Capt. Mike Maurice
Near Portland Oregon.

At 07:00 PM 12/10/01 -0500, you wrote:

I agree about the improved lighting situation with the red over green. But
since you did not read the entire post, I will repeat the material about
the red over green below.

Sailboats over 20 meters should use the red and green overall lights near
the masthead along with the regular lights lower down, as they can most
likely stand the extra windage and weight aloft. Instead of the tricolor
which is not legal over 20 meters.

Capt. Mike Maurice
Near Portland Oregon.

Mike,

I agree the tri-color is a good light when under sail. A small correction
however - the tri-color is legal for any sailing vessels under 20 meters,
not just those under 12 meters.

A far better solution to sailboat visibility that no one has mentioned yet
is the red over green lights specified in Rule 25c that a sailboat can
optionally add at the top of the mast. These lights are carried by a number
of boats in the tall ship crowd, and they really increase the visibility of
a sailboat.

A normally lit vessel under sail, only shows a single red or green light
when viewed from forward. This is not very much light at all. Adding the red
over greens to that really changes the picture, adding a tremendous increase
in visibility.

Kevin

Kevin wrote in part:
<Snip>

If this thread is confusing, try identifying a set of wierd lights and
matching same to the radar display closing you in the total
blackness at 2AM in moderate seas. I seem to have a problem
visually trying to figure out what the heck is out there at times and
thought I had part of it figured out till reading the past several posts.
Any deviation from the normal will cause confusion. (At least from
my perspective.)

First the radar picks up the approaching object, then the lights
become visable, then if I'm lucky my night vision scope will verify
what it is. That's ideal and in ideal weather.  That only happens
once in a while.

I have to run with a reference book handy and with the "trawler"
light turned down low to be able to read. I refuse to trust my
memory in matters which involve safety.

So go ahead and add lights to lights.  I'll just take more Rolaids
and consider purchasing starshells.<G>

Sandy Floe
Sea Eagle
Day Island, WA

At 08:32 PM 12/10/01 -0800, you wrote:

A few observations. Nightscopes can't tell one color from another. I have
not found it useful for identifying boat types. I have found it useful to
figure out if a boat has any light at all.

I have trouble identifying boat types, orientation and so on, just like
everybody else.
The courts have ruled that lights that can't be figured out, does not
relieve anyone of the obligation to take care. Wave action is legitimate
reason for lights being obscured, sails, and deck equipment are not. The
rules were written not to be followed for their OWN sake but to prevent
collisions. They have NO other purpose. If you have an accident, you will
be held to account as to whether you followed the rules, but that is only
for the purposes of finding fault. Avoiding the accident is the objective.
The rules are just there to help you.
See Rule 2(a, b).  "or by the special circumstances of the case", and
"which may make a departure from these rules necessary to avoid immediate
danger".

In case this is not crystal clear yet. The nav rules are not like
automobile driving rules.
You are very unlikely to be pulled over for not keeping to the right, or
for coming to close quarters with another vessel. Which would happen when
driving an automobile. Use the rules, follow them as best you can, but do
everything necessary to avoid a collision.

The amount of badly lit vessels is so high that it is almost, but not quite
useless to know what the lights are supposed to be. It is my opinion that
figuring out the lights and what they mean is frustrating at best. But, you
are entitled to get as much as you can out of them and if you practice you
will get better. Big high speed ships are the most dangerous and best lit.

Radar is the best defense. Not because you can accurately estimate course
and speed of them from a small yawing boat, but at least you know they are
out there and can start looking for them.

As for your comment that any deviation from the normal will cause
confusion, I hate to be the bearer of really bad news, but there is no
normal. Since that is the case, I suggest that you concentrate on being as
normal as possible. As you can count on the other guy being abnormal.

By the way, one of the problems is that not one person in a thousand really
knows the nav light rules well.  Reading the rules is only about 1/3 the
battle. There's the annex's in the back that have the details and then
there are more books that have the interpretation.

What I have been posting takes into account the annex's and the court
interpretations.

And don't think that I have it all figured out 100 percent. Every once in a
while I find some arcane piece of trivia that I thought I had right and
come to find out it is skewed ever so slightly.

If you have radar, at least death won't come sneaking up on you. If you
learn to estimate course and speed and from that: CPA, closest point of
approach, you will improve your safety by an order of magnitude.
If you have trouble with the lights, concentrate on the radar. With big
ships, stay out of the dead ahead location, where the range lights are
directly over each other. At less than 3 miles the side lights will become
visible and you can really get panicky.

I spend a lot of time, dodging fishing boats and big ships at night in high
swell around here. What i have posted represents the best of my ideas
tested over 35 years, since I got my first CG license. I am constantly
reconsidering my tactics and honing the system. I judge my efforts solely
on how well they work. Frankly I don't care where a good idea comes from as
long as it does something to enhance safety.

Any tactic which shows signs of being susceptable to failure, lead to an
accident, is likely to be redone and on the next trip, which in my case may
very well occur tomorrow.

Maybe more some other time.

Capt. Mike Maurice
Near Portland Oregon.