Enhancing Navigational Safety with VLS-46 at Salcombe Harbour, UK
As shifting tides and coastal swell made the entrance to Salcombe Harbour increasingly difficult to navigate, harbor authorities sought a reliable modern solution. The VLS-46 LED Sector Light was selected to bring improved clarity, low maintenance, and sharp sector definition to one of South Devon’s most popular boating destinations.
Background and Challenge
Located between Bolt Head and Prawle Point on the picturesque South Devon coast, Salcombe Harbour serves as a popular destination for recreational boating. However, the harbour entrance at Sandhill Point is known for its challenging navigation conditions, especially during an ebb tide combined with strong onshore winds or swell. The existing navigational light was no longer providing sufficient clarity for safe vessel entry, prompting the need for a more reliable and precise solution.
Navigating across the shifting sand bar at the harbour entrance required a light with enhanced sector definition and visibility under varying conditions. The local authority sought a modern, low-maintenance lighting system to improve both safety and user experience for mariners entering the harbour.
Solution for Safer Harbour Access – Sector Light Upgrade with High Precision
Hydrosphere, the UK’s leading supplier of marine aids to navigation, collaborated with Salcombe Harbour Authority to implement a high-performance lighting upgrade. The VLS-46 LED Sector Projector was selected to replace the outdated light system, offering improved sector clarity, efficiency, and adaptability.
The VLS-46 is a high-resolution LED sector light that uses individual projectors for each colour, allowing for precise sector delineation. Available in models with 5° or 10° horizontal beam angles, it features a typical boundary resolution of just 3 minutes of arc. The range extends up to 0.8NM during daylight and 12NM at night (@ 0.74T).
Each projector’s beam angle can be fine-tuned horizontally from 100% down to 10% of its maximum beam angle. The adjustable base plate ensures accurate alignment of projectors, allowing for precise definition of sector boundaries.
The unit is suitable for a wide range of applications, including marking of danger zones, vessel turning areas, parallel channel systems, and marine reserves. In Salcombe, the light was configured with the following settings:
Location: 50°13.74’N, 3°46.67’W
Sectors: Red – 10°, White – 5°, Green – 20°
Outcome: VLS-46 Light Brings Clarity and Confidence to Salcombe Mariners
The VLS-46 LED sector light has significantly improved the visibility and clarity of the navigational sectors at Sandhill Point. Visiting yachtsmen have responded positively, noting the crisp sector definition and ease of navigation.
Chris Gill, Assistant Harbour Master, commented:
“The definition between the colours is excellent, whereas the old light was blurred between the green and white sections. It can now be seen very distinctly – we had numerous complaints about the clarity of the previous light. We researched and found this light, which will hopefully be maintenance-free. It was very easy to set up and has already had good reviews.”
