Not too long ago a friend of mine and I were talking about offshore fishing. He was saying how he loved to go, but hated running out in the wee hours of the morning. He explained how he was somewhat new to the Charleston area and was easily confused with all of the lights from the city as well as the shipping traffic in the harbor. As it turns out my friend admitted to having very little knowledge of the different arrangements of navigation lights on vessels and how to interpret these arrangements. I explained how a basic knowledge of these lights was essential to safe nighttime navigation. Proper interpretation of navigational lights provides details as to a vessels direction, size, type and activity.
I will be the first to admit my knowledge of navigation lights was rather limited prior to attending sea school. I knew the basics such as the direction a boat was traveling, some of the boat types, or if the boat was anchored or underway, but beyond that I could not tell you anything more about the vessel. I attended sea school over 3 years ago and some of the knowledge I gained has faded due to lack of use, however due to the catchy phrases we learned with most of the light patterns and my constant use of this knowledge my retention of the basic light patterns has been strong. There are a multitude of light patterns and an even greater number of regulations that cover these patterns for navigation. Furthermore these patterns and regulations may vary according to inland and international usage. The purpose of this article is to cover some of the most basic light patterns that are often encountered in our local waters.
Vessels Direction: Obviously knowledge of a vessels direction is essential for nighttime navigation. All vessels, with the exception of a rowboat, while underway are required to display red (port side) and green (starboard side) sidelights. These lights must be visible from the centerline of the bow and extend to 112.5 degrees towards the stern. These sidelights will also be a