In article , Jim Woodward
says...

A lot of people we met on our circumnav believed that a masthead
anchor light was asking for trouble -- too high to be seen by most
small vessels -- and carried anchor lights in the foretriangle or even
under the boom. If the only obstruction is the mast, you beat the 6
degree requirement if you're ten mast diameters away from it (60
inches away from a 6 inch obstruction), so you don't even need the
second clause in 9(b)(i).

We had a light at the masthead, 82' off the water, and used it
everywhere. When in harbors with small boat traffic, we also hung a
lantern under the boom, about 11 feet off the water


I have also come to the conclusion that masthead anchor lights are close to
useless on sailboats. About all they do is meet the legal requirements, they
don't actually illuminate the boat. Granted they might be seen by a passing
ship, but then I rarely anchor in places where a ship could pass by!

I hang one of thos low-wattage LED lights about 7' off the deck in the
foretriangle, pointed down. It makes the boat much more visible to passing
boats (the real hazard), and illuminating the deck as it does helps to make the
boat more visible.

Steve Christensen