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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
No, and No
Posted By: Jerry In Response To: Strobe light rules? (Les Groby)
Date: Monday, 11 December 2000, at 5:14 a.m.
No, it's not acceptable to use a strobe light for visability. The only vessle that can use a strobe light for visability is a surfaced submarine and their rules state that it's a yellow flashing strobe flashing at a rate of 60 times per minute.
In inland waters, which typically is waters out to 3 miles in most places of the world, a flahing stobe is a distress signal. In some places like Alaska and Washington the point where international and inland waters distinguish themselves becomes blurred, so it's best to chack local waters. Beyond the 3 mile line of demarcation lies international waters where a flashing strobe is legally not considered a distress signal. However, sailors the world over generally regard the strobe as a distress signal.
Inland or international water rules typically are for collision avoidnace. The reason for the difference between the two is because in internaional waters e.g., the open seas you have a lot of room, and a lot of water to avoid colissions. In inland rules you now can get into situations with narrow channels etc... that can affect one ability to manouver without running aground or colliding with another vessle. However, there are only a few situations that the rules for internation waters are not the same as inland waters.
Regardless of whether or not you're in inland or international waters lighting regulations do not change. For a kayak, which is considered a "vessle powered by oars" you may show a combination of red and green lights off the bow and a rear white light. The bow lights must cover a range of 112.5 degrees of sight with the red being on the port (left) side and the green on the starboard(right) side. The bow light must be seen from a mile away. The stern (rear) light must show 135 degrees of visability and be seen from a distance of 2 miles.
What you can do for this is to get battery powered running lights. Many boating stores such as west maring etc.... have them. They even have models that will suction cup to something, though I would use this on a kayak. Then simply affix them to your kayak in some manner (duct tape. If need be you can tape around the light where you need to control the degree of visability.
The other acceptable method of lighting is to use a flashlight and shine it at the approaching vessle to alert them of you presence in time to avoid a collision. They will in turn flash their searchlight or flashlight on you to let you know that you've been seen. Headlamps work great for this.
It is a violation of the law to use a 360 degree white ligth. Under the regulations a 360 degree white light means that you're at anchor and less than 50 meters in length.
Technically it is also a violation of the law to tie off chemlights onto your paddles as some kayakers typically do. Reason being, the running lights are supposed to be fixed, and unmoving. They are only supposed to be visable for a certain portion of degrees. This help avoid confusion as at night it is the position and relationship of your running lights that the other guy looking at when it comes to navigation and avoiding you at night. If you hold your paddle out in front of you then both chemlights are visable from many angles both in front of you and behind you.
For example if at night I see a red light and a green light I can assume that a vessle is heading right at me. Why? Those are his bow lights. If I see a white light then the vessle is heading away from me because it's his stern light. Seeing either a red light or a green light only then I know that the vessle is crossing in front of me (most situations) albeit at some angle in relation to my bow, e.g., his bow is pointed toward me at some angle. And if I see a red or green running light and a white stern light then I know that the vessle is crossing in front of me but away from me as well, e.g., his bow is pointed away from me at some angle.
I'd suggest picking up a copy of chapmans piloting. It's geared for power and sailboats. However, it has an excellent section on navigation and the colision regulation and lighting. It also helps to know this stuff because even us kayakers have to know and are responsible for what the other guy is doing. Or, you can pick up the Colregs (colision regulations) which list the rules for meeting at sea and lighting. I've got both the chapmans and the colregs and find then very useful.
jerry
: Is it legal and acceptable to use a strobe light on a kayak for visibility at
: night, or are they assumed to be a distress signal? And why doesn't anyone
: make a 360° white light that can be attached to a hat or helmet?
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