Re: [Paddlewise] Strobes are not running lights

----- Original Message -----
From: <JCMARTIN43_at_aol.com>
>
> > Or stay off the water at night! But do
> > not just turn on your strobe because it's simpler and cheaper than real
> > running lights. It's a bad idea, and you could harm the safety of others
in
> > the future.
> >
> Mark is absolutely right.  A strobe is a distress signal only.  In the SAR
> business, we use them to visually identify persons in distress.

White strobes are only a distress signal in inland waters, not international
ones.  That's right in the Rules book; technically no one comes to the aid
of a strobe in international waters although I expect SAR will do so anyway.
The definition of what constitutes inland and international often has a
strange logic to it but can be followed.  In any case, the areas are defined
in the books.

One of the discussions here in NYC about better lighting is the possibility
of issuing a local USCG order that a pulsating/flashing light (strobe-like)
will no longer be a distress signal but rather a running light for use by
hand powered craft.  Within that possibility the flashing light used for
such a purpose might be a specific color, say yellow.

There is virtually no argument that a good solution to the potential problem
of being seen in a place like NYC (with so much background light noise) is
to have a pulsating light of some kind in order to stand out.  The CG has
the power to just say that locally such and such a flashing light color can
from now on (or in a trial period) be used as navigational lights on a
kayak.  That is my understanding from the CG officers who have been at the
meetings.  When strobes came up as a possibility, they did not protest or
faint in shock, nor did pretty senior commercial interests officials.  They
are all willing to think outside the box.  So it may be possible.

I guess this may be a good time to stress that a strobe is a flashing light
of quite some intensity, blindingly so.  You can still have a flashing light
that is not a strobe.

Until the CG says we can do this however, strobes are verboten.

But what happens if someone is in a bad night situation in his/her kayak in
which it is either set off the strobe or be run over, then what is the call?
I don't mean that you set out with the strobe turned on for a leisurely
deliberate night paddle.  I mean you are caught out in traffic in the dark,
your ordinary lighting doesn't seem to be working to get you noticed to an
oncoming vessel, and you are in the unfortunate position of being in a
hardshell that you could not have earlier knocked down like a folding kayak
and taken a subway/taxi back (apologies for that "moral" point :-)).  You
may need to set off the strobe.

Remember that while the Navigation Rules have very specific protocols on a
whole list of situations, ultimately there is a statement in there that, to
paraphrase, you do all you can to avoid a collision.  Say you are captaining
a ship that is going to go by an oncoming ship.  The rule is you pass port
side to port side.  But if suddenly the other guy goes in the wrong
direction, you don't just keep your course because of the port-to-port
passing rule.  You take whatever course avoids a collision.  The same logic,
by extension, could arguably hold for that judicious use of a strobe.  But
that is an extreme case.  I would opt to knock down my kayak and taxi home
rather than get caught in the dark without sufficient light.

Again please don't say that Ralph is advocating using a strobe at night (if
you do, say it is the other Ralph, Ralph Hoehn, who is advocating that
;-) ). I mean it only as a last minute move to avoid a disaster.

ralph
--
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Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
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