Anchor Strobe Lights & Underwater Lights

[slug]

You are implying that the millions is white strobe lite fishing bouys are in distress

One again

Red distress

Yellow special purpose

White marker light

[garychurch]

Stop and think. You do what is necessary and prudent to prevent collision. The rules recognize that they may not prescribe safe and prudent under all circumstances. Small consolation if your boat is hit and your only retort is "I followed the rules to the letter."

Imagine night busy crowded anchorage with unlit dinghies at full throttle rushing through the mooring field. Think the dinghy operator can see a masthead light 65' in the air on an otherwise darkened boat a 100 yards away?

I make sure I turn on deck lights in addition to a mast light if there is concern. Also, I have portable lights that can strobe and be seen 2nm. These can be mounted in addition to turning on the masthead light on bow and stern rails if there is a real collision concern like anchoring immediately outside a narrow channel ](ICW comes to mind). A strobe on the bow or stern is very helpful in identifying your boat at night in a large and crowded anchorage when returning via dinghy at night.

Rules are wonderful things but they don't always insure safety.

[Discovery 15797]

Originally Posted by slug

You are implying that the millions is white strobe lite fishing bouys are in distress

One again

Red distress

Yellow special purpose

White marker light

I am not implying anything. I am merely restating regulations and conventions, and providing you with the specific evidence you requested to prove the existence of white strobe lights used for distress signals.

You don't have to accept anything and can continue to believe what you believe in.

However, your refusal to acknowledge the facts does not negate the authenticity of the overwhelming evidence supporting those facts.

Before continuing..I should state that a flashing white light (commonly used on navigational or fishing gear) is NOT the same as a (typical) strobe light. (Perhaps we should have clarified that fact earlier.)

I agree, there are many places where I have seen low intensity flashing lights on fishing gear. And, in rare instances I have encountered high intensity strobes on fishing gear in some areas of the world. But, given the fact that strobe lights tend to be more expensive...most of the time it is a low intensity dry cell battery flashing white light of some sort.

Navigational aids use white, yellow, green, and red colored flashing lights (not strobe lights).

Many red navigational buoys also have red flashing lights mounted on them....I'm pretty sure those buoys are not in distress.

Also, assuming the candlepower of various light colors (white, yellow, green, red) to be a constant, the color red is the least visible color, making for a very poor choice as a distress color.

But, this discussion is now far from the OPs original question/comment...and I suspect further engagement would be akin to flogging a dead fish.

[Siberian Sea]

I have no opinion of strobe masthead lights for anchoring but...... most marine biologist oppose the underwater vessel lights because these lights attract small baitfish and in turn this attractants larger predators like tarpon. The problem occurs when these larger fish start to change their natural hunting behavior as the learn to prey upon the smaller fish attracted to the lights. I asked said biologists “ isn’t this essentially the same thing as their natural behavior as they are still hunting smaller fish?” But they said NO. These large predators should be ranging out over given territories and there is also the question of local depletion of juvenile resource as they consume abnormal levels of a given fish population created by the artificial circumstances. Now I’m no biologist so I don’t really know, it’s just what I’ve been told and when I think about it I suppose it is entirely possible.

[Navicula]

so last year in the Bahamas I sean a strobe light going on at the top of a mast and i dinghyed over to the boat and asked them about it....he was unaware that the switch was on and turned it off....I thought it was the coolest thing because school bues use them for satey etc....
anyways he was full aware that its not an achore light but he installed itfor the reason in being caught in heavy seas...it adds some visabilty, next time I bring down my mast I will be adding a stobe light for that reason

[dennismenace111]

Actually, I'm kind of impressed with UNDER WATER LED lights that change color with the music on the stereo. A year ago this past Christmas, I was bringing a boat down the ICW from Stuart to Ft. Lauderdale. Ahead of us about a mile or so, was a cruising cat with multi colored underwater lights that changed with the stereo... I must say, one would have to be blind not to see him, even in the light polluted Palm Beach harbor! It was Christmas and everyone was having a good time! It was not a problem for other vessels... It was clear what it was from the 1 or 2 mile distance!

[dennismenace111]

Valid point!

[Jim Cate]

It was not a problem for other vessels... It was clear what it was from the 1 or 2 mile distance!

Apparently you could hear the music at that distance (otherwise, how could you tell that the color changes were related to it?). That would have been an issue for all the other boats in the anchorage... loud music is a terrible imposition on neighbors, worthy of "boring holes three" or other retribution.

Jim

[dennismenace111]

I caught up to him when he turned off to a marina.

Living in South Florida, it's not unusual to see cars, boats, swimming pools, and night clubs with coordinated light show.

[Jim Cate]

Thank dog that I'm in Tasmania...

But thanks to you for clarifying the story... not quite so offensive if underway, out on the water.

Jim

[wannacat]

We love leaving the blue LED lights on that are under the stern arch of our Cat when we're anchored in remote areas but not in crowded anchorages. You'll be amazed at the sea creatures that come in and hang underneath that we can observe! Most memorable at the moment is the dozen or so squid that kept playing last year while we were anchored off Bullocks Harbour in The Berry's!!! It was way cool, you guys are really missing out by not having them. Besides the drunken locals racing around anywhere in the Bahamas at night are more likely to see you than a single light 55 ft or so in the air! It's a safety issue for me!

[Tortuga's Lie]

I have a strobe on my masthead light and I often thought that it would be a very valuable safety device in thick fog as the strobe effect will penetrate the fog alerting the other vessels that something is out there whereas a constant light would not be effective. Thoughts?
Of course, you would still be required to sound a bell every two minutes.

[Flod]

Couple of years ago we had an accident in my area where a anchored sailboat had anchor masthead light on but nothing else. A smaller fast motor boat came around the small Island and didn’t see the sailboat. Chrasched into the side of the anchored boat. The investigation later showed that the light in the masthead was too high to be observed in the short distance from when the motorboat came around the tip of the Island. The driver was drunk and left the scene. Thought he hit a rock. After that accident I always try to have some lighting in the cockpit and/or on the boom. Have some yellow small lights that look like candels and are charged by the sun.

https://www.dn.se/sthlm/rammade-bat-...ten-i-17-knop/

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

. . . Personally, I don’t use any flashing anchor lights. I use a legal anchor light together with deck or interior lights to improve visibility. If I use stern tie lines of any length, I do attach a battery powered light at mid point to serve as a warning. . . . .

That's best practice, in my opinion.


Ships light up their decks at anchor to increase visibility, and above a certain size this is mandatory.


I have accent lights in my salon which light up the hull ports -- I always leave these on at anchor. I often leave deck or spreader lights on. A cockpit light is good. I would not use a strobe for the reasons which have been stated.


I do think it's worth emphasizing that a masthead anchor light alone can be very dangerous -- it blends in with stars and so forth and there is a great risk of its not being seen from closer distances. I learned this the hard way in an actual collision. For sure, light up SOMETHING at a lower level than your masthead.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Flod

Couple of years ago we had an accident in my area where a anchored sailboat had anchor masthead light on but nothing else. A smaller fast motor boat came around the small Island and didn’t see the sailboat. Chrasched into the side of the anchored boat. The investigation later showed that the light in the masthead was too high to be observed in the short distance from when the motorboat came around the tip of the Island. The driver was drunk and left the scene. Thought he hit a rock. After that accident I always try to have some lighting in the cockpit and/or on the boom. Have some yellow small lights that look like candels and are charged by the sun.

https://www.dn.se/sthlm/rammade-bat-...ten-i-17-knop/

I had a very similar experience. DO LIGHT UP SOMETHING AT A LOWER LEVEL!!