The problem with LED running lights for a sailboat is that they are
very directional and outside of some angle from the direction they
are pointing you will see no light at all. The angle for some LEDs is
a small as 12 degrees. So a sailboat going to weather heeled over
past 12 degrees might not show any light at all even though they are
on.
One could argue that the trimarans we sail don't heel that far, but
in my experience I have sailed at 10 degrees heel easily under some
conditions and adding heel due to wave action you can potentially be
sailing in "stealth" mode without realizing it. I believe this is why
the LED running lights I have seen (so far) are USCG approved for
powerboats only.
Jerry Garner
F27 #111
Tri One
-- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "biochemone" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> We came off the racecourse last summer about 1/2 mile in front of a
> big catamaran using LED running lights and a bunch of monohulls
with
> incandescents. His were by far the sharpest and brightest out
> there. I checked them out later at the dock and they were each
only
> a 4-LED colored cluster behind a clear lens. I was convinced.
>
> Colin
>
>
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