At the DCA's excellent 'Introduction to Dinghy Cruising' seminar in April `95 the subject of riding lights for overnight anchoring was discussed without a solution. Normal lights consume batteries far too quickly; cyclists strobe lights seemed tempting but came only in red.

However I found an article in 'Canoe Focus' - the magazine of the British Canoe Union. It reports a test of a white strobe light designed for water sports. I have contacted the distributors and the Firefly light is still available at £23.50 incl. postage. Below are extracts from the report.

'Over the last four years I have used a strobe light. Small, compact and easy to operate it has been strapped as a permanent feature to my buoyancy aid. The Firefly 735 Strobe Light has an inbuilt torch, which when switched on shines downwards and will not destroy night vision. The torch has a limited life of two hours when compared to the strobe's continual use life of ten hours. My only reservation is that intermittent use of the torch could limit the strobe's output life if ever used in anger.'

'Secondly, all my battery operated camping gadgets are fitted with only one cell type. The Firefly accepts two ‘AA’ batteries. This size is my standard and has become useful when I've fallen asleep listening to the late night shipping forecast. Invariably I wake at ten minutes to six and fumble for my Petzi torch batteries as a temporary replacement to the radio's. I now have a back up power source.'

'Weight is around 100 grams without batteries. The unit costs less than a para flare and has a longer life. I understand that helicopter pilot's welcome these devices since 2 km's visibility is possible. An ingenious reed switch within the housing is operated by an external magnetic rotary switch. The strobe will operate to at least 50 metres, although if I'm canoeing at this depth I could well be in trouble. Firefly 735 strobe lights are available from: Valley Canoe Products, Private Road No 4, Colwick, Nottingham NG4 2JT. Tel 0115 9614 995.'