NAVIGATION LIGHTS
Navigation lights must be turned on from sunset to sunrise and when in, or near, areas of restricted visibility. Restricted visibility means vessels cannot see each another due to any type of inclement weather.
It is extremely important to know what individual navigation lights represent, as the light may be the only visible object you can see on a boat at night.
Lights for Nighttime and Restricted Visibility Operation:
- A "Masthead light" is a white light placed on the centerline of the vessel showing an arc of the horizon of 225 degrees.
- "Stern light" means a white light placed as near at the stern as possible showing an arc of the horizon of 135 degrees.
- All-round light" means a light showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 360 degrees. On most recreational powerboats. the all-round white light takes the place of the masthead and stern light.
If you observe only a white light on a boat at night, you are observing one of the following four (4) situations:
- you are overtaking either a sailing vessel or a power-driven vessel, or
- you are approaching a vessel at anchor, or
- a row boat is showing a hand-held light, or
- a sailboat less than 23 feet/7 meters in length is showing a hand-held light.
In any of these events, your obligation is to stay out of the way.
Power-driven Vessels
Figure 1
The manufacturers of recreational powerboats install navigation lights according to USCG specifications and the boat operator should not change the location of the lights.
The typical lighting configuration, for powerboats less than 39.4 feet/12 meters in length, consists of a combination bow light and all-round white light. However, the red and green running lights can be offset from the bow and place on the side of the vessel. In either example, the colored lights show from straight ahead to 22 ½ degrees behind the beam of the boat.
The white light is usually an all-round light that shows an unbroken arc of 360-degrees, or it can be two separate lights (a masthead light plus a stern light), that when show together create the same lighting pattern as the all-round light. The masthead or all-round white light must be at least 1 meter above the sidelights and show an unbroken arc of light around the horizon.
On International waters, powerboats less than 23 feet/7 meters in length with a maximum speed of 7 knots, may, in lieu of showing a masthead and stern light, display an all-round white light, and if practicable, sidelights.
Sailing Vessels
As with powerboats, the manufacturers of sailing vessels install navigation lights according to USCG specifications.
A sailing vessel less than 65.6 feet/20 meters in length has three different options of displaying navigation lights:
- The lights may be combined in one lantern and displayed at the top of the mast (figure 1).
- Red and green sidelights and a stern light (figure 2).
- Combination bow light, a red over green light at the top of the mast, and a stern light (figure 3).
The major difference between a powerboat and a sailboat it that the sailboat does not show a white light facing forward when underway. To help identify a sailing vessel, remember the saying “red over green, sailing machine”.
A sailboat less than 23 feet/7 meters in length, should attempt to show standard navigation lights for sailboats, but as an option may show just a white light in sufficient time to prevent collision (figure 4).
Figure 2 |
Figure 3 |
Figure 4 |
If your vessel is under oars, then it should display lights for a sailboat. As an option, your vessel may show a white light in sufficient time to prevent collision.
When anchored between sunset and sunrise and during periods of restricted visibility, all vessels must display 360-degrees of white light visible where it can best be seen from all directions.
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