What is the purpose of lights and shape in navigation?
Lights and shapes are used to indicate the status of a vessel at sea and the direction in which a vessel underway is moving, to allow the correct action to be taken by all the vessels when in sight of each other.
What are the common types of navigation lights?
Common Navigation Lights
- Sidelights: These red and green lights are called sidelights (also called combination lights) because they are visible to another vessel approaching from the side or head-on.
- Sternlight: This white light is seen only from behind or nearly behind the vessel.
What are examples of proper navigation lights?
Navigation Light Rules
- Port sidelights are red, starboard sidelights are green and both shine from dead ahead to 112.5° aft on either side.
- Stern lights are white and shine aft and 67.5° forward on each side.
- All-round lights are white and shine through 360°.
What navigation lights must be displayed?
For powered boats less than 39.4 feet, or 12 meters, you need to have the following set of navigation lights. One all-around white light that you can see from 360 degrees and from two miles away; And one pair of red and green sidelights that are visible at 112.5 degrees and from one mile away.
What are the day shapes that are used in navigation?
Day shapes
| Navigation status | Day shape | Restriction |
|---|---|---|
| Vessel under sail and power | Cone | > 12 m |
| Anchored | Ball | > 7 m (not in channel) > 20 m (in anchorage) |
| Constrained by draft | Cylinder | |
| Aground | 3 balls (vert. line) | > 12 m |
What are the defining characteristics of navigation lights?
By understanding the characteristics of Nav lights, you can determine an appropriate course of action as you approach another vessel. On any vessel, navigation lights have a specific color, (white, red, green, yellow, blue), arc of illumination, range of visibility, and location, as required by law and regulations.
What is a single all round white light for?
Vessels at anchor: sail or power-driven Vessels at anchor, either sail or power-driven, must show a single white light visible all round.
Where is the all round white light on a boat?
A sternlight is a white light that is located at the stern of the boat and is only visible from behind the vessel. A masthead light is required on all power-driven vehicles. This white light shines forward and to both sides and must be displayed by all vessels 39.4 feet in length or longer when under engine power.
What color are navigation lights on a boat?
Navigation Lights for Powerboats Sidelights – Colored lights – red on port and green on starboard – showing an unbroken arc of the horizon of 112.5 degrees, from dead ahead to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam on each side.
What color are day shapes?
Day shape markers are always black in color and there is a minimum size requirement for vehicles 66 feet in length or more. The vertical distance required between shapes is 4.9 feet. Smaller vessels may use shapes that are smaller sizes relative to the vessel length.
What does ball diamond ball mean?
Day shapes hoisted up the mast in this way indicate that the vessel is under conditions where it is “restricted in ability to maneuver”. This occurs when the ship is undergoing replenishment at sea.
What are the shapes and colors for Region A and Region B?
The difference between the two systems is the colour and light characteristics used for lateral marks, as follows: IALA REGION A port lateral marks and lights are coloured red. IALA A starboard lateral marks and lights are coloured green. IALA REGION B port lateral marks and lights are coloured green.
What does 2F R Vert mean?
Two fixed red lights, one above the other, written as 2F.r(vert), tell us a pontoon is attached to the land on the starboard side. Preferred channels. Buoys indicate the “preferred” option when a channel splits in two.
Why is starboard green and port red?
Because the green light is on the starboard(right) side of your boat, the red is the port(left). So, if you see them both then there is a chance you are looking down the nose of a boat. What is the first thing you do? Well, it is the preferred method to pass on the port (left) side.