Mondays 12/13/2010 Question and boating safety tip ANSWERED

CaptainScott · Post by **CaptainScott** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 10:22 am

Safety Tip:
How many times on our sailboats do we run to the bow to adjust a line, fix a sail, unhook a snag, or just to retrieve something? Now lets extend that a bit. How many times do you, one of your crew, or maybe even a guest go on the bow? Maybe to sit in the sun, relax, or just feel the boat cutting the waves in that ten knot breeze? Have you ever thought to yourself how risky it is for you as a seasoned sailor or how even more risky it is for a guest or new crew? It just takes one wave, slip, or misstep and off you go! Have you ever considered how you move forward on your boat? On my boats there are a few few things I ALWAYS tell my passengers that are new to sailing. I even tell some old schoolers from time to time. I do not consider my life lines on the boat as life lines. I prefer to call them "fool you" lines! Think about the height of these lines. Now picture loosing your balance and falling into them! They'd more likely trip you up and send you over than catch you! Even if they did catch you, they'd likley break off! IF you walk the deck clinging to a life line, it naturally pulls your balance AWAY from the boat! I tell everyone to hang on to the coach top as they move forward. That way if the fall, the fall INTO my boat! I also try to impress on folks to always go forward on the windward side of the boat. That way they do not have to negotiate the sail, boom, and sheet. Again, if they slip, they will likely slide down hill. If they trip on the leeward side, the only thing saving them is the "fool you" lines. If they trip on the windward side, they have the entire coach top and deck to catch themselves. Just thought I mention a few little things to think about as you take people sailing with you!

Question:
A beautiful 28' sloop sails into Lake Union for an evening of fireworks on the 4th of July. There are many boats in close quarters and folks are generally having a great time. As the late evening festivities come to an end the Captain of this sloop flicks off his anchor light and turns on the tri color mast head lights and heads out of Lake Union through the Mont Lake cut into Lake Washington where he will find a nice anchorage to spend the night. The next day the Captain of this 28'er decides his perfectly legal LED tricolor masthead lights are not the lights for him and promptly plans a change.

Why?
Please explain what may have caused this desire to change the lights?

monty · Post by **monty** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 10:46 am

My guess is he needs a steaming light that is above the nav lights, therefore requiring the nav lights be positioned lower.

Windward · Post by **Windward** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 10:57 am

My spin: A tri-color is great so that boats can see you from a distance, especially if significant waves are involved. Up close, or where there's lots of other traffic, people are often looking much lower for nav lights.

The fireworks may have been a red herring here, but it one were moving when the fireworks were flying, the tricolor would be tough to distinguish from the fireworks. Also true if there are cell towers and buildings in the background.

Capt. Bondo · Post by **Capt. Bondo** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 11:13 am

Good Safety Tip; on Happy Place the rule is always one hand for the boat (fool you lines not included)

It's a trick question; the next day the sun is out and you don't need your tricolor masthead lights on during the day.

EmergencyExit · Post by **EmergencyExit** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 11:58 am

I'm leaning towards Jeff's answer (after looking up the local on Google maps). Narrow passage way in between the two lakes, urban area along the way, house and building lights along the way up on hills, and and a freeway bridge or two to go under.

Wonder who the guy on the bike on the Montlake bridge is ?

Love the street views..

Alanhod · Post by **Alanhod** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 2:56 pm

Andiron120 · Post by **Andiron120** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 4:22 pm

The majority of my sailing is on inland waters, and I know for a fact that while Bubba seldom looks around or behind himself, he Never Ever looks up. A masthead tricolor would come closer to being identified as a UFO than being properly interpreted as navigation lights. But I must admit I have also been accused of having the Bubba gene myself on occasion. I do try to overcome it while on the water though.

lecker68 · Post by **lecker68** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 5:11 pm

I think with the narrow passage and the tri color light his mast is lit but not bow and stern as well as width. I remember some of the older cruisers 1900-1930 if the red and green were not at the bow they had a white light on the bow, stern and above cabin top.

J. Austin · Post by **J. Austin** » Mon Dec 13, 2010 5:19 pm

IMO Jeff has it exactly.

Bhacurly · Post by **Bhacurly** » Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:29 pm

I agree w/ Jeff and Capt Bondo...

And Alan needs a LED head lamp for Christmas!

CaptainScott · Post by **CaptainScott** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 6:31 am

ANSWER:
While some fantastic points were made there was indeed one very specific reason the nav lights were to be changed.
Also as mentioned, Jeff hit it exactly.

The Tri color mast light is legal. No worries there.

The skipper of the 28'er was actually yelled at by power boaters for not having the nav lights on. We were in close proximatey of each other. With the distraction of city and shore lights, number of boats and the height at which the nav lights were at, more than one other boat reminded the intrepid skipper to "turn on your lights"!! The lights were on, and wer legal.

Mast head lights work much better for offshore lights or in large seas.
Deck height nav lights work far better near shore and near other boats. Most boaters do not look UP for running lights. In close proximity they never saw the lights!

For what it is worth it is legal to have both deck height lights and mast head tricolor however it is not legal to run both at the same time.

Not that it matters, it was me and it was my ole' 28 Kent ranger. I miss her sometimes.
Here is a link to a page I built when I sold her

Click here
and here is a few pictures:

Hey Mario,
If you follow the link, the page will be a copy of my original online sales add. Click the "reason for sale" link and you'll see our old 32 ' Endeavour. Hard to read but both boats were named "Spirit". The Endeavour was renamed "Destiny" by us and still carries the same name and lives in the same slip and is owned by the same guy we solde her to!

EmergencyExit · Post by **EmergencyExit** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 7:13 am

69Shark wrote:ANSWER:
The skipper of the 28'er was actually yelled at by power boaters for not having the nav lights on.

lol, when we brought EE's trailer home we wound up limping across the Bonne Carre Spillway bridge (not much shoulder at all)heading towards an exit with a blown tire and the flashers on. At least 4 people pulled along side us to yell out their window "Did you know you have a flat on that trailer??" Duh.