I suppose barges are so poorly lit because there is really no good way available to light them.
I imagine they use running lights powered by dry cell batteries. Not only do they cost money, the way they know if they need changing is when the lights fade out, and then they can't get to the barge to change them. The only reliable portable lights I can recall are the highway signs around construction areas. They used to be all engine driven but I have seen lately some with solar panels. A solar panel driven system might work but the PV array would have to be large to collect enough power, even during a dark, cloudy day, for a 14 hour night run, perhaps even a daytime operation in rain or fog. LED lamps with Lithium batteries might work too if set up with adequate batteries for many days of operations and an auto switch over to a second set of batteries perhaps occulting the lights to let everyone know it is on the second set of batteries. But the only real effect would be from USCG citations in amounts greater than the cost of running with legal lights. Norm S/V Bandersnatch Lying Julington Creek 30 07.695N 081 38.484W ----- Original Message ----- From: Noel Russell To: [email protected] Sent: 10/27/2008 3:06:24 PM Subject: Re: [Liveaboard] Barges Old(Anchor Light Location) there is NO excuse for lights being off either!\ Noel N.Y. RUSSELL Office Coffee Service "Java Powered Service" -----Original Message----- From: 'bella Sent: Fri, 17 October 2008 11:07:18 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Liveaboard] Barges Old(Anchor Light Location) Back in early 2004... the Boat US tow guy who kept his boat in my marina.. left Cortez fla to pull someone off of Mullet key.. long story.. in any case... on his trip back... He saw the tug all lit up.... the barge in tow was NOT lit up... He let the tug pass then cut behind it... he had just enough time to duck as the tow line sliced the top of his cabin off just a few inches above the deck... The entire marina, all 15 boats and owners turned out the next morning (we were all liveaboards anyway) to gape at the damage and offer condolences to the Finny.. scary stuff... just proves how easy it is, even for someone as experienced as that to get hurt but someone not following the rules.. My prime sailing ground from 2000 to early 2005 was SW Fla and I hope it will be again soon.. I cannot count the times 5-10 miles offshore I would run past a boat with NO running lights at night. and NO VHF on... that irritates me even more.. the working premise is to save battery, you can look around IF you see a boat, then flip the lights on.. I don't agree but I have been told that many times... but there is NO excuse to NOT have your VHF on.. On Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 1:36 PM, Lew Hodgett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: "Norm of Bandersnatch" wrote: > Flashing yellows are also used on the bow of barges under tow. I have > also > seen flashing yellows and flashing whites on fixed objects. So there > is > little consistency here. I endeavor to identify them on the chart and > generally avoid them. SFWIW: A couple of weeks ago,the brother of the Sanchez sisters (U S Congress women), and his girl friend left Los Angeles harbor about midnight headed for Catalina Island, 26+ miles of open ocean, in a 26 ft Bayliner. There was little moon light. There didn't make it. The boat containing the bodies was found turtled in about 150 ft of water, about 5 miles from harbor. A tug towing a barge with an 1,100 ft hawser was operating in the area. It is assumed the Bayliner hit the barge. I have been on a boat this time of year, headed for Catalina under similar conditions. It can be a little scary. I tend to be a little paranoid under those conditions, but I treat tug boats as if they were my sworn enemy whose sole purpose was to sink me and give them a VERY WIDE berth. Haven't been hit yet. YMMV Lew _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html -- It's not about the boat it's sails or rigging. It's about the freedom. http://www.slideshare.net/jacko91/these-are-my-credentials/ http://fisherhouse.org/ http://www.specialops.org/ "We are the gaurdians of a great faith. When we believe that freedom offers the best chance of peace and prosperity for all, and our desire for peace cannot be seperated from our believe in liberty." Harry J. Truman Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
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