J.A.B
I looked up the lighting rules for both NH and the CG to see if the stern light has to be on the stern. This is what I found.
Quote:
From the NavRules. Rule 21. C.
"Sternlight" means a white light placed as nearly as practicable at the stern showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 135 degrees and so fixed as to show the light 67.5 degrees from right aft on each side of the vessel.
From the NH Boaters Guide
If less than 65.6 ft. (20 meters) long, these vessels must exhibit the lights as shown in Figure 1. Remember, power-driven vessels include sailboats operating under power. The required lights are:
• Red and green bow lights visible from a distance of at least one mile on a dark clear night
• An all-round white light or both a masthead light and a sternlight. These lights must be visible from a distance of at least two miles on a dark clear night. The all-round white light (or the masthead light) must be at least one meter (3.3 ft.) higher than the bow lights.
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Then I got thinking, if you nearly ran into the Marine Patrol “Battleship” during the 4th of July event then it could be that it was there as a fixed station and had it’s “anchor” light on?
Quote:
From the NH Boaters Guide
All vessels are required to use a white light visible for 360 degrees and visible from a distance of two miles whenever they are moored or anchored away from dock between sunset and sunrise.
From the NavRules Rule 30 a & b
(a) A vessel at anchor shall exhibit where it can best be seen:
i. in the fore part, an all-round white light or one ball;
ii. at or near the stern and at a lower level than the light prescribed in subparagraph (i), an all-round white light.
(b) A vessel of less than 50 meters in length may exhibit an all-round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule.
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So maybe what you saw wasn't the stern light but the anchor light?