Keeping well lit at night.
We’re heading onto the dock shortly to prep for tomorrow’s charter pickup so I only have time to share something quick. Just in the past couple of weeks I have had a couple of positive comments from other boaters about our portable anchor light.
The 12V plugin light, which we purchased from Bebi Electronics* in Fiji, used to reside on ZTC. I purchased it as a backup in case anything ever went wrong with our masthead light, and brought it on board the Leopard for the same reason. As it turns out, our masthead light has been acting a bit finicky, working only when it chooses to. That leads me to believe that there is a loose connection somewhere but I haven’t invested even a minute in trying to track it down. Instead I’ve just been deploying our portable light each time we stop for the night.
Rigging the portable light is not a big deal as I simply secure the light to a genoa sheet in the foretriangle and plug the power connection into the 12V receptacle located at our helm. It takes me all of about 2 minutes to do this. The light is made with super bright low-power LEDs, and it has a built-in photocell so that it turns on and off on its own. Additionally, because it is rigged just above deck level, most people would agree that it’s at least as functional as a masthead unit, if not more so. I’m sure I’ll get around to troubleshooting the main anchor light but until then, this one is serving us perfectly.
Note: I had hoped to be able to recommend this light to others but in visiting the link for Bebi Electronics, I’ve come to learn that they are no longer in business. That is unfortunate as their products were excellent.
We also love our Bebi light!
🙂
I recommend that you keep the low level light. It is where anchor lights have been for centuries. They are clear, give a hint of the boat’s size and orientation to anyone concerned. They are easier to see from another boat.
Mast head lights have become known as anchor lights only in the last 10 or 20 years. In a crowded anchorage they are harder to spot and give no additional information. I, for one, strongly dislike them. But many people now think it is the right thing to do.
There are several suppliers of led anchor lights similar to yours.
Mike
I am happy if a boat has at least some form of light. Just DON’T use a strobe light.
YES YES YES!
Mike
Speaking as a short person currently on a small boat, I have to really look hard for masthead lights! For me, it’s like looking up for a close star. Keep it low.
Roger.
It’s too bad that Bebi Electronics shut down. I was hoping to get a bunch of their stuff for our next boat. One of the downsides of having a military junta take over the government, it makes businesspeople flee the country….
Yup, too bad.