Without looking it up, what is this boat?

[Irwin32]

It is night. You see two masts - not sailboat- the aft mast light is higher with a white 225. The forward mast has a 225 white lower than the aft mast. In between the masts is a red mounted lower than the whites. Above the forward white - equal in height to the the aft white, is an amber light that flashes once per second three times, and then stops for three seconds. Obviously, you are approaching this vessel from its port side, but what type of boat is it? Light configurations are impossible to memorize. I would certainly fail this test.

[capttb]

Hydrographic survey vessel with gear in the water?

[TrueBlue]

The stand-on vessel.

[gstraub]

The only vessel that has a yellow flashing light with that sequence is a submarine operating on the surface.

Gerhard

[Sasha_V]

English Channel hovercraft ferry.


I kid you not.

A story from a local sailing guru who was oing through the '98 Sydney to Hobart race has forever fixated that pattern in my mind.
He said that after they had gone through their second knockdown (after a full 360), and the winds were up over 70knots and everyone had gone below to huddle because there was not one pair of goggles on board that made it possible to see anything through the crossbow-bolt like flying spray, he got a call from a fellow crew member who was at a window, saying "look out there, something is moving out there, two white lights and a flashing yellow light. What is that?"

And without pausing to let his brain engage and actually take into acount the hideous conditions just outside the cabin he says he automatically replied "Its a hovercraft ferry." About four seconds later, as he noticed the odd look on the crew's faces he snapped back to reality and yelled out "it's a rescue helicopter! Get on the radio and tell them we are not who they are looking for!"

Yes there were poeple flying choppers at wavetop height trying to rescue people in that mess. Wavetop height was over 70feet...but I don't think that takes away from the crazy of it.

Sasha

[gstraub]

A hovercraft has a continuously flashing yellow light (only when in the nondisplacement mode). A submarine has a yellow light that flashes in groups of three.

Gerhard

[Cruiserwannabe]

guys did I miss the answer its killing me...even cheating I couldnt find it ????

[Irwin32]

I did not carefully proof read my post. I humbly apologize and promise to do double head cleaning duty as punishment. The aft mast was supposed to have a white on the lower and a yellow on top.

I guess the right answer, then, would be a vessel not running legal lights. I am sorry.

[Irwin32]

I'm getting old and forgot what I was originally intended. The vessel is a surfaced submarine. I stunbled across it looking at last year's edition of Chapman on pg 124 ubnder lights for naval vessels.

gstraub, you know your lights!! I'm impressed!

[gstraub]

My Coast Guard exam is tomorrow....I darn well better know the lights!!!!!!!!!!! It was a fun exercise and helped me study!

Gerhard