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Anchor lights
Anchor lights have to be the biggest pain in the neck. Waaaaaaaaay up
there on the top of the mast with slapping wires in the mast fatiguing, corrosion, blown bulbs, etc. a masochists dream. I have seen ppl hoist a 12V light with its power wires up high using a halyard but the wire flops all over. This may be useless but perhaps somebody can use it for something else. SO: Useless Idea #3732. I once saw dacron 12 mm caving rope with 4 copper wire conductors down the center. This stuff was made by PMI and I dont know its purpose but maybe you could use it for halyards and use the wire to power an anchor light. Now that I really think about it, I cant believe I have put up with something as dumbass as a mast top anchor light for years. I have frequently used a battery powered light hoisted up high but sorta worried that the mast "shadowed" it. With new LED arrays and rechargeable high amp hour lithium batteries, a battery powered anchor light may really be freasible. Is the shadowing a real problem? |
Anchor lights
Rule 30(b): A vessel of less than 50 meters in length may exhibit an
all-round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule. Annex I 9(b)(i) All-round lights shall be located as not to be obscured by masts, topmasts, or structures within angular sectors of more than 6 degrees, except anchor lights prescribed in Rule 30, which need not be placed at an impractible height above the hull. 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. If there was a lot of traffic, we left cabin lights or spreader lights on (Kata Beach, Thailand -- night slalom by drunk PWCs). As for your question about caving rope -- I'd say more trouble than it's worth. You'd still have to get power into the other end and worry about the wire work-hardening over the halyard sheave. Far easier to take a light with a twenty foot cord, hoist it in the foretriangle, and plug the cord into an outlet at the mast (12V or whatever). Or, as you suggest, a battery LED anchor light. Jim Woodward www.mvFintry.com (Parallax) wrote in message . com... Anchor lights have to be the biggest pain in the neck. Waaaaaaaaay up there on the top of the mast with slapping wires in the mast fatiguing, corrosion, blown bulbs, etc. a masochists dream. I have seen ppl hoist a 12V light with its power wires up high using a halyard but the wire flops all over. This may be useless but perhaps somebody can use it for something else. SO: Useless Idea #3732. I once saw dacron 12 mm caving rope with 4 copper wire conductors down the center. This stuff was made by PMI and I dont know its purpose but maybe you could use it for halyards and use the wire to power an anchor light. Now that I really think about it, I cant believe I have put up with something as dumbass as a mast top anchor light for years. I have frequently used a battery powered light hoisted up high but sorta worried that the mast "shadowed" it. With new LED arrays and rechargeable high amp hour lithium batteries, a battery powered anchor light may really be freasible. Is the shadowing a real problem? |
Anchor lights
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 |
Anchor lights
Steve Christensen wrote:
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. In many of the anchorages we frequent, I find that when it's too dark to see boats, the masthead light does a nice job lighting up the water around the boat. I avoid where the streaks of light are pointing to. I guess if there were no waves, it wouldn't work as well, but that doesn't happen much around here. -- Jere Lull Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD) Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/ |
Anchor lights
"Steve Christensen" wrote in message
... 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. Huh???? since when are anchor lights meant to illuminate a boat? They'r meant to indicate where your boat is, at 2 miles distance. 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. Even at 2 miles? Meindert |
Anchor lights
I don't like and don't use a masthead anchor light. I use a light in the
foretriangle where it is much more visible to an approaching boat and makes it much easier to accurately locate my boat. |
Anchor lights
In article , Meindert Sprang says...
"Steve Christensen" wrote in message ... 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. Huh???? since when are anchor lights meant to illuminate a boat? They'r meant to indicate where your boat is, at 2 miles distance. Most masthead anchor lights I've seen are very easily mistaken for a star, or are lost in the background clutter of lights ashore. On a very dark night it is not uncommon to have a masthead light running, but to have the hull of the boat itself be totally invisible in the dark. If a boat pilot doesn't look up he can run right into you. This isn't a problem with ships or power boats, just sailboats with their silly 10 watt bulbs 60 feet up in the air pointing straight up. By illuminating the deck a bit you make the boat more visible to passing boats. You don't think that is what anchor lights were meant to do? Steve Christensen |
Anchor lights
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Steve Christensen wrote: In article , Meindert Sprang says... "Steve Christensen" wrote in message ... 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. Huh???? since when are anchor lights meant to illuminate a boat? They'r meant to indicate where your boat is, at 2 miles distance. And closer than 2 miles, since a boat that's 2 miles away from you and stays 2 miles away from you will very seldom run into you and sink you. Most masthead anchor lights I've seen are very easily mistaken for a star, or are lost in the background clutter of lights ashore. On a very dark night it is not uncommon to have a masthead light running, but to have the hull of the boat itself be totally invisible in the dark. If a boat pilot doesn't look up he can run right into you. This isn't a problem with ships or power boats, just sailboats with their silly 10 watt bulbs 60 feet up in the air pointing straight up. By illuminating the deck a bit you make the boat more visible to passing boats. You don't think that is what anchor lights were meant to do? No I think the anchor light regulation was written many years ago when many boats (especially sail boats) didn't have much of an electrical system to establish liability in case of an accident. I don't think deck illumination was considered important. Not that it is not important - it's just not what an anchor light was meant to do. grandma Rosalie |
Anchor lights
FWIW , we do Tours at nite also and I can tell you, many times, you don't see a
sailboat at anchor until your right of top of them. Lite them suckers up please!! You'll sleep better at the cost of a bit of electric! Sterling |
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