Navigation at Night
The waterways are not like well-defined roads. It is unsafe to navigate a vessel with lights illuminating the water directly ahead because it will deprive you and other vessel operators of night vision. Spotlights can be used to identify specific hazards, but this should only be done when operating at very slow speed and without affecting other waterway users.
The most important rules to remember when driving a boat at night are to slow down and keep a good lookout. The speed of travel should be much less than that travelled by day.
Remember the following:
- not all navigation hazards have lights indicating their position (especially moored vessels, shallow areas, oyster leases, and many navigation markers)
- background lighting on the shore can cause confusion
- all vessels (except certain moored vessels in approved mooring areas) are required to show some form of lighting
- a safe speed is a speed at which sufficient action can be taken in time to prevent a collision. At night this is a very slow speed.
Vessel Lights
Navigation lights or an equivalent are required to be shown or be available to be shown by all vessels between sunset and sunrise. Vessels which have navigation lights must also show them between sunrise and sunset when visibility is restricted.
The lights of a small power vessel should look like this:
Power Driven Vessels
Power driven vessels underway must, as a minumum, exhibit the following lights:
Vessels less than 7m in length & with a maximum speed of 7 knots or less
(a) masthead light forward
(b) sidelights and
(c) sternlight.
or
(a) all-round white light; and
(b) sidelights (only if practicable).
Vessels less than 12m in length
(a) masthead light forward
(b) sidelights and
(c) sternlight.
or
(a) all-round white light and
(b) sidelights.
Vessels 12m or more in length but less than 50m
(a) masthead light forward
(b) sidelights and
(c) sternlight
Vessels 50m or more in length
(a) masthead light forward
(b) second masthead light abaft of and higher than the forward one
(c) sidelights and
(d) sternlight.
Anchored Vessels
Vessels less than 7m in length
(a) no lights - if not anchored in a narrow channel, fairway or anchorage or where other vessels normally navigate.
Vessels less than 50m in length
(a) all-round white light
Vessels 50m or more in length
(a) in fore part - all-round white light or one ball and
(b) at or near stern and at lower level than light in (a) – all-round white light.
Drifting Vessels
Vessels which are drifting are still ‘underway’ and must show the same navigation lights as if they were still making way. For example, if a power vessel is drifting it must show its white light and side lights.
Sailing & Rowing Vessels
Sailing vessels less than 7m long and rowing vessels must as a minimum have a torch or lantern showing a white light, ready to display in time to prevent collision. It is however, strongly recommended that rowing sculls show an all-round white light between sunset and sunrise.
Sailing Vessels (7m or more)
When underway a sailing vessel of 7m or more must show:
- sidelights and
- sternlight.
The lights of a sailing vessel should look like this.
Note: this is different from a power vessel.
Sailing Vessels Propelled by Engines
If a sailing vessel is using an engine to propel it even with sails up, the regulations consider it to be a power driven vessel. In this case, a sailing vessel MUST display the same lights as a power driven vessel.
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