I have been doing some thinking about sailboat nav lights. The last boat was a 47' sailboat and I had to grapple with the light problem. First observation. A sailboat under power is legally a powerboat. But, in practice, once any major amount of sail is up and especially if there is any wind to drive them, the boat is not nearly as manageable as a powerboat. In addition, with sails up and particularly if they are hoisted in such a way as to obscure the visibility of the helmsman/lookout, even if power is on, the practical situation is more like a sailboat. For instance, a sailboat with wind abaft may well be forced to turn into the wind in order to prevent an uncontrolled gybe. This may well not be the optimum direction for collision avoidance. Conclusion: if a sailboat has sails up, there is any wind and if visibility is obscured by the sails, all other vessels should be wary even if the powerboat day shape is up or the powerboat nav lights are visible. Be especially wary of any sailboat running directly downwind. One more thing. With sails up the masthead light if on, may not be visible forward which makes the vessel look like a sailboat in any event. Now, the lights. For the sake of power consumption, the best light for a sailboat (under 20 meters) is a top of mast, 3 colored sector light, showing red/green/white; this uses a single bulb and can be as little as 10 watts or about one amp (no other lights being required). If more electric power is available then the separate red/green for the bow with separate stern white light can be used. For more protection, all around red and green lights can be put at the top of the mast(not in conjunction with the 3 sector light), but this will add to the electrical load; say about 30 watts for the first 3 and another 20 watts for the 2 at the top of the mast for a total of about 50 watts. The red/green bow lights can be combined in a single fixture which will save about 10 watts. If the vessel is running it's engine then legally you should run the lights of a powerboat. However, if you are encumbered and unable to maneuver easily, I would be inclined to run the sailboat lights, especially if out in the open. I would not do this in a narrow channel or in inland waters; in which case, it might be a bad idea to have any amount of sail up anyway. It is my conclusion that any sailboat operating offshore should be running the special lights provided for at the top of the mast. The improvement in being seen is worth every bit of the expense and trouble. As for redundancy, I would be inclined to mount the special lights, in addition to the regular stuff, so that there is a backup in case of failure. Sailboats are so hard to see and identify that every effort should be made to make them as obvious as possible. In the case of the 3 sector top of mast light, I would be inclined to mount 2 sets, one directly above the other, with 2 sets of wires, so that if one went out, you could turn on the other. A few thoughts about lights being mounted low. If you mount the sailboat lights on the deck, they may well be so low as to not be visible at the required distance of 2 miles. Separate red/green side lights can be mounted in the lower shroud lines about 6 feet above the deck and this will help immensly, but may be obscured by sails. Keep in mind that your lights are to keep other people from running you down. They will not be effective if they are not visible. In summary, most sailboats have lights which are plain dangerous due to weak or burned out bulbs, low mounting, obstructed fields of view, dirty lenses and corroded wiring. I hope this material gives you some ideas on how to improve your situation, such that the rest of us don't have to be vicarious witness's to your untimely demise, under the propellers of a very large vessel. I am certain that numerous night accidents involving sailboats can be attributed to problems with the lights. One unrelated note about sailboats. This one had a Furuno 1621 Mark2 radar. That's the LCD unit. As you may recall from previous postings, I don't much like LCD radars, I did not like this one. It let a sailboat of about 40' get within 3/4 mile of us without triggering the guard alarm. A 1721 model with raster screen would give a good return at about 2 miles, I think. Capt. Mike Maurice Near Portland Oregon.

At 08:16 PM 9/22/01, you wrote: >Now, the lights. For the sake of power consumption, the best light for a >sailboat (under 20 meters) is a top of mast, 3 colored sector light, >showing red/green/white; this uses a single bulb and can be as little as >10 watts or about one amp (no other lights being required). >If more electric power is available then the separate red/green for the >bow with separate stern white light can be used. For more protection, all >around red and green lights can be put at the top of the mast(not in >conjunction with the 3 sector light), but this will add to the electrical >load; say about 30 watts for the first 3 and another 20 watts for the 2 at >the top of the mast for a total of about 50 watts. >The red/green bow lights can be combined in a single fixture which will >save about 10 watts. If a sailboat is over 12 meters, then the following applies. It seems I made a mistake in the wattage department. The colored side lights have to have 25 watt bulbs to be seen 2 miles. The clear require 25 to be seen 3 miles. That means the tricolor takes a 25. The side lights 25 watts, times 2 for a total of 50, plus the stern which can use 10 watts for a grand total of 60 watts. The red/green can be combined to a single fixture to save 25 watts. The all around red and greens would need 25 each for a total of 50 watts. Using 10 watt bulbs where 25's are needed reduces distance seen by about 1 mile. If you have tens where 25's should be as it is easy to use the wrong size, and not notice. Capt. Mike Maurice Near Portland Oregon.