Anchor light as steaming light.....

[s/v Faith]

On another forum, someone just asked about using an anchor light as a steaming light.  I said no, that it was not legal since you would presumably have two white lights visible from astern, which would make you look like a large power boat.

He responded with the idea of switching your stern light off (of course it would require a separate switch for the stern light) and I see no reason why this would not work. 

Of course it only applies to small boats,  (USCG rules Link: http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=Rule23)

If your boat is less than 12 meters in length you may use an all-round white light and sidelights. But you then should not show a white stern-light.

What do you think?

[Godot]

It sounds perfectly legal. I'm not so sure it is wise, though. That light would be awfully high up, and is not what most people would be looking for. Stern lights are expected to be somewhere near the hull, not 30 or more feet up in the air. So, yes by the book (the way I read it), no for safety (in my very humble opinion). I think the concept may work better on a true power boat as the light would be closer to the superstructure, and on a less than 12 meter boat, much closer to the sea.

[s/v Faith]

It sounds perfectly legal. I'm not so sure it is wise, though. That light would be awfully high up, and is not what most people would be looking for. Stern lights are expected to be somewhere near the hull, not 30 or more feet up in the air. So, yes by the book (the way I read it), no for safety (in my very humble opinion). I think the concept may work better on a true power boat as the light would be closer to the superstructure, and on a less than 12 meter boat, much closer to the sea.

I agree, and would not rig a boat this way intentionally.  It might be a tool for the bag if you lost a masthead light though.

The white light visible from the stern would be awfully high, but it would be in the exactly same place if one were using a tricolor light while sailing.....

[Godot]

Right. But, since you can't use a tricolor while motoring, you have the deck port and starboard lights a few feet above sea level, and fifteen feet back and thirty or forty (or more) feet up the all around light. I think the geometry of it would be confusing to look at, when the whole point to nav light standards is to make things less confusing.

Still, better than nothing.

[CharlieJ]

I Imagine it IS legal, but I'd sure not want to do it. Same reason I don't want my anchor light at the mast head- SHIPS can see it up there, but I don't anchor where ships run :D

I want lights down were other small boat folks can see them- which means fairly close to the deck.

Now, sailing offshore would be way different.

[Kettlewell]

It's perfectly legal and I have used that system for decades and never had anyone mention I was not visible. It is very commonly seen on European boats. The reason I first did it was to be more visible. Once you get a separation between you and another boat of a few feet that masthead light is the most visible thing, yet many many times I have not been able to observe a boats deck-level lights until right on top of them, particularly in a large sea state. Unless your boat is huge and the mast very high it doesn't look all that different from a largish power boat with an all-around white sticking up on a pole from the fly bridge. Offshore, it is the only way to go unless sailing as the white at the masthead is visible from so far off. Plus, the light up there is much less blinding on the helmsperson and other people in the harbor, making it much easier to maneuver around a dark harbor and easing the task of someone overtaking you from astern. I find the masthead light often provides enough light to see quite well when motoring around a very dark harbor.

This configuration is shown in some official U.S. Coast Guard publications and other government publications.

[Kettlewell]

Here's a scan of a copy of Federal Requirements & Safety Tips for Recreational Boats, published by the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety. It is a few years old, but the rules haven't changed on this. https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=E81C1E58C812CF1F!215&authkey=!AN-54w_Rx58idsc&v=3&ithint=photo%2c.jpg