"Safe Light" Starts Don't Mean "No Running Lights Required"

That's the title I used for a recent email to everyone on my active roster of anglers who fish the Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourney Series. It's the result of someone reminding me (after the fact) that a vast number of participants in our June 27th event left the boat basin without their navigation lights on, even though sunrise still was 30 minutes away.

By our 2015 tournament rules, that mistake could have resulted in all those participants being disqualified. But since I, as tournament director, missed it, and the mistake wasn't brought to my attention until it was too late, everyone got a free pass.

The U.S. Coast Guard "Rules of the Road" are very specific about navigation lights: They're required from sunset to sunrise, as well as during periods of restricted visibility, such as fog and heavy rain. And our rules are equally specific: "Anyone caught violating any of these rules (Coast Guard 'Rules of the Road') and/or operating their boat in a reckless manner on tournament day will be disqualified."

As a result, beginning with our July 11th event, all boats will be required to turn on their running lights before leaving the boat basin for blastoff. Any boats with problems will be held until the official time of sunrise, or the problems can be fixed, whichever occurs first.

If you need a good reason for enforcing the rule about navigation lights, here's an example I found online (and shortened somewhat). The author is Craig Davis, long-time sports writer for the Sun-Sentinel in South Florida.

"Something looming in the darkness told Jim Pierson there was trouble ahead on the Intracoastal Waterway.

"From the bridge of his 28-foot cruiser Lee-Way, he finally spotted it: a small open boat coming fast, no more than 50 to 80 feet dead ahead. In a heartbeat, Pierson hit the throttle and spun the wheel hard to starboard. The smaller boat, with four persons aboard, struck a glancing blow and veered off.

"'The blood-curdling scream of the girl in that boat is something I'll never forget,' said Pierson, from Lighthouse Point. 'Something made me sense a boat coming. It had no lights on. If I hadn't turned when I did, that boat would have been driven under my bow and put all those people into the water. I would have probably run over them.'

"Most anyone who regularly runs a boat in South Florida (left) can relate horror stories about dangerous encounters on the inland waterways. Usually they spring from negligence, irresponsibility or plain ignorance.

"Why would anyone race down a waterway as busy as the Intracoastal at night without proper running lights, endangering the lives of oneself and three companions, as well as everyone else on the water?

"Hard to offer a logical explanation. But that and more outrageous atrocities occur any given day or night. Weekends can be downright frightening on the Intracoastal. Competent skippers are more comfortable offshore in a raging sea, than venturing through the inland flow of morons.

"Something strange happens to some people when they step aboard a boat and take the helm. Common sense surrenders to irrationality. Courtesy vanishes in the breeze.

"The problem can be attributed in part to the pleasure in boating. Hey, this is supposed to be fun. In some minds, the pursuit of happiness implies a freedom from restraint. Unfortunately, in an area of intense boating activity, such as this, unrestrained operation by even a small percentage of boaters translates into trouble and, at times, tragedy... ."

Here are some tips to keep your recreational boating safe:

     * If you're in a powerboat at night and see another boat's red light and white light but not the green light, you generally are in a "give way" position. This means you must slow, turn, stop, or make whatever maneuver necessary to stay out of that boat's way. If you see both the red and green light, as well as a white light, you are running up the stern of the other boat, or the other boat is at anchor, or it may be a sailboat under sail. If you see the green and white light but not the red, you are considered the boat of privilege, or "stand on" vessel. Remember, though, that being in that position is of little solace if there is a collision, so avoid a collision at any cost.

     * A general rule is that the more lights you see on a vessel at night, the larger it is, and the more you should try to avoid it.

     * Carry spare light bulbs of the kind and size you need for all your navigation-light fixtures, and know how to change them. Having nav lights on your boat that don't work is considered the same as not having nav lights on your boat. If you're ever in a situation where your nav lights stop working and you can't fix them, light as many flashlights as possible and wave them around in all directions as you make your way to safe harbor.

     * If you see yellow lights on the water, you are encountering a large vessel or barge being towed. Stay well clear of this hazard.

Night boating is deceptive. Always reduce your speed at night, and keep a sharp lookout for lights of other boats and debris.