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Old 12-07-2010, 06:55 AM   #45
rwidman
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City: North Charleston, SC
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,870
RE: Let us talk about Navigation Lights and Anchor Lights

From what I see in my area, lighting rules do not seem to be enforced. That's not to say we shouldn't have the correct and legal lighting on our boats, but there's a very good chance that the LEO who sees your boat navigating at night has less understanding of the lighting rules than you do.

I once anchored on a river overnight to watch the city's fireworks display. As you might expect, there were law enforcement boats from the city, the county, the DNR, and the USCG. I had my anchor light burning the entire night. After the show, the law enforcement boats left. At least six of them passed a raftup of three boats with no anchor light showing. Not a one stopped or even called out for them to turn on an anchor light.

My boat is legal with the exception of the coffee mug mentioned above. If there's another boat in the area, I will remove the mug. And as I posted above, proper lighting is in the works. I only have about three hours of nightime navigation in nearly three years anyway.
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