On Mon, 19 Mar 2007 08:16:25 -0800, Gordon wrote:

A lot of commercial fishing boats spend the night at sea drifting. To
be seen better, they use a strobe light. Legal or not, they want to be seen.
I/m thinking an all around white LED anchor light could be wired to a
relaxation oscillator or 555 timer chip to create a low current draw
white strobe. Yes? No?
Gordon

I have been hunting for a white strobe for some years. The electronics
and such shops sell flashing lights in yellow, blue and red but no
whites.

I found two marine strobes in Singapore at the Sim Lim Centre Near
Bugis Junction a year or so ago. The one I bought is 12 volt, has a 5
inch high fresnel lens and can be run off a torch battery - the
current draw is insignificant. I can't find the documentation that
came with it but a bulk carrier Captain agreed to radio back how far
away he could see it as he steamed past me drifting to my parachute
anchor. He could still see it clearly 8 miles away in dirty Atlantic
weather and it was mounted only about 7 feet above the deck at the
stern. I am about to make a bracket to permanently mount it at the
masthead. I know that it is not legal but then I have seen them on
fishing boats, the buoys at the end of tuna nets and long-lines and as
one Captain said - "Forget the legal niceties - so long as we can see
you - that's what is important".

The only problem I found whilst sleeping on deck whilst leaping up to
check for other boats every 20 minutes was that, with the strobe
mounted low at the stern, even with my eyes closed, the flash
penetrated. I imagine it could drive you daft with its mesmeric
effect. I had to pull my cap over my eyes and eventually rumaged for a
couple of hours to find one of those give away airline sleeping masks
that I knew I had somewhere.

cheers
Peter