above 25 kts

So the rule applies to any vessel that can operate at or above 25 knots, not just hovercraft.

[fxykty]

According to ColRegs other lights can be displayed at night as long as the light cannot be mistaken for a light specified in the ColRegs, and doesn’t impair the visibility or distinctive character of specified lights, and doesn’t interfere with keeping a proper lookout.

So, a white strobe light at the top of a mast in place of a solid white anchor light does contravene the rules. But, a multi-coloured strobe light hanging just above the deck displayed in addition to a solid white anchor light does not contravene the rules. Our Indonesian red/white/blue anchor strobe is perfectly legal as an ‘other’ light.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by fxykty

https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/media/vu5bafi0/part22-maritime-rule.pdf refer to section 2 22.23 (2)

Yellow strobe = wing in ground (aka hovercraft) when operating in non-displacement mode, or high speed vessel operating within enclosed waters operating at or above 25 kts

So the rule applies to any vessel that can operate at or above 25 knots, not just hovercraft.

Yep, in years gone by when Sydney harbour had hydrofoils they ran yellow strobes. Definitely above 25 knots