31) WHAT IS A SINGLE WHITE LIGHT?

Taken from the nautical institute's MARS report no. 99005 - Out of the skeleton cupboard (collected by Captain Beedel)- after asking permission from Julian Parker / June Miller - Publication Sales Manager. (See her message below)



Own ship was a 10,000 ton cargo liner on passage in the South Atlantic from the UK to South Africa. This was in the days of the Suez Canal being closed, hence many extra vessels on the route and in the days when many masters still would not allow the radar to be used on passage. I was second mate on the 12 to 4 watch and came on the bridge to be told by the third mate that there was one vessel in sight, a single white light on the port bow, and that we were overtaking it slowly and would not be up to it for some time. I confirmed this light visually and accepted the third mate's assessment of the situation. He left the bridge and I retired to the chart room for the essential first cup of coffee.

No more than five minutes later I heard a dog bark. As we did not have a dog on board this produced a greater state of awareness than the coffee and I proceeded rapidly to the port bridge wing to find a small vessel abeam on a parallel course and unacceptably close for the sea room available, though fortunately not dangerously so. (Separate from this story is the fact that the dog appeared to be the only lookout.) In the further fifteen years that I remained at sea I NEVER again accepted a single white light at face value, with or without radar information!






On 16 Jan 2002, Julian Parker sent me this e-mail, which I reproduce ad verbatim..... I think you get the message!

Dear Rajagopal,
Thank you for your e-mail 13 Jan. MARS is an open site and we are not restricting copyright. If you can use your web site to encourage other members to contribute to MARS that would be valuable. Please use the items.

Sincerely, Julian Parker - June Miller
Publication Sales Manager-The Nautical Institute
202 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7LQ, England
Tel: 44(0)20 7928 1351 Fax: 44(0)20 7401 2817

Contributor's Page - MARS - Nautical Institute
Go Astern
Full Ahead to the next yarn
Just WHO the *&%$#@! is this Sriram ?!