After urging the MCA to update the Colregs to make anchor lights more visible, Alastair Buchan finds himself still in the dark.
We asked for your views on anchor lights on small craft (Feb 16). A total of 193 of you replied, of whom 162 said that the rules should be reviewed. That is 84% in favour of change.
I asked the Marine and Coast guard Agency (MCA) for their views. They told me to 'raise this matter and your concerns jointly through the Cruising Association (CA) and the RYA. This will ensure wider representation of the recreational craft sector. MCA personnel are attending a meeting of the CA Regulations and Technical Services (RATS) group.’
This advice sounds familiar. In 2015 the MCA recommended that I raise the subject at its September 2015 UKSON (UK Safety Of Navigation) meeting. I did. The meeting decided that the proposal of a white flashing light (as an alternative anchor light) could interfere with aids to navigation. End of discussion, despite the fact that I had proposed discussing how anchor lights could be changed
The Colregs are unlikely to change, so it’s up to us to find a way of being more visible at anchor without looking like any other light characteristic to make them more visible – not replacing a fixed light with a flashing light.
Esta historia es de la edición April 2017 de Yachting Monthly.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición April 2017 de Yachting Monthly.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
How to rig preventers and boom brakes
Rigging a preventer or using a boom brake is just good seamanship when sailing downwind, but doing so badly is asking for trouble, says Rachael Sprot
Don't let Thames sewage kill off this lovely boat
Samuel Pepys mentions oysters in his diaries 68 times, but that was when they were as common as winkles along the banks of the Thames and when they were a source of cheap protein for the masses.
I finally found the magic of the sea
I won’t be in theatres with a notebook as much as usual this month – time for some wider, wetter horizons – but may be musing, as I often do, on how rare it is for theatre to express a convincing reality about the oceans and the trade or pursuit of seafaring.
TECHNICAL GOLDEN OLDIES
Ken Endean looks back on the boats he has owned over 50 years and explains why the hull lines of older yachts continue to offer first-class handling
HOW IT WORKS MARKING
Many cruising yacht skippers mark very little on board their boats.
TECHNICAL INSTALLING A NEW ENGINE
When a mysterious loss of coolant jeopardised his sailing, Andy Du Port knew the time had tome to replace his yacht’s:veteran Volvo Penta
NEW GEAR
Dennis O’Neill rounds up the latest marine innovations, including developments in women’s sailing jackets
MARIE TABARLY HONOURING HER FATHER
Marie Tabarly took line honours in the Ocean Globe Race, surpassing her father’s record while racing aboard his famous 73ft ketch Pen Duick VI
HEATHER THOMAS SMASHING RECORDS
In leading her all-female crew to victory in the OGR, Heather Thomas has broken records and taken women's sailing into the stratosphere
MAIDEN MAKES HISTORY AGAIN
Being the first all-female crew to win a round-the-world race is seismic in itself, but the diverse nationalities of the crew are just as significant for the future of sailing