"Capt. JG" wrote in message
news:HpGdnRFII8-DLW_anZ2dnUVZ_sSlnZ2d@bayareasolutions...
Hmm.. well, I can't tell during the day when the bowlight is unlit, as
least
I don't recall being able to tell. I looked at the hi-res images of the
following, but next time I'm at the boat, I'll look again.

Isn't the point whether or not the lights are visible from the prescribed
distance? And, this would be at night of course. So, it seems to me that
if you're involved in a collision at night, and you could show that no
matter what you had was in fact visible, does the CG care that they're
"approved?" I don't know the answer... just wondering.

Is all this worry about the USCG somehow related to the fact that they are
now part of your rather scary Department of Homeland Security? Have they
unilaterally set up their own approval standards for lights? And if so, why?
The internationally accepted Colregs and, in particular, their Annex No 1
'Positioning and technical detailsabout lights and shapes' clearly states
how far lights should be visible at night and goes on to give highly
technical details about the necessary chromacity and power to achieve that.
Also it even goes on to give a warning not to have lights so bright that
they interfere with the navigators night vision. That should be enough for
anybody surely.
If you have bought decent lights,warranted by the makers to comply with
Colregs, and position them correctly is the USCG really going to stop you at
sea and check the chromacity and candlepower of the bulbs in them as long as
they are actually alight?