When sailing the high seas or cruising through calm waters, a mariner’s keen awareness of nautical lights is crucial for safe navigation. These lights ensure that vessels can communicate their presence, size, and activity. This comprehensive guide will delve into the world of nautical night lights, followed by engaging video quizzes to test your knowledge on all nautical lights and their meanings.
What Are Nautical Night Lights?
Nautical night lights are specialized lighting systems placed on watercraft to convey information about the vessel to other boats in the vicinity. This information can include the size of the vessel, the direction it is traveling in, and its intentions regarding movement.
1.1 Masthead Lights Masthead lights are white lights located on a ship’s mast. They shine from ahead to just over 22.5 degrees abaft the beam on either side, helping other vessels understand the size and aspect of the ship.
1.2 Sidelights Sidelights, also known as running lights, consist of a green light on the starboard (right) side and a red light on the port (left) side. These lights indicate the direction a vessel is moving in relative to an observer.
1.3 Stern Light The stern light is a white light located at the rear of a vessel. It helps in understanding the orientation of the vessel from behind.
1.4 All-Round Light This is a light that is visible from all directions. It is usually used on smaller vessels and can be of various colors.
Specialized Lights and Indicators
2.1 Towing Lights When a vessel is towing another, additional lights are used. These include an extra masthead light and a diamond shape during the day or a yellow light at the stern during the night.
2.2 Fishing Vessels Fishing vessels have specialized lights, including red over white for vessels that are not using fishing gear that extends horizontally from the boat, and green over white for trawlers.
2.3 Anchored Vessels Anchored vessels use an all-round white light or lights to indicate that they are not moving.
2.4 Restricted Maneuverability A vessel that has restricted ability to move due to its work (such as dredging) uses red, white, and red lights in a vertical line to indicate its status.
