Day Shapes while Anchoring

[caradow]

OK I give up.
Can't find any documentation in any rules I have searched.
Just wondering how many of you cruisers hoist a Day Shape and why or why not?

[ItDepends]

I use it all the time. Why not? Easy to do. Most people choose to ignore it. I am a professional, people pay me to do things right, and it makes sense to me to do them right all the time.

What do you mean you "can't find any documentation in any rules I have searched"??

Did you not find Rule 30? Is it not clear?

https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/sites/de...s/navrules.pdf

[leecea]

I recently bought the anchor ball shape but haven't used it yet. Why did I buy it? I figure insurance will find any reason to avoid coverage so I don't want to give them one.

[caradow]

DUH, thank you for alleviating my stupidity. I actually have 2 of those aboard Guess senility is setting in.
However if the truth be known I always fly one but sometimes I feel like I am out of tune with the majority of cruisers.
Last winter while in Antigua I estimated only ten percent of cruisers flew them.
However some of the Mega yachts in marinas had then on the bow.
Then I spent some time in St. Martin and the same thing was there ...no more than 10%.
So I started wondering just how many people really know what they are.
Many years ago I had heard about a drunk powerboater ( you know sailors don't drink) ran into an anchored sailboat who was not flying a day shape and he got off. I have asked several people about this and they all stated the sailboat captain probably had a lousy lawyer.
This was in the BVI's I think.
Maybe we could hear from some who choose not to fly them?

[Fore and Aft]

Caradow I am not sure about documentation, but my rule is if your hanging a day shape like this on your forestay then I am anchoring right next to you! Hell you will probably need to put some fenders down I will be that close.
Cheers

[rslifkin]

I always display a ball while anchored. I've never seen one on another boat around here and I doubt most people have a clue what it means.

[Tin Tin]

I would suggest people are plain lazy using the excuse that hardly any one else can be bothered, why should I. In other words human nature. Plenty of people flout the rules on the water and the land, however in a car you get fined, so far, for this particular rule you do not get fined. I guess if there were enough incidents that came to the attention of the lawmakers it could well be a fineable offense then most would fly them.

[Oeanda]

No one displays balls around here, but if they did I’d avoid going too close.

[Jim Cate]

Well, we have flown an anchor ball for years... and very near 100% of the time when on the hook. Around the S Pacific it isn't common, especially so here in Oz. Most of the vessels we see complying with the rule are either large with pro crew or foreign registration.

To be honest, I don't think that it is a useful device for smaller recreational craft, but it is in the rules... and when we were T-boned at anchor I was glad that it was proudly aloft. However, it seemed that the owner of the guilty ~40 foot uninsured and unregistered yacht was hopelessly indigent, unemployed, lived in a humpy in the bush and (reportedly) grew weed for a living. Not a good prospect for restitution!

At any rate, useful or not it is easy to do, costs essentially nothing (ours is a plastic basketball in black vinyl) and gives one the high moral and legal ground in the event of a collision at anchor... so why not?

Jim

[caradow]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Caradow I am not sure about documentation, but my rule is if your hanging a day shape like this on your forestay then I am anchoring right next to you! Hell you will probably need to put some fenders down I will be that close.
Cheers

I'm sure that would get a lot more attention than a black ball.

[JPA Cate]

Two black balls is an isolated hazard.




(spoken tongue-in-cheek)

[boatpoker]

We always fly a black ball when at anchor. Why ? ...

Yes your honour we were flying all signals required under collision regulations when the idiot ran into us.

[carstenb]

WE always fly a ball when anchored.

Then again, we are probably one of the very few boats that fly an inverted triangle when we are motorsailing.

Generally, Europeans will fly the shapes while Americans don't. Not sure why this so, but as a general rule (all generalizations are false including this one) this is what you will find on the water.

[chrisr]

around here i'd guess no more than 1 boat in 30 display the day signal for anchoring

we don't bother - mainly as imho any fool who cannot work out that we are anchored isn't going to be looking for a black ball (or indeed know what it means)

as for insurance : if necessary i'd have no qualms to say we had the shape up...who's going to prove we didn't ?

cheers,

[ChrisJHC]

The standard saying here in Aus:
“What does it mean if you’re displaying day shapes?”
“You’ve got a Yachtmaster Examiner on board”

And, yes, we should be displaying them when anchored or motor sailing of course!