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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Re: No Strobes; link to red-green bow lights
Posted By: Tim Mattson In Response To: No Strobes; link to red-green bow lights *LINK* (Mark)
Date: Thursday, 29 July 2004, at 1:46 p.m.
I can see if I was paddling in a High traffic zone at night such as Manhattan or Seattle, I'd probably want all sorts of fixed (i.e. non-flashing) lights.
But the official collision avoidance regulations don't require a 360 degree visible light on a kayak. I am almost sure (and I'll check when I get home) that the only light we are only required to have a bright signalling light that we can turn on to avoid collision.
In my "home waters", I would never paddle with a 360 degree light on routinely. I paddle in dark waters at night and need my night vission. A constantly-on, 360 degree light would make me "less safe".
In portland (where I have done lots of night paddling) I'd put a light on the back of my PFD and then carry a scuba diving flashlight on the front deck. That combination worked great ... since the light was pointing backwards, it didn't mess up my night vission. Boats approaching from in front of me were no problem. I could see them and turn on a light as needed.
--Tim
: Greetings...
: I'd like to add my 2 cents to this conversation. First, let me qualify my
: background...: I'm a former kayak guide. I worked out of the lower west side of Manhattan
: and ran many trips in and around the mouth of the Hudson river, incuding
: trips to Statue of Liberty, circumnavigations of Manhattan, and trips up
: the Hudson North of the George Washington Bridge. It's one of the busiest
: and can be very dangerous with the strong river currents/tides and all the
: ferry, cruise-line, and commercial traffic. In this post 9/11 era, the
: Coast Guard has gone through phases where they really don't like having
: our small craft out and about, esp. at night. I've been stopped by the
: Coast Guard several times for incorrect lighting, mostly because my 360
: degree light on my PFD slipped down and was no longer visible all around.: All of this said, a blinking light of any color signifies an emergency so
: only use it in one... in other words, it's ok to turn one on if you fear a
: collision is possible, but not ok to just run with it on. Though not
: required, the coast guard did appreciate the red/green bow lights that
: some NYC kayakers have... here's a link to an example:
: http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=navlight&Category_Code=si: I would recommend that when on the water, have a stern mounted 360 degree
: white light, a hand held flashing light of some kind and it wouldn't hurt
: to have the red/green box lights...: I hope this helps...
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