When boating this past Saturday night, heading into the Meridith town docks, it was very difficult to see a lonely slow moving white stern light on a boat. I found the best approach was to keep to the far right of the bay where the least amount of light pollution impaired my vision to pick out stern lights. Then at the end of the bay turn left and go in to the no wake zone.
There was one condo complex with big spot lights shinning facing out into the bay that totally obscured that area. Trying to find a small white stern light in that light pollution would be near impossible. I guess the condo complex wanted to make sure no one ended up on there beach.
I believe that with all the development on the lake and so many white lights out there, its sometimes hard to tell if its a boat or a house light. Maybe its time to look at the law for the congested inner waters and change the stern light to a strobe. Its time for the law to adjust for the 21st century. Aircraft use strobes and maybe its time for boats on congested inland waterways to do so also.