Thursday 24 August 2017

The correct use of navigation lights…


Blessed Rangers put in a rare late night appearance at Oulton Broad last night to keep a watchful eye on those enjoying the annual sailing regatta.

For safety’s sake, the ranger was checking for the correct use of navigation lights by tenders driven at night and giving warnings to anyone not showing the right lights. But, oh deary me, it turned out that the ranger was masquerading as a sailing boat rather than a powered vessel!

According to the Blessed Navigation Byelaws, a powered vessel must display side lights, a stern light and a masthead light. But the Blessed Vessel wasn't wearing a masthead light - making it look like a sailing boat in the dark!

One of our researchers put in a call to the Blessed Authority to check the rules, but nobody knew the answer. While on hold, staff were heard arguing about whether the red port had to be passed left or right, with Dr Pikeman muttering in the background about why people needed powered boats at all and couldn’t they just use canoes.

Eventually an official reply came through from Yeurgh House, which simply read “Masters of vessels must do as we say, not as we do.”