Solar Anchor Light?

[IslandMac]

After reading the forums on the need to drill through the foam in the mast, we're wondering if anyone has found an effective solar-powered anchor light? We've already purchased the light and wiring to do the job, but it seems like spending the extra for a solar-powered light would save a lot of time and effort.

[Russ]

Most solar powered lights simply aren't bright enough to be legal (2 miles). You can get a battery operated or 12v LED anchor light if mast mount won't work.

I was able to snake past the foam in my mast easily along the side. Ran a wire right down. Try it before you give up.
Also, LEDs are polarity sensitive and I was able to reuse the 2 stock wires and toggle between anchor and steaming light.

This is how I did mine

--Russ

[Ixneigh]

Actually yes, in the tropics or locations with at least eight hours of sun.
I use several lights on my M model that are solar powered and made for the marine industry. They work very well.
Mine are blue and augment my hardwired anchor and accent lighting however they would work well as stand alone units. They are not cheap though. I paid 140.00 each for them. They are rated for two NM and used for barge markers etc. I also just bought a few much cheaper, 35.00 lights that I will try out. These are waaaaay better then the garden lights at Walmart.
Ix

[Tomfoolery]

How do you turn it off when sailing with no engine power? And so you don't have two stern lights under motor or sail? Assuming it's at the top of the mast, which of course, it doesn't have to be, in which case, it's another story altogether.

I would think it would be easier to hard-wire an LED all-round white, possibly with the existing wires for the masthead (steaming) light extended up to the top of the mast, with a diode or two and switch to select between them, and add a small solar panel to top off the batts during the day.

Like Russ did. I should read more thoroughly before offering up my 'wisdom'.

[Seapup]

Guest makes an approved anchor light that turns on and off automatically at sunset/sunrise and last about 3 months on a $5 lantern battery, longer if you switch to an led bulb. You have to look for them used now.

http://www.foreandaftmarine.com/85-452014.htm

[yukonbob]

I'm not a supporter of additional point lighting at anchor, but solar powered deck flood lights don't have any requirements for visibility and in addition to the existing legally required anchor lights, if it runs out of juice you still have minimum required protection.

[Ixneigh]

My lighting is hardly standard. I have one Davis white led anchor light hung from the rigging. I have two self contained solar blue deck lights. I have one high powered white light on the mast arch plus accent lighting in the hull. These last three lights go off about 12 am when I hope most of the traffic is home, leaving me with one nearly all around two mile white light and two two mile blue lights. Why all this BS???? Well because one white light disappears amid the shore lights quite easily when returning to shore from sea. FROM shore it's easy to see a white light but FROM seaward its nearly useless in my area. The blue lights stand out. I can manually turn off the lights and turn on the legal running lights for moving.
I also keep a solar strobe light in case of emergency or needing to mark something such as a hazard.
Ix

[yukonbob]

My only issue with that, is that someone could misidentify you as a vessel clearing mines (two green two white stacked combo) Goofy as that possibility may be, I've been on the other end far to many times trying to figure out what exactly I'm looking at in the dark. Either way they'll probably avoid you but they might be looking for an anchorage and really mess them up. Even flood lights can be really confusing until you're up close. I've sworn I was looking at a UFO on more than one occasion.

[mrron_tx]

Most solar powered lights simply aren't bright enough to be legal (2 miles). You can get a battery operated or 12v LED anchor light if mast mount won't work.

I was able to snake past the foam in my mast easily along the side. Ran a wire right down. Try it before you give up.
Also, LEDs are polarity sensitive and I was able to reuse the 2 stock wires and toggle between anchor and steaming light.

This is how I did mine

--Russ

I agree with Russ.....the thought of running wires up/down the mast is much worse than actually doing it Ron.

[mrron_tx]

My extra lights are not actually "anchor lights" but at anchor lights. While running wires through My Mast ....I added a couple of wires and installed a twelve inch LED light strip on each spreader bar for extra " to be seen at anchor lighting. They are the bright white strips available at most auto parts stores..... They also have blue , green and red. Mine make a really nice white glow that would be very hard not to see. Ron. Dauntless.

[yukonbob]

My extra lights are not actually "anchor lights" but at anchor lights.

That's the same thing though

[mrron_tx]

My extra lights are not actually "anchor lights" but at anchor lights.

That's the same thing though

Maybe I'm confused , but I thought the required anchor light had to be on top of the mast and visible for at least two miles. My spreader bar lights are....well , on the bottom side of the spreader bars shining down onto the deck . Although they are bright , I'm not sure they can be seen for two miles.... actually I never thought about that part. I just want people to see Me at night without having to look 35 ft upwards Ron.

[yukonbob]

Deck flood lights are fine they can't be seen far off. It's when you start adding single points of light, a couple yellow lights here, a purple one there, maybe a couple more white ones for good measure (all of these being able to see at 1-2nm) changes your pattern and profile to other ships and boats not anchored. They might interpret you as something different or perceive your distance differently. Not being able to see a light far off can change the perceived distance you are from an approaching vessel as well.

[Tomfoolery]

My extra lights are not actually "anchor lights" but at anchor lights.

That's the same thing though

Maybe I'm confused , but I thought the required anchor light had to be on top of the mast and visible for at least two miles.

They are required to have "an intensity as specified in [ Section 8 of ] Annex I to these Rules so as to be visible at the following minimum ranges:", with under 12 meter vessels specified at 2 miles (all-round lights, of any color).

Annex I details the horizontal sectors for lights. Anchor lights are specified thusly:

9. Horizontal sectors
(b) (i) All-round lights shall be so located as not to be obscured by masts,
topmasts or structures within angular sectors of more than 6°, except
anchor lights prescribed in Rule 30, which need not be placed at an
impracticable height above the hull.

So anchor lights don't technically have to be unobstructed for the whole 360 deg. arc, and they don't have to be at the top of the mast. My personal preference is for an anchor light at the top for boats coming into an anchorage, but in a crowded anchorage, an all-round white dangling (low) from the forestay or backstay will be more visible to someone noodling along looking for a spot.

I have an all-round light on a stick that plugs into a socket the PO installed and labeled "Anchor Light" on the panel, and I use the short light stick he had for a flag staff, and added a long one that gets above the bimini for anchoring, but it's hardly ideal as the main sail cover may obstruct some of the arc. It's more useful for operating without mast, in Trawler Mode, as both the masthead (steaming) light and the stern light (I pull the bulb on the stern light). Like most small power boats do.

[Tomfoolery]

And from 33 CFR:

Rule 30 - Anchored Vessels and Vessels Aground

(a) A vessel at anchor shall exhibit where it can best be seen:

(i) in the fore part, an all-round white light or one ball;
(ii) at or near the stern and at a lower level than the light prescribed in Rule 30(a)(i), an all-round white light.

(b) A vessel of less than 50 meters in length may exhibit an all-round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights prescribed in Rule 30(a).

(c) A vessel at anchor may, and a vessel of 100 meters and more in length shall, also use the available working or equivalent lights to illuminate her decks.

So small boats don't have to have two anchor lights, though they may have two, and small boats don't have to use deck working lights in addition to anchor lights, but they may. So I would think there's nothing in the rules to prevent having spreader lights on, as they're for deck illumination. And hanging a loose anchor light from the backstay in addition to one at the top of the mast is also acceptable for small boats.

Or so it looks to me, but I'm neither a maritime attorney, nor do I play one on television.