Heaven Can Wait 2010 marks bigger and brighter, thanks to Sealite

by HCW Media on 10 Sep 2010 Sealite, manufacturer and distributor of a range of marine navigation aids, has donated seven of its SL15 solar powered LED marine lights to guide competitors in this year's Heaven Can Wait 24 Hour Yacht Race to mark locations around Lake Macquarie.

To be held on Lake Macquarie on the October long weekend of October 2-3, this event – now in its fifth year – raises funds for men's cancer support and research programs.

The event includes the Heaven Can Wait (HCW) 24 Hour Yacht Race, in which boats sail around Lake Macquarie as many times as they can over 24 hours, and the daylight only One Lap Dash, which is a single circuit of the lake.

'In keeping with the core belief of the HCW committee in promoting safety and good seamanship throughout our event, we are very pleased with this generous donation by Sealite,' said Mark Hastings, Sponsorship Manager of the Heaven Can Wait Yacht Club.

'Over the last four years of the event, we have had to rely on personal strobes attached to the top of our large yellow inflatable buoys.

'These lights have worked adequately, but did require us to replace the batteries on the Saturday afternoon; marks are placed on the Friday afternoon and need to be lit at night as they are a potential navigation hazard – and they struggle to last the full night,' he said.

Sealite's SL15 is a self-contained compact 1-2nm LED lantern, designed to be maintenance-free and have a service life of over five years. It can be installed in minutes and requires no further operator intervention.

'For our event, they will be setup to flash yellow at a rate of 0.3 sec on and 0.7 sec off and will be affixed to the top of each of our large inflatable rounding marks,' said Mark.

The HCW organising committee is also upgrading the marks' ground tackle to help alleviate issues when laid over in high winds, which in some cases has made the top-mounted light hard to see in the past.

'As the event and fleet grow, we will continue to make improvements to ensure that everyone has a safe and memorable experience when they participate in this great cause,' Mark said.

For further information on Sealite's SL15 LED marine lines, please go to www.sealite.com.au/products/product.php?prod_code=SL15.

For more information about the 2010 Heaven Can Wait Charity Regatta, please go to www.heavencanwait.com.au.