Re: Extra Lighting
I'm with Brother Skolnick on this one. Some REASONABLE accent lighting may not be the worst possible thing.
One very early morning (0430) in November (overcast, dark sky), years ago at Charleston, we were heading up the Ashley River towards the ICW cut south. The channel there is red-right-returning, and there is a large, prominent red ATON off the Coast Guard Station. I was holding that red off my starboard side, using it as a steering reference. Over 15 minutes, I found I had to adjust my course a couple of times to hold my course against the reference. I attributed that to strong currents in that area. Then came a moment of clarity. I was not on the ATON, as I thought I was. I was on the Red side marker light of a 100+ foot outbound private boat. The moment of clarity was when that captain lighted up his accent lighting, and his STBD profile became clear.
It wasn't a close call, but if it had continued, I would have held a course to cross his bow. That captain realized what was happening and his accent lighting told the tale. After that, I did visually reacquire the red ATON, only about 10 degrees off when his nav light was. It had looked like a red traffic light, ashore. It was bright, and easy to see, but it did not look like an ATON in the water against the background of that visually busy shoreline. So that accent lighting on that occasion was a great assist to me. The formal, official navigation light was the greater source of confusion.
Jim
Peg and Jim Healy, living aboard Sanctuary
http://gilwellbear.wordpress.com http://gilwellbear.wordpress.com/
Monk 36 Hull #132
MMSI #367042570
AGLCA #3767
MTOA #3436
I sympathize, brother Jim, because before the digital age I had a
similar experience while I was the group navigator leading a group of
six 80-foot patrol craft with about 25 crew on each vessel up the
Delaware River to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Our radars were sort
of sorry, and the flat lands in the area made night navigation more an
eyeball and accounting exercise by just keeping track of each of the
numerous lighted ranges as we progressed up the river in the dark with
many background lights about. Vessels astern just steered on my
vessel's stern light. I was getting pretty good at running the ranges
using determined speed to time the turns which usually put us in the
middle of the channel right on the next range. My estimated time on
one leg ran down, and even though I could not make out the next
lighted range, I executed the turn, and the five vessels following
obediently followed around in the turn. VHF bridge-to-bridge did not
exist (yep, I'm THAT old); however, we had a tactical net for comms
between the six vessels. I kept looking ahead trying to figure out
why I was not seeing my range lights (ignoring the generally useless
radar) when it suddenly dawned on me that I was not seeing ANY lights
over the arc of ten or so degrees either side of the range. Then I
looked UP, and there it was, a lightly loaded freighter with only its
nav lights showing bearing down on us at close range. No horn signals
or any other indication he had seen us. I quickly grabbed the
tactical radio handset and executed an emergency turn starboard to get
us as far to the stbd side of the channel as possible. Nowadays I
have my radar with chart overlay and "trails" one to specifically
avoid mistaking moving things for stationary ones.
Rich Gano
Frolic (2005 Mainship 30 Pilot II)
Panama City area
-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Healy gilwellbear@gmail.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2021 5:58 PM
To: Skolnick Dave dave@auspiciousworks.com
Cc: List trawlers@lists.trawlering.com
Subject: T&T: Re: Extra Lighting
I'm with Brother Skolnick on this one. Some REASONABLE accent
lighting may not be the worst possible thing.
One very early morning (0430) in November (overcast, dark sky), years
ago at Charleston, we were heading up the Ashley River towards the ICW
cut south. The channel there is red-right-returning, and there is a
large, prominent red ATON off the Coast Guard Station. I was holding
that red off my starboard side, using it as a steering reference.
Over 15 minutes, I found I had to adjust my course a couple of times
to hold my course against the reference. I attributed that to strong
currents in that area. Then came a moment of clarity. I was not on
the ATON, as I thought I was. I was on the Red side marker light of a
100+ foot outbound private boat. The moment of clarity was when that
captain lighted up his accent lighting, and his STBD profile became
clear.
It wasn't a close call, but if it had continued, I would have held a
course to cross his bow. That captain realized what was happening and
his accent lighting told the tale. After that, I did visually
reacquire the red ATON, only about 10 degrees off when his nav light
was. It had looked like a red traffic light, ashore. It was bright,
and easy to see, but it did not look like an ATON in the water against
the background of that visually busy shoreline. So that accent
lighting on that occasion was a great assist to me. The formal,
official navigation light was the greater source of confusion.
Jim
Peg and Jim Healy, living aboard Sanctuary
http://gilwellbear.wordpress.com http://gilwellbear.wordpress.com/
Monk 36 Hull #132
MMSI #367042570
AGLCA #3767
MTOA #3436
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I doubt that the topic of whether it is better to show additional lighting
or not can be resolved by personal experiences. I know myself that
everytime that I've gotten involved in questionable circumstances, as much
as I'd like not to admit, it was always because I wasn't paying attention,
I was misreading what I was seeing, or I was operating on what I was afraid
might happen, not what would actually happen..
If additional lighting is a significant advantage, I suspect that the Coast
Guard, being more involved than any one of us in accident investigation,
would most likely encourage it, at least in the Inland Rules. But since
they seem to lean in the opposite direction, and have more information at
their disposal than any one of us, plus my own experiences with the
subject, I tend to agree with their conclusion mentioned in an earlier post.
I suspect that among individuals, this will be a subject that boils down to
individual preference. We all have a story, some for, some against. But
that is one reason that I favor forums like this as you get to hear many
differing opinions, and sometimes even learn something new.
*Rudy & Jill Sechez *
*BRINEY BUG-a 34' Sail-Assisted Trawler *
*850-832-7748 *
*www.trawlertrainingabc.com http://www.trawlertrainingabc.com *
Baltimore MD
Kudos to Brother Jim and Brother Rich for their stories. I'll share two of
my own.
In the Point Judith Harbor of Refuge (Rhode Island) many of the homeowners
above the beach think it's cute and "boaty" to put red and green porch
lights on the back of their houses. Taking refuge (ha!) in fog with weather
forecast to be coming in the attempt to find the channel could well have
put me on the beach if not for radar. I have the same distaste for red and
green LED rope lights. I don't care if it's Christmas. White or near-white
accent lighting only please; free pass to the commercial guys with sodium
iodide kinda-sorta-yellow work lights which are unmistakable.
Heading up the Hamble River in the UK feeling my way with radar and depth
sounder on paper charts lined up with a flashing red for the next turn. One
of my crew (bless Anja) asked "why is there a mooring ball there?" We were
definitely not where I thought. We were well out of the channel and angling
further away. All eyes on the horizon we found the correct red, flashing
exactly like the one I'd been aiming for. I headed straight back for the
channel and turned for the mark. As we passed the wrong light it became
apparent it was a flashing traffic signal in a small hamlet. The turn at
that light would have been difficult!
Colored lights are simply a bad idea for supplemental/accessory/additional
lights. I've used spreader lights and foredeck lights underway and at
anchor, and also a secondary low and aft anchor light at anchor. Offshore,
under sail with tricolor lit, I've turned on spreader and foredeck lights
to be sure that not only was I seen but that I was a sailboat under sail
would be clear (and not just a distant target whose masthead/steaming light
couldn't be picked out from the stars. After sunset and before sunrise I
keep interior lights on (d@m^ the amp-hours) during the periods commercial
fisherman are in transit to and from their fishing grounds.
When boats around me light up with fancy colored lights, I mutter
pejoratives in language unsuited to the genteel sensibilities of this
esteemed group. I find them every bit as unsuitable as the excuse "I just
want to be seen" to justify using a strobe as an anchor light.
sail fast and eat well, dave
Dave Skolnick S/V Auspicious
AuspiciousWorks.com
Well, brethren, in an earlier life, we used to operate at night in and near
the Duluth, MN, harbor on Lake Superior. There is about 50 miles of
waterfront in and about the harbor and it is surrounded by city on all
sides with all its urban lights, not to mention high intensity lights of
port facilities and other industrial sites on the waterfront. As an added
attraction, there was fairly regular commercial traffic of ships up to 1,000
feet long moving in the channels. Proper nav lights in that environment by
comparison were feeble, including the several local lighthouses. Nav lights
on recreational boats were just tiny specs of light against all the urban
and industrial lighting in the background. Street traffic signals of red,
yellow, and green were at times visible on the water adding to the light
confusion.
We therefore would turn on all the house lights in the cabin below and have
all the window shades up. It did increase our visibility some and at least
gave some sense of who and what we were on the water. I got the idea from
other yachts and recreational boats doing the same thing.
Though the big commercial guys tended to operate underway with just the
prescribed nav lights, when at anchor, they were lit up like Christmas
trees.
David Sorenson, boatless
Duluth, MN
-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Skolnick
Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2021 6:44 AM
To: Jim Healy ; Rich Gano
Cc: List
Subject: T&T: Re: Extra Lighting
Kudos to Brother Jim and Brother Rich for their stories. I'll share two of
my own.
In the Point Judith Harbor of Refuge (Rhode Island) many of the homeowners
above the beach think it's cute and "boaty" to put red and green porch
lights on the back of their houses. Taking refuge (ha!) in fog with weather
forecast to be coming in the attempt to find the channel could well have
put me on the beach if not for radar. I have the same distaste for red and
green LED rope lights. I don't care if it's Christmas. White or near-white
accent lighting only please; free pass to the commercial guys with sodium
iodide kinda-sorta-yellow work lights which are unmistakable.
Heading up the Hamble River in the UK feeling my way with radar and depth
sounder on paper charts lined up with a flashing red for the next turn. One
of my crew (bless Anja) asked "why is there a mooring ball there?" We were
definitely not where I thought. We were well out of the channel and angling
further away. All eyes on the horizon we found the correct red, flashing
exactly like the one I'd been aiming for. I headed straight back for the
channel and turned for the mark. As we passed the wrong light it became
apparent it was a flashing traffic signal in a small hamlet. The turn at
that light would have been difficult!
Colored lights are simply a bad idea for supplemental/accessory/additional
lights. I've used spreader lights and foredeck lights underway and at
anchor, and also a secondary low and aft anchor light at anchor. Offshore,
under sail with tricolor lit, I've turned on spreader and foredeck lights
to be sure that not only was I seen but that I was a sailboat under sail
would be clear (and not just a distant target whose masthead/steaming light
couldn't be picked out from the stars. After sunset and before sunrise I
keep interior lights on (d@m^ the amp-hours) during the periods commercial
fisherman are in transit to and from their fishing grounds.
When boats around me light up with fancy colored lights, I mutter
pejoratives in language unsuited to the genteel sensibilities of this
esteemed group. I find them every bit as unsuitable as the excuse "I just
want to be seen" to justify using a strobe as an anchor light.
sail fast and eat well, dave
Dave Skolnick S/V Auspicious
AuspiciousWorks.com
To access the T&T List archives, go to
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Just to clarify here: You are not talking about vessels at anchor.
Because here's Rule 30 about being at anchor: (c) A vessel at anchor
may, and a vessel of 100 meters or more in length
shall, also use the available working or equivalent lights to
illuminate her decks.
Ok, that clear. Now underway lighting.
There is not a lot of argument about vessels underway showing
confusing lights, as my USS Belknap and my own carrier escort
experiences show. There are any number of other cases as Jim and I
pointed out where even a brief show of additional lighting, but
nothing which could be confused with the regulation underway nav
lights, can be "illuminating" to the mind of the viewer, and I think
the prudent mariner should always be ready with that lighting.
There is a difference between misreading and not paying attention, but
either can get you in trouble. If you are not paying attention and
suddenly look up to see something you also misread, as the OOD on the
Belknap did, people can die. So, we do not want confusing lights
underway, but we do need to be ready to "clarify" that we are not an
ATON too. Now, if we could just get these points across to
dredges!!!!!
Rich Gano
Frolic (2005 Mainship 30 Pilot II)
Panama City area
-----Original Message-----
From: Rudy Sechez rudysechez@gmail.com
I doubt that the topic of whether it is better to show additional
lighting or not can be resolved by personal experiences. I know myself
that everytime that I've gotten involved in questionable
circumstances, as much as I'd like not to admit, it was always because
I wasn't paying attention, I was misreading what I was seeing, or I
was operating on what I was afraid might happen, not what would
actually happen..
If additional lighting is a significant advantage, I suspect that the
Coast Guard, being more involved than any one of us in accident
investigation, would most likely encourage it, at least in the Inland
Rules. But since they seem to lean in the opposite direction, and have
more information at their disposal than any one of us, plus my own
experiences with the subject, I tend to agree with their conclusion
mentioned in an earlier post.
I suspect that among individuals, this will be a subject that boils
down to individual preference. We all have a story, some for, some
against. But that is one reason that I favor forums like this as you
get to hear many differing opinions, and sometimes even learn
something new.
*Rudy & Jill Sechez *
*BRINEY BUG-a 34' Sail-Assisted Trawler *
*850-832-7748 *
*www.trawlertrainingabc.com http://www.trawlertrainingabc.com *
Baltimore MD