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Shrew · 09-01-2023, 06:14

I have an all around white light. When I anchor, my light is on 24x7. (sometimes this is for week's at a time). Not because I'm safety conscious. I simply forget to turn it off every morning.

Chotu · 09-01-2023, 06:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shrew

I have an all around white light. When I anchor, my light is on 24x7. (sometimes this is for week's at a time). Not because I'm safety conscious. I simply forget to turn it off every morning.

Ha ha ha. That’s actually a good way to do it. 24/7. Even if by mistake

I have always relied on a set of routines on the boat. Every evening as the sun is setting I am turning on the anchor light. I don’t forget. Because it’s something I do each evening. Like brushing my teeth. I have lived on anchor more than on land or at least that was the case before the boat build. So it’s a nightly habit.

Orion Jim · 09-01-2023, 07:02

I have a masthead anchor light and I display a day shape. In busy anchorages I keep an LED lantern lit so it floods the cockpit. Some of the dinghy’s today move incredibly fast and my intent is to be seen and avoided.

Montanan · 09-01-2023, 07:45

So Chotu, how many of the boats with Christmas lights also had tinsel?

Were they playing carols as their at anchor sound signals every two minutes?

Did any of them display a red all around light like Rudolph's nose?

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q...mageHoverTitle

capt jgw · 09-01-2023, 08:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orion Jim

I have a masthead anchor light and I display a day shape. In busy anchorages I keep an LED lantern lit so it floods the cockpit. Some of the dinghy’s today move incredibly fast and my intent is to be seen and avoided.

There is an argument that a deck level anchor light is more effective than one at the mast top. To be legal it must be visible two miles away, but a boat two miles out can't hit you. The drunk 200 feet away might. That said, the rules state "any vessel may, and a vessel 200 meters in length shall,... light her decks". I carry a couple cheap solar/LED walkway lights fore and aft in addition to the mast top anchor light. The walkway lights alone don't meet the visibility requirements but they do count as lighting the decks and you don't have to look up to see them.

Chotu · 09-01-2023, 09:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Montanan

So Chotu, how many of the boats with Christmas lights also had tinsel?

Were they playing carols as their at anchor sound signals every two minutes?

Did any of them display a red all around light like Rudolph's nose?

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q...mageHoverTitle

Where has all this comedy been coming from??? Ha ha ha ha ha.

I’m dead. That was a really good one.

Chotu · 09-01-2023, 09:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by capt jgw

There is an argument that a deck level anchor light is more effective than one at the mast top. To be legal it must be visible two miles away, but a boat two miles out can't hit you. The drunk 200 feet away might. That said, the rules state "any vessel may, and a vessel 200 meters in length shall,... light her decks". I carry a couple cheap solar/LED walkway lights fore and aft in addition to the mast top anchor light. The walkway lights alone don't meet the visibility requirements but they do count as lighting the decks and you don't have to look up to see them.

Yeah. I completely agree with this one. The masthead light can be deceiving. I use it. But I also light up my entire boat so that it can be seen in silhouette. Just like the big boats do.

Cheechako · 09-01-2023, 09:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chotu

I am in a busy Anchorage for the first time in quite a while.

Looking around at anchor lights I see:

Boat 1: yellow flashing strobe on cabin top , no other light.

Boat 2: some Christmas lights strung around, some white and some red. No other light

Boat 3: some bluish colored light at the boom “twittering.” Sort of a chaotic strobe effect. Also some strung Christmas lights No other lights.

Boat 4: no lights at all

Boat 5: looks good plus spreaders lights

Remember all around white lights for anchoring? Times sure have changed.

In an anchorage I would say the least effective listed (after no light) would be the all around or high up white, although legal.
Sure in some dark isolated anchorage with one boat or two it works. But in an anchorage with a lot of boats it doesn't help at all. Something near water level is needed. Everything blends into shore lights etc.

Mike OReilly · 09-01-2023, 09:39

My experience differs from many here. In my cruising grounds, most anchored boats show an all-round white light. That said, my sample size is pretty small. I don't often share an anchorage with others.

My sense is that LEDs have led to more boats being properly lit at night, but again, this is only from my narrow perspective.

Chotu · 09-01-2023, 10:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheechako

In an anchorage I would say the least effective listed (after no light) would be the all around or high up white, although legal.
Sure in some dark isolated anchorage with one boat or two it works. But in an anchorage with a lot of boats it doesn't help at all. Something near water level is needed. Everything blends into shore lights etc.

This is true. But it’s not a matter of opinion which lights you show.

After the all around white light, then you can do whatever you want. But to forgo the required light isn’t the best idea.

Talk Story · 09-01-2023, 11:56

[QUOTE=Chotu;3727903]I am in a busy Anchorage for the first time in quite a while.

Looking around at anchor lights I see:

Boat 1: yellow flashing strobe on cabin top , no other light.

Boat 2: some Christmas lights strung around, some white and some red. No other light

Boat 3: some bluish colored light at the boom “twittering.” Sort of a chaotic strobe effect. Also some strung Christmas lights No other lights.

Boat 4: no lights at all

Boat 5: looks good plus spreaders lights

Betcha Boat 5 has weed onboard ... they don't want any trouble

ThereAndBack · 09-01-2023, 13:39

We display an all around white light at the top of the mast but if we're anywhere that there is traffic or more than one vessel we also turn on the lights on our stern arch. I also have garden lights on all four corners of the boat, however, they tend to fade out around 3am.

fxykty · 09-01-2023, 23:06

Pretty much any decent anchor light has a light sensor, so you turn it on when you arrive at an anchorage and don’t have to think about it again until you leave.

Sounds like you are in an area with lots of idiots who don’t know and/or care about others, nor about COLREGs. Sigh.

Masthead lights are very common in NZ and AUS. Totally agree that additional deck level lights really help in crowded anchorages - if nothing else it helps you find your own boat after a late return from sundowner drinks. We use Christmas lights around our lifelines and once that season passes it will be back to our solar inflatable globe light. It’s got a small battery that keeps it running 20 hours.