Abstract:
A remote controlled lighted mooring beacon is adapted to be secured to a mooring site. The beacon may include various features, such as a central shaft, a ballast at the base of the shaft containing at least one power source, a float, an electronics package having a receiver that responds to a wireless code for generating an activation signal, and a 360 degree viewable high intensity light source.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This Application is a Continuation-in-Part Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/272,822, filed May 8, 2014, which claims rights under 35 USC §119(e) from U.S. Application Ser. No. 61/855,090 filed May 8, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    This disclosure relates to moorings and more particularly to a method and apparatus for locating a mooring by illuminating a high power light source atop the mooring. In some embodiments, the light source is able to be activated wirelessly by a controller used by a manager of the mooring area (e.g., the harbor master, marina owner, yacht club manager, etc.). In these and other embodiments, a user of a mooring site may also be able to wirelessly activate the light source atop a designated mooring site (e.g., by using a remote control transponder device and/or an application on a mobile computing device). 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    It will be appreciated that sailing vessels such as sailboats and motorboats require a mooring or boat slip to attach to when coming into port. Leaving a mooring is not an issue, but finding a mooring again or finding a guest mooring at the end of a boating event is oftentimes problematic. Moorings may be marked by color, number or by other indicia. However, regardless of how the mooring is marked, it may not be viewable from a distance or may be obscured by fog or other boats in the area. 
         [0004]    In broad daylight, even experienced sailors or boaters who have identified their mooring location before departure can find it difficult to find the mooring after a race. For example, the indicia may be rotated away from view, or other boats may have moved, or the line-up with a land marker may have shifted. The problem of locating a mooring happens in a field as small as about 30 moorings. Add to this basic dilemma a heavy breeze, a few extra boats all searching for their mooring, particularly as they all come in after a race, a larger more crowded mooring field, and there could be collisions from boats tacking in close quarters, all trying to find their moorings. 
         [0005]    For instance, in Marblehead Harbor alone there are 2600 moorings, with the boats moored side-by-side with very little maneuvering room. When coming into the harbor it is oftentimes not possible to even see the mooring for which one is headed and certainly not to be able to identify it at any distance. This is even further complicated by fog or in driving rain such that it is oftentimes impossible to locate the correct mooring buoy. In such a situation ordinarily a boat has to circle the mooring field a number of times in order to be able to identify the correct mooring. 
         [0006]    Some prior systems for indicating buoy location by lights atop the buoy are designed for buoys that carry large heavy battery packs recharged with wave action and are totally unsuitable for use as mooring sticks common with recreational boating moorings. These buoys are difficult to remove from the water at the end of the season and difficult to waterproof. Other prior systems for indicating mooring location by lights atop the mooring are designed to be powered by solar cell arrays. It will be appreciated that solar cells used to power illuminated buoys are too unwieldy to be conveniently plucked from the water. Other recreational boating devices that require wave action energy are simply too cumbersome for use on seasonal mooring sticks. Further, prior art lighted mooring sticks lack an adequate counterweight for keeping the stick upright. 
         [0007]    For instance the system described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,126 does not carry the power source at the base of the mooring stick but rather locates the apparatus for powering the light in the buoyant central package midway up the mooring stick and thus provides no ballasting. U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,243 requires a rechargeable battery which either requires solar cells or wave action to recharge the battery. This type of system precludes its use on a mooring stick. 
         [0008]    It will be appreciated that long life for a lighted mooring beacon is important so that it can last an entire boating season without power source replacement. This is because access to the mooring is not convenient in many instances and power source replacement (e.g., replacing or recharging batteries or a different power source) is a nuisance. This power problem is particularly severe when one attempts to utilize a high intensity strobe light to identify the position of a mooring stick. Without a significant power source that can operate for a whole boating season, strobe-based systems are not useful in mooring beacons. 
         [0009]    It is therefore important to provide a mooring beacon with a very high intensity 360° viewable light source on top of a mooring stick that can be viewed from far away and yet has enough power in reserve so that the mooring beacon can be installed and used for entire boating season. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The subject methods, systems, and devices address the above-mentioned problems by providing a remote-controlled mooring beacon having a 360 degree viewable high intensity light source atop a mooring beacon. As described below, in detail, the mooring beacons described herein may be affixed to any suitable structure, including but not limited to mooring balls, mooring sticks, fixed docks, floating docks, piers, buoys, and/or mooring pilings. In cases where the mooring beacon is also used as a mooring stick, the mooring stick may be ballasted by a power source (e.g., a battery pack) at its lower end, with the power source being of sufficient size to last an entire boating season. The power source may also have sufficient weight to provide enough ballast so that the mooring beacon stays upright even in heavy seas. Note the entire mooring beacon may be waterproof, in some embodiments. The subject mooring beacon may allow the boat owner to plan his approach to the mooring field with sufficient time to prevent dangerous, quick and unexpected turns in tight places, with the mooring beacon seen easily. More particularly, the power source can replace the traditional lead weight at the bottom of a mooring stick. With a heavy power source (in some embodiments, batteries) at the base of the mooring beacon and with a buoyant float in the middle portion, the large power source permits not only season-long powering of a very high intensity light source for identifying the location of the mooring beacon, but also provide ballasting of the mooring stick even in heavy seas. In one embodiment, the power source weighs at least two pounds. In some particular embodiments, the power source weighs approximately 4-5 pounds. The mooring beacon itself may have any desired dimensions. In some embodiments, for example, the mooring beacon is between 3 and 6 feet in length. In some embodiments, the mooring beacon extends approximately 3-7 feet above the buoyant float and approximately 1-3 feet below the buoyant float. 
         [0011]    The light atop the mooring beacon is a powerful 360 degree-viewable light source which may be turned on by wireless signals transmitted to a receiver on the mooring beacon. Wireless signals can be transmitted to the mooring beacon receiver using any suitable device, including but not limited to remote control transponders and/or mobile computing device applications. In some particular embodiments, a remote control transponder or mobile computing device application may be set to transmit signals having the same frequency or code assigned to the mooring beacon. In these and other embodiments, the mooring beacon may be actuatable from at least one quarter mile, half a mile, three quarters of a mile, one mile, or a greater distance away. 
         [0012]    It will be appreciated that the high intensity light source can be any suitable light source. In some embodiments, for example, the high intensity light source may be a strobe light which is viewable, for instance, up to a mile from the mooring. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the high intensity light source can be formed from an array of LED lamps arranged in so that they point in varying directions for 360 degree coverage. If the individual LEDs are insufficiently bright to provide for the requisite illumination, multiple LEDs can be packaged in a module. These modules are then arranged to provide the required 360 degree coverage. Each of these modules may contain for instance from 3 to 20 individual LED lamps to provide for the requisite intensity. Commonly available LED lights only point in one direction and do not provide 360 degree coverage. However with multiple LEDs arranged as described above, the subject mooring beacon is readily viewable in bright sunlight, at night and in fog. 
         [0013]    Moreover, in one embodiment, the mooring beacon receiver can be turned off completely when stored and automatically turns off the high intensity light source after a predetermined period of time to minimize power source drainage. Further, a beeping sound system can be attached as desired and timed with the flashing light source. 
         [0014]    The disclosed mooring beacon system can also be used in any appropriate location, including fresh or salt water bodies. In some cases, the disclosed systems and devices may be used to manage mooring sites with transient users. For example, and as described in detail below, the disclosed systems may allow a mooring area manager (e.g., a harbor master, yacht club manager, marina owner) to manage various mooring sites by activating a mooring beacon associated with a particular mooring site, as desired. In some embodiments, the user of a mooring (e.g., a guest) may also be able to activate the assigned mooring beacon wirelessly using a transmitter device, such as a remote control transponder device or a mobile computing device application. In some embodiments, the manager of the mooring sites may actuate a mooring beacon upon request from a user. The user could sail or motor to the illuminated mooring beacon with assurance that he or she is finding the right mooring. In some embodiments, an application for a mobile computing device (e.g., an app) may be used to reserve a mooring site, provide payment for the mooring site, view the mooring site on a map, illuminate the beacon of the mooring site, and/or communicate with the manager of the mooring site. 
         [0015]    In addition, the subject beacon system can be used to locate boat slips for the owner or guest so that they may safely navigate into the slip by themselves. Since many such slips look alike even to an owner, it is important to be able to identify the correct slip so that the boated can enter the correct slip. 
         [0016]    When the mooring beacon light is placed at a slip, the beacon can be remotely activated from a mooring site manager to indicate which slip is available. When numbers of boats are coming in for dock space, only one mooring beacon is activated at a time by the mooring site manager who can selectively address the mooring beacons and then extinguish them after a boat is successfully docked. Also, the individual beacons can be either color-coded or flashed in a coded fashion to indicate to an incoming boater which slip he or she is to enter. 
         [0017]    Additional advantages to the use of the subject device is to prevent boat collisions and in changing weather conditions and in crowded harbors. Also accidental misuse of another&#39;s mooring which requires a harbormaster to come out and a move boats off a mooring is avoided. The subject device also serves as an aid to the accurate location of moorings and boat slips. Thus the subject mooring beacon can be a valuable safety and navigational tool for the boating consumer. 
         [0018]    In summary, a floatable remote-controllable mooring beacon is provided that incorporates either a 360 degree array of high intensity LEDS or a high-intensity flash lamp on the top of a mooring site, such as a mooring beacon used as a mooring stick, ballasted by a power source used to power the mooring beacon for the entire boating season. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    These and other features of the disclosure will be better understood in connection with the Detailed Description in conjunction with the Drawings. 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic illustration of the entry of a boat into a harbor searching for a mooring with an individual on the boat signaling the mooring beacon to illuminate, thereby to indicate the direction and placement of the mooring. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic illustration of the mooring beacon of  FIG. 1 , indicating the extension of a shaft above a float carrying a receiver package and a high-intensity light source capable of being viewed 360 degrees. 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is a diagrammatic illustration of the top portion of the mooring beacon of  FIG. 2  illustrating the encapsulation of a receiver and the placement of a high intensity strobe light atop the shaft. 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic illustration showing the utilization of a power source (e.g., a battery package) to ballast the mooring beacon of  FIG. 1 , with the shaft being utilized as a mooring stick and having a float and the receiver/light assembly on the shaft, showing the relative length of the shaft extending below the float and the relative length of the shaft extending above the float, thus to raise up the high intensity light source to give maximal visibility for the beacon while at the same time providing an appropriate righting moment for the mooring beacon due to the power source at the bottom of the shaft. 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is a diagrammatic illustration of a handheld wireless transmitter device for use by a mariner on a boat seeking to activate the mooring beacon of  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  is a diagrammatic illustration of a dual power source assembly for use in the mooring beacon of  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 , showing a low voltage source to power the receiver in the mooring beacon and a higher voltage source to power a high intensity light source. 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  is a diagrammatic illustration of the utilization of a number of LED modules mounted in a circle and aimed in different directions to provide 360° high intensity coverage for the mooring beacon of  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 8A  is a top view of the location of batteries in a cylindrical housing for use in the battery package of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 8B  is a side view of the placement of batteries within the battery package of  FIG. 8A . 
           [0029]      FIG. 9  is a diagrammatic illustration of the utilization of the subject remote controllable beacon to indicate which of a plurality of docks is indicated as being available for an incoming vessel under the control of a mooring site manager. 
           [0030]      FIG. 10  is an illustration of an exemplary mooring site management system that includes a user device and a mooring site management device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0031]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a crowded harbor  10  is shown having a number of mooring balls  12  located throughout the harbor to which sailing vessels  14  are moored. Although  FIG. 1  and other Figures of the subject application illustrate sailboats, it is to be understood that the subject disclosure applies to any type of floating vessel, including but not limited to sailboats, motor boats, paddle boats, and other types of boats. It will be seen that due to the densely packed harbor it is very difficult for an incoming vessel  16  to be able to locate a particular mooring ball, here shown at  18 , due to the number of boats in the way and due to the similarity of all of the mooring balls  12 . 
         [0032]    While the moorings themselves are numbered or provided with other indicia and while if the boater is familiar with the harbor and knows the location of boats adjacent his mooring, it is still nonetheless difficult at times for the boater to ascertain which mooring is his. The problem exacerbated when boats that usually sit around his mooring have left their moorings. Thus there is no visual cue as to which of the many moorings in the crowded mooring field is the boater&#39;s mooring. 
         [0033]    In order for the mooring beacon  18  to be identified, a boater on a vessel  16  activates a device  17  to wirelessly activate the associated mooring beacon  18  through a transmission  20  which causes a high intensity light source  22  to illuminate. This illumination may be visible for at least 100 yards and permits the boater to maneuver his vessel as illustrated by the dotted line  24  towards his mooring beacon  18 . Device  17  may be any device capable of transmitting a wireless signal, including a transponder, a mobile computing device application, or other suitable transmitter or transceiver device. 
         [0034]    The mooring beacon  18  is of sufficient intensity and omnidirectionality that regardless of the crowding of the harbor and orientation of the mooring beacon, the mooring beacon is easily visible not only at night but also in fog and during the day. 
         [0035]    As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the mooring beacon  18  is comprised of a shaft  30  that extends through a float  32  in and carries a receiver unit  34  adapted to receive the wireless signals from the wireless transmitter on a vessel entering the harbor. As used herein, the term “wireless” refers to any signal transmitted without wires, including signals transmitted using cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, ultra-high frequency (UHF), or near-field communication (NFC) technology. In some embodiments, wireless signal may be coded such that the only mooring beacon  18  that has its high power light source activated is the one that corresponds in code or frequency to the transmitter device actuated. On top of the receiver housing is a high intensity omnidirectional light source  36  which is visible at large distances due to the high intensity of the light source  36 , be it a strobe light in one embodiment or a plurality of LEDs aimed around the compass points to provide 360° coverage. Light source  36  may be any type, frequency, or color. The bottom portion  40  of the shaft  30  is provided with a power source package  42 , at times referred to herein as a “battery package,” although the subject disclosure is not intended to be limited to batteries as the only type of power source. Battery package  42  can serve various functions, including powering the mooring beacon  18  and also providing a ballast to make sure that the shaft  30  is in an upright position as it floats on the surface the ocean or lake. In some embodiments, light source  36  may be powered by a source other than battery package  42 . For example, in some embodiments, light source  36  may be powered by solar, wind, fuel cell, and/or shore power energy. 
         [0036]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the upper portion of the mooring beacon  18  of  FIG. 2  is shown in which at the top of the shaft  30  is a waterproof housing  34  which carries a receiver for receiving coded signals from a wireless transmitter device. Housing  34  also includes switching circuits for connecting the power from the battery package  42  carried at the base of the shaft  30  to both the receiver within housing  34  and also to the high intensity light source  36  which is illustrated as a flash lamp strobe. The receiver may be a conventional receiver such as found in garage door openers along with conventional switches normally used in such applications. 
         [0037]    It be appreciated that the housing and all components are made waterproof so that they will operate at least for a season and longer. The components may be hermetically sealed. 
         [0038]    Referring back to  FIG. 2 , in one embodiment, the shaft  30  and attendant hardware performs the function of a mooring stick which is attached to a mooring ball by a chain. After the boater identifies his mooring and comes up to it, he may pluck the mooring stick out of the water and secure the mooring ball to a bow cleat. It is important to note that the weight of the entire mooring with shaft  30 , high intensity light source  36 , receiver  34  and battery package  42  may be less than 10 pounds, in some embodiments. In other embodiments, however, the mooring device may weigh approximately 10 pounds or may weigh more than 10 pounds, such as 10.5 pounds or 11 pounds. In some embodiments, the mooring device may be light enough to be easily brought aboard a boat. 
         [0039]    More particularly, and referring now to  FIG. 4 , the shaft  30  is shown to pass through the float  32  such that an upper portion  50  extends upwardly from the float  32  by a distance illustrated by arrow  54  of approximately 3 feet in one embodiment. Beneath the float is a portion of the shaft  56  having a battery package  42  secured to the distal end of shaft  30 , with shaft portion  56  extending as illustrated by arrow  58  1 to 2 feet below the float  32 . In one embodiment, the weight of the battery package is between 4 and 10 pounds to give sufficient righting moment to the mooring such that it remains upright in all sea conditions. 
         [0040]    The mooring beacon  18  is provided with an on-off switch  60  such that the mooring beacon can be actuated when placed adjacent a mooring ball. The 360 degree high intensity light source  36  may be any suitable light source. For example, in some embodiments, the 360 degree high intensity light source  36  may be implemented with a strobe light or one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). In some embodiments where a strobe light is used, the strobe light may be visible for a mile or more. Alternatively, and as shown in  FIG. 7 , the high intensity light source may be made of a plurality of LEDs lo mounted around the periphery of a circular support so that they face outwardly and provide 360 degree visibility. If the individual light emitting diodes are not sufficiently intense, they may be located in mini flashlight modules such that the light emitted in one direction is spread out by the number flash light modules. Note that each flashlight module may incorporate a number of LEDs. The LEDs may be programmed to blink in a strobe-like manner to be easily visible. The LEDs may be programmed to blink a finite number of times, such as not more than 5 blinks for a single activation. Controlling the blinking limits light pollution in the harbor. 
         [0041]    As illustrated in  FIG. 5  a typical wireless transmitter device  62  is shown with an activation button  64  to cause the wireless transmitter device  62  to transmit a coded signal which is picked up by the mooring beacon  18 . In some embodiments, wireless transmitter device  62  may be a remote control transponder, a mobile computing device application, or other suitable transmitter or transceiver. 
         [0042]    Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a dual battery pack  70  includes a pair of batteries  72  connected in series, the output of which is 3 V and a number of batteries  74  connected in series to produce a combined output of 9 V. The output from the low voltage source over is coupled to a switch module  80  which is activated by a receiver  34  (not shown in this figure) so that under normal operation the low-voltage 3 V is applied to a receiver  34  mounted atop the shaft  30 . 
         [0043]    When the mooring is actuated by a remote RF signal, switch module  80  connects the high-voltage from batteries  74  to power the high intensity light source  36 . When this light source  36  is a strobe as illustrated, its power drain is significant and requires the higher voltage to sustain his high power output. 
         [0044]    However, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , if the high intensity light source  36  may be comprised of LED modules  86  each pointed in a different direction around a periphery, then the drain on battery  74  may be significantly reduced while at the same time providing for the required high intensity omnidirectional output. As mentioned above, if individual light emitting diodes mounted around the periphery of a support, for instance support  90 , are insufficiently bright to provide visibility over long ranges, aggregates of LEDs may be mounted in modules to provide high intensity light in one direction. In this case a number of these modules may be arrayed around in a circle on support  90  such that while the beam width is relatively narrow for each of these modules, the use of multiple modules pointing in different directions permits omnidirectional high intensity light to be propagated out across the harbor. 
         [0045]    Referring now to  FIG. 8A , in one embodiment, a housing  100  houses a number of cylindrical batteries  102  in a triangular configuration. The batteries are kept in place by spacers  104  so as to make sure they do not become dislodged. Referring to  FIG. 8B , housing  100  is shown with batteries  102  mounted vertically within the housing and connected by contacts  106  and  108  to keep the batteries in place. The batteries may be replaced through a lower portion  110  of housing  100  which is anchored in place through a pin or screw  112 . In another embodiment, a single battery may be utilized to power the mooring beacon  18 , if sized properly. The battery or batteries forming the ballast of the mooring beacon  18  may be rechargeable and may be recharged from a connection port (not shown) mounted at an upper portion  50  of the shaft  30 . 
         [0046]    It will be appreciated that what is provided is a mooring beacon which floats next to a mooring ball and is tethered thereto such that the mooring beacon is actuated remotely by a wireless transmitter and is provided with a high intensity omnidirectional light source visible over large distances, thus to be able to identify the particular mooring for the boater seeking to moor his boat. In one embodiment, the receiver utilized to activate the high intensity light source turns off the high intensity light source after predetermined time so as to minimize power source (e.g., battery) drain. 
         [0047]    With the power source located at the distal end of the shaft of the mooring beacon and since the power source must of necessity weigh enough to keep the mooring shaft vertically oriented, the power source is designed not only to ballast the mooring beacon but also to permit season-long usage of the mooring beacon without replacement. It is noted that for marine use, all of the above components are waterproof and sealed such that corrosion is avoided as well as internal shorting for the components of the mooring beacon. 
         [0048]    While the above operation has been described in connection with mooring balls, it will be appreciated that the described devices may be attached to any suitable structure, including other types of moorings, docks, piers, floating docks, floating moorings, buoys, flags, poles, mooring sticks and/or pilings. The actuation of the mooring beacon is the same as discussed hereinbefore. Moreover, these mooring beacons can be actuated for instance by a mooring site manager, such as a dock master, harbormaster, yacht club manager, or marina manager, to indicate which of the mooring sites is available for use. In this case, the remote control unit is utilized to actuate a particular mooring beacon, which actuation is under the control of the mooring site manager instead of or in addition to the operator of the vessel. 
         [0049]    More particularly, and referring now to  FIG. 9 , it will be seen that a dock house  120  is provided with a number of wireless transmitter devices  122 . In some embodiments, wireless transmitter devices  122  may include remote control transponders, mobile computing device applications, and/or other types of transmitters or transceivers. These wireless transmitter devices correspond to docks  1 - 5 , with the wireless transmitter devices forming a head end control system and configured to actuate a corresponding high intensity light source at the end of the appropriate dock. Here a number of docks  124  are illustrated as being Docks  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 . At the end of each of these docks is an illuminable remote-controllable light source on a pole such as indicated at  126 ,  128 ,  130 ,  132  and  134 . When the mooring site manager wishes to indicate that the that Dock Number  2  is available, he activates the wireless transmitter device  122  corresponding to Dock Number  2 , at which point the high intensity light source at  128  is illuminated to indicate the dock to which a boater is to tie up. Thus, the vessel travels along dotted line  140  to the near side of Dock Number  2  as illustrated. 
         [0050]    In this manner, the mooring site manager can indicate which dock is available for an incoming vessel. In this case either the mooring beacon can be floated at the end of the dock or the shaft portion merely physically attached to the end of the dock, with the operation of the beacon being as mentioned hereinbefore. 
         [0051]    In some additional embodiments, a user may be able to wirelessly activate a particular mooring beacon using a different wireless transmitter device or another device.  FIG. 10  illustrates an example mooring site management system that includes mooring sites  150 , user device  152  and a mooring site management device  154 . In some embodiments, mooring site  150  includes a mooring beacon  18  and/or a high intensity light source  128 , as previously described. As shown in  FIG. 10 , the example mooring management system can be configured to permit user device  152  to transmit signal to an assigned mooring site  150 . In some embodiments, user device  152  is also configured to transmit and receive signal from the mooring site management device  154 . Similarly, the mooring site management device  154  can be configured to transmit signal to the mooring site  150  and configured to transmit and receive signal from the user device  152 . Signal may be transmitted to and from user device  152  and mooring site management device  154  by any suitable method, including but not limited to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, and other methods using radio frequency, light, and/or sound signals. In some embodiments, signal may be directly transmitted to and from user device  152  and mooring site management device  154 , while in other embodiments, signal may be indirectly transmitted to and from user device  152  and mooring site management device  154 . For example, in some embodiments, signal may be relayed through intermediary servers and/or satellites, as appropriate. 
         [0052]    In some embodiments, mooring site management device  154  may be operated by a mooring site manager (e.g., dock master, harbormaster, yacht club manager, or marina owner), while in other embodiments, mooring site management device  154  may be at least partially automated. For example, in some embodiments, mooring site management device  154  may be configured to automatically send signal to user device  152  and/or mooring site  150 . In some such embodiments, mooring site management device  154  may include a record of available mooring sites and, upon receiving a request from a user device  152  for a mooring site, may respond by illuminating a mooring beacon on a particular mooring site  150  and/or sending a signal (e.g., confirmation or denial of the mooring site request) to user device  152 . 
         [0053]    User device  152  and mooring site management device  154  may be implemented using any appropriate device. For example, remote control transponders, mobile computing device applications, or other types of transmitter or transceiver devices may be used for user device  152  and/or mooring site management device  154 . In some embodiments, user device  152  and/or mooring site management device  154  may be implemented using a mobile computing device, such as a cellular telephone, a tablet, or a laptop computer. In some such embodiments, an application on the mobile computing device may be used to send and receive wireless signals to other devices, including user device  152 , mooring site management device  154  and/or mooring site  150 . 
         [0054]    As described, in some example embodiments, user device  152  and/or mooring site management device  154  may be capable of activating a high intensity light source attached to mooring site  150 . For example, in some embodiments, user device  152  and/or mooring site management device  154  may be capable of adjusting the color of the high intensity light source on mooring site  150 . Similarly, in some embodiments, user device  152  and/or mooring site management device  154  may be configured to activate the high intensity light source on mooring  150  to flash in particular intervals, for example, in consistently timed bursts with the same amount of time between each burst or with varying amounts of time between each burst. 
         [0055]    Example systems, such as that shown in  FIG. 10  may allow various tasks to be performed using the user device  152 , including but not limited to: reserving a mooring site, providing payment for the mooring site, viewing the mooring site on a map, illuminating the designated mooring site beacon, and/or communicating with the mooring site management device  154 . In some embodiments, user device  152  includes additional features, such as geographic search capabilities, a catalogue of available mooring sites (including, for example, tackle description, boat size, type, last maintenance, etc.), commercial mooring areas, charter services, and the like. In some embodiments, user device  152  may need to be given access prior to being able to activate a beacon on mooring site  150 . In some such embodiments, a user may request access to a mooring site, for example, by sending an appropriate signal to the mooring site management device  154 , and after payment or upon approval from mooring site management device  154 , the user device  152  may be permitted to send signal to mooring site  150 . As will be understood, any of the disclosed techniques, devices, and/or systems may be combined, as desired. Numerous configurations and variations will be apparent in light of the subject disclosure. 
         [0056]    While the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications or additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the recitation of the appended claims.