Wow, reading this I am absolutely chilled to the bone !

thanks for your perspective on this. I've never been on the bridge of a large commercial ship and had no idea what we look like to them. I always assumed "bright light, taller the better". The notion of a disembodied light waving back and forth puts things in perspective. And your point that deck level lights are seen in the reflection on the sails, hull and spray makes sense, and I had never considered it.

that said, I'm not sure which set of nav lights I'll choose next time out, but you have given me a lot to think about.