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Red over green mast lights for sailboat
If I'm reading this right you are suggesting the use of the white
masthead, while undersail alone, when in traffic or poor visibility? If so, ....BIG NO-NO. I must not have written my message very clearly. You are right. I would never consider running with just the white masthead light. What I was trying to say was that the difference between a powerboat and a sailboat under sails alone is that the sailboat turns the white masthead light OFF. Have seen this rarely, and usually on a much larger sailboat (small "Tallship". Remember it being quite distinctive, but due to rarity of sightings, it took a few seconds to remember. (will get to usefulness for your case later) From what others have posted or e-mailed to me directly, the option is pretty rare. But, if you were to see it again, because it is unusual it probably would grab your attention. That is what I am trying to achieve. Even if the observer didn't know what the lights meant, at least he/she would recognize that something different was out there and probably stay clear. And, of course, it is the big boys out there that can do me the most harm. Professional skippers of large commercial boats are more likely to know what the lights mean. When you saw the lights in use where you able to see how the lights were installed? The biggest problem seems to be how to keep them from being blocked by the mast. It has been suggested that two lights for each color - one on each side of the mast - be used. To be certain, check Annex I, in the rules, but I think you'll find the minimum to be 1M apart. You are correct. For Truelove at 13 meters the separation is 1 meter. G pushing it a bit. For the red over green, they are to be "at or near" the top of the mast. However, breakdown light can be where "best seen". That is a very good point. So if I wanted to build a hoistable set of lights for vessel not under command etc. I could do that, but for red over green I would need a permanent set up, probably on the peak of the OK, Here's where I get confused. If you all ready have the tri-color, why would you also want the "red over green"? I ask, because you can only display one or the other, not both (at the same time), and that tri-color does an excellent job .... though, admittedly, the red over green, coupled with normal sidelights, might be better in close quarters. If a skipper of another boat sees the red of my tricolor, for example, he might conclude that he is seeing the starboard side of some vessel. If he assumed that all other lights were working properly, he might conclude that he was looking at a sailboat under sails. But a single red light could be any number of other vessels with one or more lights not properly functioning. If, on the other hand, he sees a red light over a green light, there is only one type of vessel it could be - a sailboat under sails. Also my thought is that two lights of two different colors would be that much more visible. You raise some good questions, the answers to which in some cases, may come down to your own preferences and how many options you want to have available. Thanks for your post. Lee Huddleston s/v Truelove |
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