Ayrton Oneill
Navigation lights are an important safety feature on boats, helping other vessels to see you and understand your position. All navigation light systems include red and green sidelights, which indicate the port and starboard sides of your boat, as well as one or more white lights. The rules for which lights to display depend on factors such as the length of your boat, where you're boating, and whether you're at anchor.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Port side | Red light |
| Starboard side | Green light |
| Stern | White light |
| Masthead | White light |
| Sidelights | Red and green |
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What You'll Learn
- Red and green sidelights indicate the port and starboard sides of a boat
- White masthead lights shine from the port side to the starboard side
- The length of a boat determines the navigation lights required
- The colour of lights visible depends on where you stand on the boat
- Larger boats require lights with a higher visibility range
Red and green sidelights indicate the port and starboard sides of a boat
The rules for what navigation lights to display depend on a number of factors, including the length of your boat, where you're boating, and whether you're at anchor. For example, larger boats are required to use lights with a higher visibility range and cannot combine sidelights into a single bi-colour light. Sailboats with sails up during the day, but are also under power, must fly a black "steaming cone", with its point downward, where it can be seen. When under power, they must follow the rules of the road for powerboats.
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White masthead lights shine from the port side to the starboard side
The rules for navigation lights depend on a number of factors, including the length of the boat, where you're boating, and whether you're at anchor. For example, larger boats are required to use lights with a higher visibility range and cannot combine sidelights into a single bi-colour light. Sailboats with sails up during the day, but which are also under power, must fly a black 'steaming cone' with its point downward, where it can be seen. When under power, they must follow the rules of the road for powerboats.
If you were on a boat at night and could see nothing but the different coloured lights of another vessel ahead of you, you would still know exactly which way that boat was going. If you could only see the red light ahead of you, you would know that you are seeing the other vessel's port side, or it is crossing in front of you from your right to left.
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The length of a boat determines the navigation lights required
The basic rule is that side lights, a masthead light and a stern light are required. Masthead lights are white and shine from 112.5° on the port side through dead ahead to 112.5° on the starboard side for a total of 225° forward. They must be above the sidelights. If you were on a boat at night and could see nothing but the different coloured lights of another vessel ahead of you, you would still know exactly which way that boat was going. If you could only see the red light ahead of you, you would know that you are seeing the other vessel’s port side, or it is crossing in front of you from your right to left.
Sailboats under power are considered powerboats. Sailboats with sails up during the day, but are also under power, must fly a black "steaming cone", with its point downward, where it can be seen. When under power, they must follow the rules of the road for powerboats.
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The colour of lights visible depends on where you stand on the boat
All navigation light systems include red and green sidelights, indicating the port and starboard sides of the boat, as well as one or more white lights. The rules for which lights to display depend on factors such as the length of your boat, where you're boating, and whether you're at anchor. For example, larger boats are required to use lights with a higher visibility range and cannot combine sidelights into a single bi-colour light. Sailboats with sails up during the day but also under power must fly a black "steaming cone" and follow the rules for powerboats.
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Larger boats require lights with a higher visibility range
Navigation lights on boats are important for safety. They indicate the port and starboard side of a boat, as well as its direction of travel. The lights on a boat include red and green sidelights, and one or more white lights. The red light indicates the port side, and the green light indicates the starboard side. The white light is visible from the back of the boat.
The rules for navigation lights depend on several factors, including the length of the boat, the location of the boat (inland or international waters), and whether the boat is at anchor. For example, boats under 12 metres long have different requirements to boats over 12 metres long.
Sailboats under power are considered powerboats and must follow the same rules for navigation lights. Sailboats with sails up during the day, but also under power, must fly a black "steaming cone" with its point downward, where it can be seen.
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Frequently asked questions
Red.
Green.
White.
Side lights, a masthead light and a stern light are required.
The length of the boat, where you're boating and whether you're at anchor.
