Nav lights question

[mm5aho]

I've done more night sailing this year than most, so using nav lights more than usual.
I have LED arrays in the bow lights (port/stbd), and stern, but incandescent at half way up mast facing forward. (changed from incandescent this year, saves a lot of battery power)

But I was wondering about this postion. Its largely obscured by the jib. Wouldn't it be better at the mast head?

There's already an anchor light there, but whats the difference?
From a distance any boat seeing me bow on will see first a white light, a mast light. They don't know how high the mast is. Closer they'll see nav lights too, but beaing about 1.5m asl, they'll be seen a lot later on approach.

Any advice? Why should I not abandon the white light at half mast and just use a masthead white?

[Nick]

I've done more night sailing this year than most, so using nav lights more than usual.
I have LED arrays in the bow lights (port/stbd), and stern, but incandescent at half way up mast facing forward. (changed from incandescent this year, saves a lot of battery power)

But I was wondering about this postion. Its largely obscured by the jib. Wouldn't it be better at the mast head?

There's already an anchor light there, but whats the difference?
From a distance any boat seeing me bow on will see first a white light, a mast light. They don't know how high the mast is. Closer they'll see nav lights too, but beaing about 1.5m asl, they'll be seen a lot later on approach.

Any advice? Why should I not abandon the white light at half mast and just use a masthead white?

Because:

a) Stern on they would see two white lights

b) If you disable the stern light the anchor light is still illegal because regs say the sternlight should be placed as nearly as practicable at the stern showing 67.5 degrees from right aft on each side of the vessel.

These are just two reasons that come swiftly to mind. I'm sure there are others - including the required range of anchor versus nav lights.

[marisca]

The steaming light is only on when being propelled by machinery, so obscuration only occurs when motor sailing with the jib drawing. Lose the jib or lose the motor and get a tricolour.

[sahona]

The steaming light can be a nuisance - illuminating a big stretch of rolled genny from behind. You're right about using the anchor light if you switch off the white sternlight while it's in use. You could rig up a switching system to do it automatically and fit diodes to bring on the compass light as well.

[mm5aho]

Thanks, good info.
Seems then that for the 40 years of its life, Contender might have been wired wrongly, as the steaming light is on the same circuit as the nav lights. Another job for the winter maintenance list.!

[sahona]

If you only ever use the running lights when motoring and always use the tricolour when sailing, it's OK to have the steaming light tied into the running lights circuit I suppose. It saves a switch position on the panel. I save another by feeding the compass illumination via two diodes, one from each of the navlight circuits.

[Piperatsea]

A power driven vessel under 12m is allowed to display an all-round white light instead of separate masthead and stern lights. (RYA IRPCS book page 49)
What the real world calls a masthead light we yotties call a steaming light.