VERY elementary anchor light question

[Judith]

I'm going to step up to the plate, reveal my total lack of experience, and ask, "Anchor light? Where? How?" (The "Who"--US!--"When" and "Why" are obvious.)

We're still getting acquainted with our newly-adopted vessel. Last Saturday we wound up sailing late (AM = work + rain delay) and spent the night anchored in a semi-sheltered cove. So we tried the couple switches marked "Anchor light": one is separate (with a posted label saying "Always keep on"), the other is with other nav switches on a panel and labeled "Anchor light". We tried every possible combo and couldn't see anything a-tall.

Question(s): If we do indeed HAVE an anchor light 1) how do we turn it on? and 2) Should we be able to see it from deck level?

[Ron Turner]

The sure cure for an anchor light is to buy the the Davis low wattage plug in light. Plug it into a cig lighter outlet, haul it up the halyard and presto, lights.

[Tod Mills]

Hi, Judith

It is entirely possible that you have a place on the panels for one but it was never installed. A little investigating should solve that.

Those switches should be enough to turn it on (assuming the main battery switch is on). It may be kind of tough to see while on the boat if it is at the masthead (the usual place). You might step back from the boat (splash! ) a few boatlengths with a pair of binoculars to see if you can even spot it, let alone if it is lit.

If you see that there is a fixture but that it isn't coming on, you may have a poor connection or burnt out bulb or disconnected wiring or a burnt fuse or tripped circuit breaker...a deck connector is often a source for poor connection. (that reminds me, mine is giving me trouble right now)

In some areas, an anchor light down closer to the water is more effective (hung above the foredeck) so long as it can be seen from all directions. Sometimes high anchor lights look an awful lot like stars.

Hope this gives you some ideas...

[Dan & Pat]

Having had a few close calls at night, I can tell you that your lights are an important signal to other boaters. The rules which govern where and when to use anchor lights are seldom followed because they are so vague. According to the rules of the road, "BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND At night, a vessel which is less than 7 meters in length and anchored in an area where other vessels do not normally navigate is not required to show anchor light(s)".

That can be interpreted, "if your boat is more than 22.96 feet long, you SHOULD have an anchor light illuminated if you are anchored in an area where other vessels do not normally navigate" It also implies that if you are anchored in an area where other vessels DO normally navigate, you should show an anchor light, regardless of the size of the boat.

A little further in the rules, it specifies that if the vessel is anchored at night and dredging, it should not display anchor light(s). And further, if the vessel is anchored at night and FISHING it is not required to display an anchor light... So, if you're not sure whether or not to light the anchor light, just hang a fishing pole over the side and pretend .

The anchor light, when or if used is a white light which should be visible for 360* from a "reasonable distance". (How's that for vague?) In Pennsylvania waters the law states, "All vessels are required to display a white light visible in all directions whenever they are moored or anchored away from dock between sunset and sunrise and/or during periods of restricted visibility."

So, the where and when are not that obvious. The basic rule of thumb though is that your lights serve as a point of reference, enabling other boats to see you, and roughly identify your size and the direction of travel. When you see another boat at night, the lights can tell you whether the boat is coming at you, going away, or passing to Port or Starboard. If only a single white light is visible, its not always safe to assume that they are anchored. Like you, they might just have electrical problems.

So, in a nutshell, you need to get that anchor light working. It should be at or near the top of your mast, and should at least be visible somewhere on deck.

Dan

[bill2]

FWIW - the following was heard round various boathouses and parking lots in NJ - take it for what its worth ( sometimes measured by what one pays for something )

"if you're where boats don't navigate you don't need one - conversely if boats navigate there you need one " - for this discussion let's assume for safety's sake ( ie you only go round once ) that no matter what size your vessel is you want to be seen if you're on the water .

The interpretation might be construed to mean that if you're in a USCG approved mooring area - read that as marked on distributed charts as a mooring area - then you do not need an anchor light. ANY other place on the water is then defined as navigable - so you need an anchor light. Simple - maybe ignores the fine print but easy to understand.

Ahhh but what's an anchor light you say . Well down to the local boating supply and let's see. They have battery powered lights ( some are even - shock - kerosene powered ) - but wait - they say only visible for a mile or worse yet not approved as an anchor light . The ones that seem to have approval mention visibility for two miles and USCG approval. Seems to clear that up - oops - thats only with fresh batteries and mounted so as to be visible for 360*. Ahh much better.

So back to your 270 - could be it works but you just can't see it from the deck - soooo around dusk/dark one partner stays onboard at your slip at McCotters. The other ( ah hah ) goes over to the travel lift ( or north dock ? ) while the one onboard flips the switch every five/ten seconds for a couple times so the one at the lift can check out the top of the mast - done - they work or don't.

Good Luck

[Russell]

A terrific option for an anchor light is to go to home depot or any sort of home & garden center and buy those lights designed to light up your garden, they have internal batteries and little solar panels on them, no need to wire them into your system, and they can be hung anywhere. Just hang it off your boom or some other spot, great anchor light. Unfortunately masthead anchor lights are too high in some situations. I make a judgement based on the anchorage wether to light the masthead or a boom hung anchor light. Most anchorages a boom hung light is more ideal and you could certainly get away with that being your only light, but if needed you can always run one of these lights up a halyard.

[Steve Laume]

We have an older, portable, 6V, dry cell, battery powered, anchor light that has a electric eye and an on off switch. It got the name of Dimmy when we could only find a 12V bulb for it at first. With a fresh battery and the 6V bulb it is fine. The great thing about it is there is no draw on the ships battery and it turns it's self on and off as needed even if we are not on the boat or awake yet. Being a "sufficient fool" I did put it away in a dark locker without switching it off one day. When I went to retrieve it the next night it was already on. I seem to remember the REGS being 2 miles and required unless you are in a designated anchorage. In a crowded anchorage like Block Island the only way the mast head lights help is if you can see the boat in the reflection the mast head light creates on the water. I would much rather see an anchor light hung low in the fore triangle. The mast head arrangement is great at a distance but not very good in crowded harbors. We had one of those little garden lights sitting in a rod holder in the cockpit for a while. It would definitely not be bright enough to be a legal anchor light. It did give a cozy glow to the cockpit and would be better than nothing. Ours now lives somewhere in the sea after a spirited spring sail when it went missing. I wonder if it lit up as it entered the darker depths on it's way to the bottom, Steve.

[Judith]

I've been researching the subject, of course, and we'd previously decided to do as suggested by Cheech--er, I mean, bill2 --and try to spot our light from afar, next time we're in Washington. . .But I figured posing the question on the board might yield some good practical information. And it sure did! All the input is great, especially the many options presented for the light itself. (It's kind of heart-rending, though, imagining Steve's little garden light, pluckily shining down at the bottom of the sea.)

Just for the record, at the time we did improvise a light surprisingly in line with many of the alternatives discussed. That's reassuring to discover.

Judith

[Cathy Monaghan]

Hi Judith,

An anchor light should be afixed to the top of your mast. It should be visible for at least 2 miles. Those Davis lights that you can hoist are great, especially for use in the cockpit but should be used in addition to the light (white 360 degrees) at the top of the mast. If you're concerned with power usage, get an LED model. They are VERY expensive but will probably never burn out during the time you own the boat (so you won't have to change any bulbs) and draw very little power.

CLICK HERE to see the Federal Requirements for Recreational Vessels (concerning navigation lights).

CLICK HERE to see the Navigation Rules. See especially Rule 22 and Rule 30.

Hope this stuff helps.

[marilou]

When it is dark you should be able to spot your light, if you walk to your bow. You should see your windvane, if you have one, clearly. The anchor light will be mounted below the windvane, at the top of your mast.

[Judith]

Thanks for the links, Cathy. And again, all-yall's help is greatly appreciated.

As it turns out, our various "Anchor light" switches are not purely decorative, and we DO, indeed, have one. It just required a thorough run-through of almost every possible on-off switch configuration before we found it.

Judith

[Warren S]

The reason we couldn't see the masthead anchor light is because there are 2 anchor light switches; one on the standard panel and another that looks like the PO installed it. both switches need to be in the proper position, then - presto! The windvane was aglow alright.

Now I wonder just ho much spagetti is residing behind the switch panel <gulp>

[bobc]

I don't care much for mast-head lights. In tight anchorages, which are pretty common here in the PNW, power boaters often can't see the light at the top of the mast when they're looking for the last spot to anchor, or the last mooring buoy. The reason is they can't look up that high because they're at an inside station, or under canvas on the bridge (looking down from their lofty location!).

I hang a Davis-like light off of the topping lift, just above the boom. It's low enough to be seen by power boaters. Also, much of the light illuminates the boat, further improving my odds of not getting hit. The light plugs into a lighter outlet I installed in the cockpit

As for the yard lights with solar cells on them. I've seen a few of them on the water here, but they don't seem very bright. I think they'd be hard to pick out against shore lights, or other boats.

[Zeida]

Like Bob, I also do not care for a top of the mast anchor light. I also have a cigarrette lighter in the cockpit for my Davis light, plus this other lamp which also hangs inside the cockpit. In Biscayne Bay's anchorages, you must be seen, and the light closer to the water helps others see us better.
[img]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sra ... 818476.jpg[/img]

[rtbates]

I totally agree on the idea of keeping your anchor lights closer to the deck. If someone is close enough that they might hit you I doubt they'll be looking skyward. We use a Davis light hoisted up the backstay to about 8 feet. While this is great it has to be hoisted BEFORE it can work. If you're away from your boat during the day and it gets dark before you get back that could be an issue. We have solved that issue quite by accident/luck. My wife bought me two of the photocell, auto on/off lights from Lat&Atts to be used as background lighting in the cockpit. They are mounted on the port and starboard pushpit rails. They function as auto anchor lights. While I also use the Davis I find having auto lights a nice touch. They also provide a way to tell our boat from the others when approaching after dark, especially if the Davis has not been raised during the day before we left. My basic philosophy is the more light at anchor the better.