Navigation lights, shapes, sound signals and distress signals
These items are pure recall in the exam, but they are set as scenarios: at night you see a certain combination - what is it, and what do you do? Sound and distress signals are examined the same way, often together with radio procedure.
Lights - what to show
- Power-driven underway: masthead light, red sidelight to port, green to starboard, white sternlight. Under 12 m, an all-round white plus sidelights may replace masthead and sternlight.
- Sailing vessel underway: sidelights and sternlight only; optionally red over green at the masthead, never combined with a combined lantern.
- Motor-sailing: the lights of a power-driven vessel; by day, a black cone point down.
- At anchor: one all-round white where best seen; craft under 7 m outside narrow channels may be exempt.
- Restricted status: not under command - two all-round reds vertical; restricted in ability to manoeuvre - red, white, red; trawling - green over white; other fishing - red over white; constrained by draught - three all-round reds; pilot vessel - white over red.
Shapes - the daylight versions
Ball at anchor, cone point down for motor-sailing, two balls for not under command, ball–diamond–ball for restricted in ability to manoeuvre, cylinder for constrained by draught, three balls for aground, diamond for a long tow.
Sound signals
One short blast: altering to starboard. Two: altering to port. Three: engines going astern. Five or more short and rapid: doubt or danger. In restricted visibility a power-driven vessel making way sounds one prolonged blast at intervals of not more than two minutes; stopped, two prolonged blasts with a gap between.
Distress signals
MAYDAY on VHF channel 16 or via the DSC distress button, red parachute rockets or hand flares, orange smoke, continuous fog-signal sounding, gun fired at about one-minute intervals, S-O-S by any means, slowly raising and lowering outstretched arms, an activated 406 MHz EPIRB. PAN PAN means urgency without immediate danger to life; SÉCURITÉ is a safety message. On Swiss lakes, call the lake police or 117; Rega air rescue is 1414.
Worked example
Motoring at night you see a green sidelight and a white sternlight to starboard, moving right to left across your bow. Green plus sternlight means a vessel showing her starboard side, so she is crossing from your starboard side. You are power-driven, she is under sail: you give way. Ease off, pass astern, and sound one short blast.
Traps
Confusing a masthead light with a sternlight; forgetting that a motor-sailing yacht shows power-vessel lights and a cone; carrying out-of-date flares; sending MAYDAY for something that is only a tow.