1.15 Lights for Sailing, Rowing & Fishing Vessels (Rules 25–26)
Key Takeaways
- A sailing vessel shows sidelights and a sternlight but no masthead light; options include a tricolor lantern (under 20 m) or red-over-green all-round lights — never both together.
- A sailing vessel under engine is legally power-driven and by day shows a black cone apex down, forfeiting sailing privilege.
- Trawling shows green over white all-round lights; fishing other than trawling shows red over white.
- Fishing vessels making way add sidelights and a sternlight; when stopped they show only the fishing lights.
- A non-trawler with gear extending more than 150 m shows an all-round white light (or cone apex up) toward the gear.
Rules 25-26: Lights and Shapes for Sailing, Rowing, and Fishing Vessels
Rule 18 gives sailing vessels and fishing vessels privilege over ordinary power-driven craft, but that privilege only helps you if you can recognize them at night. Rules 25 and 26 supply the light patterns — and they hide two of the exam's favorite "which shape / which color" questions.
Rule 25 — sailing vessels underway
A sailing vessel underway (no engine engaged) shows sidelights and a sternlight — the same red, green, and white you already know, but with no masthead light, because a masthead light is reserved for power. That absence is the whole point: sidelights and a sternlight with no white masthead light = a sailing vessel.
Sailing vessels get two optional arrangements:
- A combined tricolor lantern at or near the top of the mast — red, green, and white in one fixture — permitted only on a sailing vessel less than 20 metres. It is highly visible but may not be combined with the option below.
- Two all-round lights in a vertical line at the masthead, red over green ("red over green, sailing machine"), shown in addition to the sidelights and sternlight — not with the tricolor.
Small and human-powered craft get relief:
- A sailing vessel less than 7 metres shall, if practicable, show the sidelights and sternlight; if she cannot, she must have ready at hand an electric torch or lighted lantern showing a white light to exhibit in time to prevent collision.
- A vessel under oars (rowboat, kayak, dinghy) may show the lights for a sailing vessel, or must likewise have ready a white torch/lantern to show in time to prevent collision.
The motorsailing trap: the instant a sailing vessel turns on her engine and is propelled by machinery — even with sails still up — she is legally a power-driven vessel. She must then show power-driven lights, and by day she must display a black cone, apex pointing downward, forward where it can best be seen. On the exam, a "sailboat with sails set but engine running" has no sailing-vessel privilege and is treated as power-driven under Rule 18.
Rule 26 — fishing vessels
"Engaged in fishing" means fishing with nets, lines, trawls, or other apparatus that restricts maneuverability — not a rod-and-reel sport boat. There are two distinct patterns, and telling them apart is worth memorizing exactly:
| Type | All-round lights (vertical pair) | Day shape |
|---|---|---|
| Trawling (dragging a net/dredge through the water) | Green over white | Two cones, apexes together (an "hourglass") |
| Other than trawling (nets, lines, longlines, etc.) | Red over white | Two cones, apexes together |
Mnemonics: "green over white, trawling at night" and "red over white, fishing tonight." Both types, when making way through the water, also show sidelights and a sternlight; when stopped and not making way, they show only the fishing lights (no sidelights/sternlight).
The outlying gear signal is a second-tier detail that appears on tests: a vessel engaged in fishing other than trawling, with gear extending more than 150 metres horizontally from the vessel, shows an all-round white light (or, by day, a cone apex up) in the direction of the gear. That extra light warns you which way the nets or lines run so you do not foul them.
Reading these vessels at night
- Red, green, and white but no masthead light → sailing vessel. Add red-over-green at the masthead and it is still a sailing vessel advertising herself with the optional signal.
- Green over white all-round pair → a trawler; red over white → other fishing. Neither shows a masthead light while fishing, and both may add sidelights/sternlight when making way.
- A third white light off to one side on a non-trawler warns of gear extending more than 150 m that way — give that side a wide berth.
Worked example
At night you see, low over the water, a red all-round light directly above a white all-round light, and as you close you pick up a red sidelight as well. Diagnose it: red-over-white is a vessel engaged in fishing (other than trawling), and the visible sidelight means she is making way. Under Rule 18 your power-driven six-pack must keep out of the way — plan an early, bold alteration to pass well clear, and watch for any additional white light that would mark outlying gear.
Traps
- No masthead light distinguishes both sailing and fishing vessels from power-driven vessels.
- Green over white = trawling; red over white = other fishing. Swapping the colors is the single most common error.
- A sailboat under engine is power-driven — day signal is a cone apex down; it forfeits sailing privilege.
- The tricolor (top of mast) and the red-over-green option are mutually exclusive, and the tricolor is only for sailing vessels under 20 m.
- Outlying gear beyond 150 m is marked by an all-round white light / cone apex up toward the gear — only on non-trawling fishermen.
A vessel engaged in trawling exhibits which vertical pair of all-round lights?
A sailing vessel starts her engine and motors along with her sails still set. How is she treated under the Rules?
A sailing vessel under 20 metres may combine her sidelights and sternlight into one masthead fixture. What is it, and what may it NOT be shown with?