Yacht Surveys, Appraisals, and Consultation| Along the waterways in Texas and Louisiana, no matter how rustic the bayou appears, there will be at least one tow, crew boat, shrimper, or jack-up rig passing in the middle of the night. If you are anchored in, or even moored alongside the canal, you want to be sure of being seen. An anchor light is necessary, but perhaps not sufficient. Judging by the tragic loss of an anchored sailboat in a collision with a tow at Fernandina Beach, FL last year [2000], cruisers in other areas might also want to use an additional aid to visibility. |
 For about ten years cruising on Tropicbird, we have been using a plastic pail, covered with reflective tape, hung in the rigging. We have also made quite a few as gifts for other cruisers. The best configuration is a 5-quart polyethylene paint pail about 7 inches high and 7-8" in diameter and costing about $1.00 at any hardware store. It takes about ten 2" wide strips about 6" long of the 3M™ Scotchlite SOLAS grade 2" wide reflective tape. The boat stores sell this for about $2.00 a foot. Any reflective tape will do, but the SOLAS tape has a really good adhesive. Use only white tape. Red, green, or yellow could be confused with marks or navigation lights (towing stern lights or ICW marks are yellow) and colors are not as bright. Since the pails are slightly conical it is easiest to apply the strips vertically. The tape will not cover the pail completely but will leave narrow wedge shaped areas 1/8" to 1/4" between each strip. Place the reflective strips on temporarily with masking tape to get an even spacing around the pail before removing the backing and applying the reflective tape permanently. |
| Most of the vessels traveling these inland waterways at night use very powerful searchlights. As a result the reflective pails can easily be seen for several miles and really get attention at closer range. There is no bulb to burn out, battery to run down, or connector to corrode. In a crowded anchorage the pail is easy to spot with a flashlight when returning to the boat by dinghy. |
| It has also been suggested that these pails can be used to carry trick-or-treat loot, as a safety hat when walking back from the pub at night, or as a high visibility, emergency dewatering device. |
| Make two - at about $10 they are cheap insurance. Remember also that these pails are an effective supplement to, not a replacement for, a legal anchor light |
Original Cruising World Article
