# portable anchor light



## maestro (May 3, 2002)

I''m looking for an inexpensive (well... not poor quality) removable anchor light for my 22 footer. I really don''t want to install an anchor light permanently at the top of my mast and run wire down it if I really don''t have to. Any suggestions ??

Mike C.
s/v "Maestro"


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Look at the Davis mini amp mega light. low power, plugs into lighter, 2 miles visibility. Bought mine from sailnet.


----------



## pirateofcapeann (Aug 27, 2002)

On the Jesse Boyce I use a “Little Camper” oil lantern. It cost less then $10, and works like a charm! There’s no drain on the batteries. It holds a flame all night even in windy conditions and it’s as traditional as you please! While all of the others are flipping switches, I’m hanging my lantern in the shrouds! In the early evening, if we’re sitting around the cockpit, the lantern sits atop the main hatch to give us some light. 

A friend of mine gave me a “nice” Weems & Plath Yacht Lamp a few years back but that patent thing tossed less light then a good wooden match! I eventually tried that for an anchor light but it had too many issues for the job so I went back to the Little Camper and passed the W&P on to the next victim!

Pi


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Get the Davis. Very small amp draw and turns on by itself.


----------



## Jasper Windvane (Mar 2, 2006)

where do you buy a small oil lamp?


----------



## erps (Aug 2, 2006)

Half the sailboaters in Desolation Sound were using Home Depot solar powered landscaping lights this summer, me included. $19 for a pair. Brighter than an oil lamp, set it and forget it all summer long.


----------



## mtboat (Oct 14, 2007)

Walmart....14.95 for 4 solar yard lights.I put two in the cabin and two above. Then forget them.


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Of course, if you decide to go the Home Depot solar light route, and you get hit, you're probably going to get sued and lose. The requirements are that the anchor light must be visible for 2 nm...


----------



## jimmalkin (Jun 1, 2004)

I am a huge believer in oil lanterns hung 6 feet above deck from the headstay rather than a masthead light. Lights at the top of the mast can get lost in the stars and people entering anchorages in the dark are generally searching the water at eye level for hulls of anchored boats. Three years ago a commercial fishing boat motored out through Point Judith RI Harbor of Refuge and dropped his trawling arms. Took out the mizzen and rigging of a ketch anchored in the Harbor of Refuge. The falling mizzen mast almost killed the sailor as he scrambled out the companionway to see what the hell was going on. Captain of the fishing vessel told the USCG that he mistook the masthead anchor light for the lights of a plane...


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I guess that captain didn't see the big stick under the light.


----------



## erps (Aug 2, 2006)

> Of course, if you decide to go the Home Depot solar light route, and you get hit, you're probably going to get sued and lose. The requirements are that the anchor light must be visible for 2 nm...


the requirement to lose in civil court is to prove you were negligent.


----------



## PalmettoSailor (Mar 7, 2006)

erps said:


> the requirement to lose in civil court is to prove you were negligent.


Which an attorney would certainly set out to characterize you as and a reasonable person might conclude you were for using a landscape light in place of an approved anchor light or at least a brighter light than those solar walkway lights I see some folks use.


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Personally, I see no problem with using the solar-powered landscape lighting as auxiliary lighting, to make the boat more visible... but I do have a problem with using it in place of a proper anchor light. Most of the solar walkway lighting I've seen, and I used them at my previous house, weren't very bright—much less bright than the LED anchor light I have on my boat—and didn't make it through the night. By three in the morning or so...chances are very likely the solar-powered "anchor" lights are out or very dim.


----------



## Freesail99 (Feb 13, 2006)

The Davis MEGA LITE Anchor/Utility Light is only 40 bucks. There are not many things on a boat as important, that you could buy for $40 or under.


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Well said Free... $40 bucks is less than most people spend on beer a weekend.


----------



## Boasun (Feb 10, 2007)

A coleman lantern would work. Test fill one and determine how long one filling would last. Several hours from my camping experience. But I have never ran one out from filling to dry.
Disavantage? You would have to carry the fuel (fammable liquid) for it, spare filiments, and a means of lighting them.
An anchor light working off of the house battery would be safer. And you would not need to carry cans of coal oil or propane. Just keep that battery charged


----------



## erps (Aug 2, 2006)

> Which an attorney would certainly set out to characterize you as and a resonable person might conclude you were for using a landscape light in place of an approved anchor light or at least a brighter light than those solar walkway lights I see some folks use.


I agree that if you use a light that doesn't meet the 2 mile requirement, you're on thin ice. I disagree that by not having a Coast Guard Approved sticker on it, there is a presumption that it does not meet the two mile requirement. The real problem with using any kind of anchor light that isn't on the top of the mast is that it probably does not meet the 360' requirement.


----------



## heinzir (Jul 25, 2000)

I am not required to show an anchor light at my mooring because it is, after all, a designated mooring. My boat has been moored there for 15 yrs. Two years ago she was run down and dismasted by a drunken power boater in the middle of the night. It was a hit and run, (s)he was never caught.





After I replaced the mast, I used a solar garden light for the rest of that season. It was too dim and did not last the night. For the next season I put a Davis Mega Lite at the masthead. It comes on by itself every single night, is plenty bright, and uses minimal current. A small (10w) solar panel on the foredeck hatch is more than enough to replenish the little bit of current it consumes from the Optima battery.

No problems since.


----------



## Boasun (Feb 10, 2007)

Just to point out that the anchor light need not be at the top of the mast. Yes it needs to be a task light (360 degree) and a couple of meters above the fore deck. And if you are worried about it being masted by your mast you can have an after stern light also. In fact I would have my deck lights on also. for the more lights you display the more apt you are to be seen. Unless that idiot is really drunk.
String outdoor Christmas tree lights from bow to stern by the way of the mast truck and then along the life lines. Then the drunk might miss you. Or stop by, thinking you are a bar and wanting another beer or shot of bourbon.


----------



## erps (Aug 2, 2006)

Actually, we have a string of white LED christmas lights that draw about 0.5 amps, including the inverter draw. We have them strung up around the cockpit and run them in the evenings when the mood strikes us. That's probably 50 lights that meet the 2 mile rule. Just need an electric eye to regulate them and a stuffed Santa Claus in the rigging.


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Tried.. Works perfect. and I love the idea of waking up to a fully charged house battery


----------



## brak (Jan 5, 2007)

For this exact reason I keep a small "throwaway" led light on deck, shining upwards onto the mast (in addition to the official anchor light). It may not be visible for two miles - but it is visible for a few hundred yards where it counts.



jimmalkin said:


> I am a huge believer in oil lanterns hung 6 feet above deck from the headstay rather than a masthead light. Lights at the top of the mast can get lost in the stars and people entering anchorages in the dark are generally searching the water at eye level for hulls of anchored boats. Three years ago a commercial fishing boat motored out through Point Judith RI Harbor of Refuge and dropped his trawling arms. Took out the mizzen and rigging of a ketch anchored in the Harbor of Refuge. The falling mizzen mast almost killed the sailor as he scrambled out the companionway to see what the hell was going on. Captain of the fishing vessel told the USCG that he mistook the masthead anchor light for the lights of a plane...


----------



## MIKEMCKEE (Oct 13, 2001)

Mike,
I've used a walkway solar light for three years now. I just take it our of the locker and let it hang on the yardarm all day getting charged up and it's good to go at night. Before I started using it, I tried it out while in the marina one weekend to see how well it did from a good distance away. I can't say I was two miles away, but it was bright enough to be visible from at least 1 3/4 miles, as far as I could get and still have a direct line of sight. When I am at anchor at night it give's off enough light to walk around the deck with no problem. I could almost read by the light.

Chief,
s/v Blue Bayou


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

sailingdog said:


> I guess that captain didn't see the big stick under the light.


Probably had destroyed his night vision lighting his crack pipe, but I wouldn't want to jump to any conclusions. 

Those of you using the solar yard lights - do they have switches so you don't blind yourself if you are underway and it gets dark?


----------



## Mary51 (May 1, 2006)

*Mast top lights*



arbarnhart said:


> Probably had destroyed his night vision lighting his crack pipe, but I wouldn't want to jump to any conclusions.
> 
> Those of you using the solar yard lights - do they have switches so you don't blind yourself if you are underway and it gets dark?


I just spent a night in a crowded anchorage with a number of large boats with mast top lights only. Several times during the night I would see a bright light waaaay up high and wonder "what the hell is THAT?!" When there is no light at deck or cabin level, those lights really do look like a really bright star. I think they could easily be taken for a airplane light.

Looking around that crowded anchorage, I could pick out and locate the boats with lower lights easily. The Davis light is easy to put up and take down, so most of us who use it don't have it up while sailing.

If you use a solar light with an on/off switch and don't turn it on until as late as possible, the newer ones will last all night. Haven't been able to find one with an on/off switch lately, tho.

Mary


----------

