More and more I am seeing boats coming into the anchorages after dark running both their tricolor masthead and deck mounted navigation lights. OK, so it may not be exactly legal and even though there is almost no traffic at night down here (most bareboat companies don't allow it), they really, really want to be seen. Cool.
But on at least 60% of these boats the masthead tricolor is as much as 20 degrees out of alignment! Now, I understand that these folks want to be seen, as mentioned above, but what good does it do to be seen if you are sending such confusing signals? A red, no white, no red aloft, a red forward on deck and a white steaming light. Or a red aloft and a green on deck (or vice versa) with a steaming light in between. Or my favorite, a red and green on deck and either a solid red or solid green aloft.
Even if you don't run both, all you with tricolors should check the alignment frequently, as these lights seem to become unaligned pretty easily.
But on at least 60% of these boats the masthead tricolor is as much as 20 degrees out of alignment! Now, I understand that these folks want to be seen, as mentioned above, but what good does it do to be seen if you are sending such confusing signals? A red, no white, no red aloft, a red forward on deck and a white steaming light. Or a red aloft and a green on deck (or vice versa) with a steaming light in between. Or my favorite, a red and green on deck and either a solid red or solid green aloft.
Even if you don't run both, all you with tricolors should check the alignment frequently, as these lights seem to become unaligned pretty easily.