(Lee Huddleston) wrote in message . ..
SNIP
Big Grin Not only do I have several copies of the Colregs, I have
practically memorized them and can tell you where they differ from the
Inland Rules and the special rules for Western Rivers. Obviously a
lot more time dreaming about sailing than really sailing recently. :-)
A man after my own heart. Mine are highlighted for the differences.
BTW the vertical separation of lights is one of the differences over
20 meters LOA.
snip
the mast, unless the mast is very skinny -- distance away from mast
needs to be roughly 10 times the diameter of the mast.)
Is your "10 times the diameter" a calculated figure or a general
estimate? If it is a calculated figure and we assume that the light
is a point source, this would mean that a light on a one-inch diameter
extension would still have to be 10 inches away from the extension.
Having seen many green over white lights on fishing boats around here,
they do not seem to comply with this. The all-round lights seem to be
only about six inches from rather substantial masts.
Rule is six degrees of obstruction
six degrees is about one tenth radian (6/57)
for small angles, tangent is approximately equal to angle in radians
so tangent six degrees is about 1/10 (actually 0.105)
therefore obstruction X inches wide will subtend six degrees at 10X
distance.
(Amazing, high school geometry was 40 years ago and I use it rarely --
maybe I'm even right ;-)
You see many workboats with three steaming lights and two NUCs, the
NUCs on stalks extending a meter or so from the mast.
As for using two lights, one on each side of a large mast, wouldn't
that cause even more confusion? Or would they merge visually from a
distance?
Someplace, can't find it, I saw a reference to what you do, They'll
merge at a distance, and, of course, you could use 180 degree shields.
snip
I am really surprised that you went to the trouble of taking them off.
We did a major refit -- replaced everything electrical, as electrics
were Nautor's one weakness and the chaos had had a lot of help from
1982 to 1994 when we bought her.
When you say that the lights might confuse more than enlighten, I
think about who I am trying to inform - skippers of larger commercial
vessels primarily. They are the ones who can hurt me the most. I
have to assume that they will be familiar with the Colregs and know
what the lights mean. But, even for the most ill informed
recreational boater, the lights would at least communicate that there
is something different out there that they need to pay attention to.
I am not as concerned that a small boat skipper will immediately know
what my vessel is from the lights as I am concerned that I get his/her
attention.
I don't think my Coastie was an isolated example...
I'm not as trusting in the large boat crew as you are -- if they're
good, they don't need the red/green, because they've already got me on
radar; if they're not good, who knows what they know?
I depend on seeing the other guy first. I remind my crews that there
is no way a large vessel could run you down if it tried to do so --
you're too maneuverable. Small boats that get hit are mostly either
not paying attention, fail to understand how fast the other guy is
moving, or have gotten nailed by bad visibility where more lights
wouldn't help. (I should add that this sounds very judgmental and
callous, and there are exceptions, but in good visibility -- which is
where lights matter -- the small guy should be OK).
Since your sailboat was equipped with red over green lights, how were
they designed and installed? Were they two lights for each color on
opposite sides of the mast? Or where they all-round lights on a
separate stalk above the peak of the mast. Since your vessel was a
Swan 57, I feel that I can assume that the installation was well
engineered and executed and completely legal.
There were two red and two green on opposite sides of the mast, near
the top. This was nine years ago, so I'm not sure, but think they
were all 360 degree lights, about a meter apart, and close to the
mast.
Fintry has NUC lights (see
http://www.mvfintry.com/pix/plymouth800.jpg) that are set up in the
same way, but a little farther from the stick -- the two pairs below
the spreaders in the photo. They were put on her for the Royal Navy in
order to meet the MCA rules, so someone surveyed her and pronounced
them, "OK". Same rule should apply for Rule 27(a) and Rule 25(c).
snip
I certainly agree that on the ocean the tricolor is better than the
lights on or near the deck. But think about what a freighter captain
would see. If he sees a red light about all he knows is that some
kind of vessel is out there. He probably can safely assume that he is
looking at the starboard side of a vessel. IF he assumes that the
sighted vessel has all its proper lights working, he might correctly
conclude that it is a sailboat under sail to which he must give way.
But, of course, a single red light could be a lot of other things if
we assume that the vessel's lights are NOT all working properly.
I'm really surprised that almost no yachts have alarms on their lights
that go off when one stops working. It's easy to do and almost every
working vessel we looked at in our search for Fintry had them -- most
had dual lights, too.
If, on the other hand, the freighter captain sees a red light over a
green light off in the distance, he knows that the vessel can only be
one thing, a sailboat under sail. There is not another series of
lights, even with some of the lights not working, that could give that
combination (other than a sailboat on its side G). Also, two lights
of different colors increases the chances of at least one of them
being seen.
Yes, but suppose he sees only the green, and fails to see the stern or
red running light below?
In close quarters, particularly in rivers or crowded harbors, masthead
lights are too high -- many observers will miss them -- so we ran with
the lower lights on.
I certainly agree with this and almost got run down on an inland lake
once when I was using a tricolor light on an O'Day 25. A pontoon boat
had a canopy that blocked the skipper's vision of my tricolor.
If you're really concerned about being seen, I would turn on the
steaming light and act like a power vessel. (Run the engine if you're
really worried.)
First of all, turning on the steaming (masthead) light while
proceeding under sail alone would not be legal. If I got into a
situation where I was unable to maneuver I would be held liable.
You're probably right.
snip
Thanks for taking the time to respond.
Lee Huddleston
s/v Truelove
Isn't that what this is all about -- learning from each other?
Jim Woodward
www.mvfintry.com