International Telstar Owners Association

My new Telstar did not come with a masthead "steaming" light (normally placed half-way up or more on the mast). Do other Telstar's come with steaming lights? Or am I just supposed to use the anchor light on top of the mast as well as the running lights when motoring at night or in low visibility conditions? I've checked various likely sources for the answer and it seems to be "no" using the 360 degree anchor light as the masthead steaming light, but I think I've found one exception. Per the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary book "Boating Skills and Seamanship" thirteenth edition, page 162 Figure 6-31 shows a sailboat under 12 meters using bow and stern lights placed low as on my Telstar as well as a 360 degree light on top of the mast as another way to conform to regulations. Thanks for helping me sort this out...Philip (Tropical)

Mine only has the anchor light as well. Apparently it is legal--some sort of exception based on our length. I think there might be a comment in Chapman's to that effect.

Steve

Totally legal - because we are shorter than 39.4 feet, look at figure 2

http://www.uscgboating.org/SAFETY/fedreqs/equ_nav.htm

The mast head light is a 360 on the diagram. But note that it does NOT have a stern light other than the 360 mast head. Our boats do.

You all have a black cone on board that you display upside down when motoring during the day, right? And a black ball when anchoring?

The 360˚ all-around white light for steaming/stern light is only legal if you do not have a separate stern light light. Having an all-around over the regular stern light can cause issues, since that is not allowed under the COLREGS, since the all-around light is IN PLACE of separate steaming and stern lights.

BTW, yes, I have a motoring cone and a anchoring ball aboard.

Ron wrote:Totally legal - because we are shorter than 39.4 feet, look at figure 2

http://www.uscgboating.org/SAFETY/fedreqs/equ_nav.htm

The mast head light is a 360 on the diagram. But note that it does NOT have a stern light other than the 360 mast head. Our boats do.

You all have a black cone on board that you display upside down when motoring during the day, right? And a black ball when anchoring?

I installed a steaming light on my boat. (Compulsory in my waters0
In fact, there is a spare cable running for the bottom of the mast to the steaming light spot on the mast AND there is a spare cable running from the socket of the deck to the bunch of cables behind the switch box in the boat control panel.
It is just a matter to add the light on the mast , connect the spare cable comingfrom the bottom of the mast to the spare 2 pins on the plug on the deck(a 4 pin connector) and add a switch for the steaming light on the control panel.
Tricruiser