Light it Up

Remember the ongoing anchor light issues we had last year? No, we haven't had any more problems with it recently, thank God, but since then I've been wanting to get a back-up anchor light, the kind we can plug in and hang up so others can actually see our boat at night. Always a good thing.

At the same time, we also needed a cockpit light. Okay, need may be a bit exaggerated, maybe it's more like want. I wanted a light not just for sitting in the cockpit after dark (which is ually somewhat buggy if winds are light anyway), but for security purposes. I'm a bit of a worryer in that regard and I think simple actions can go a long way in preventing theft/vandalism due to simple opportunity, something we'll need to keep in mind as we travel about. I like my stuff, I'd like to keep it.

Enter the Davis 3300 "Mega-Light" Anchor/Utility Light.

Not only is this light visible from 2 nautical miles away (something required of an anchor light), but it sips battery juice (as in 1 amp over a 12 hour period!). The lens has two functions, which it does simultaneously - which took me a few minutes to figure out. The bottom of the lens is made for lighting up the area below it (cockpit light function) and the the sides are made for projecting the light long range (anchor light function). Plus it's made in the good 'ole US of A, can't go wrong with that!

But what I like best about this gadget is that it has a light sensor on it that automatically turns itself on at dusk and off at dawn. Pretty sweet! So now if we're off the boat at dusk not only will this light come on automatically to help deter - in my mind at least - any unwanted visitors, but it will also help prevent bodily harm that can come from trying to climb aboard in the dark--> for us, not the unwanted visitors, remember they'll be scared off by our oh-so-bright light.


It also has a 15ft 12v cord that plugs easily into our 12v outlet just inside the companion way and gives us more than enough length to hang it either on the boom, bimini or rigging depending on where we want the light.



Not gonna lie, I was kinda looking forward to some nice rope lights for cockpit lighting but this light is multipurpose and the set-up is simple--> 2 things you really need/want on a boat. And at under $40 you really can't go wrong!