As a new member let me confess that I have not yet dinghy cruised and I am in the very early stages of building a 14 feet Tarpon.

The issues of the Bulletin sent with the new members pack were very interesting and the articles on various journeys both interesting and informative, but I was very surprised to read that a car battery was used for lights. I thought of using a motorcycle battery in my boat but this seems a bit risky because of the possibility of acid spillage, is this common practice? Looking at alternatives I discovered a range of batteries used for emergency lights and burglar alarms. They are nickel cadmium 12 volt 6 A H - no liquid to top up or spill and lightweight, should be enough to power a small strip light on a long weekend and can be trickle charged between outings.

Strobe riding lights - when I read the article I had already purchased a strobe from Tandy the electrical retailer in Colchester for £9.99. It isn't waterproof, does not have a built in torch but it does have a handy Velcro strap 1.5” by 18” long. Can be made waterproof (rainproof) by covering with a polythene bag secured with elastic band, one alkaline C cell was still powering the thing after 11 hours. Initially it was flashing at 1 flash per second approx. and at about once per 1.5 seconds after 11 hours when I switched it off. Seven hours later I switched on again using the same battery and it was still going strong after five more hours.

An article in PBO suggested using LED's to illuminate a compass at night, these devices have 2 terminals, one slightly shorter than the other, the long terminal is positive. I bought four of these for 48p from Clacton Electronics just to play around with and the idea shows promise. As I recall the original article advises that the connecting wires to the LED's should be twisted around each other to eliminate the slight possibility of magnetic field. They operate on an approximate voltage of between 3 and 7 volts but not directly from 12 volts; 2 AA batteries should run 2 or 3 LED's continuously for about 60 hours. LED's and battery holders are also available from Tandy. Any more ideas anyone?

Also check Yellow Pages for burglar alarm installers’ batteries, electronic component suppliers and Tandy branches. Quote from advertisement: Enerlite Personal Safety Strobe - the blinking xenon flash tube is visible for thousands of feet; requires alkaline battery.

Chris Cresswell

Technical Advisor's Note:- While flashing strobes are excellent as lifejacket markers, members should be aware that flashing lights are illegal for use as riding/anchor lights. The ones used as cycle rear lamps, using multiple elements, flash so fast that the human eye perceives the light as continuous.