Safety signaling apparatus for watercraft

A safety signaling apparatus comprising

• a base member, said base member suitably adapted to be removably attached to an upper surface of a watercraft;
• a retention member, said retention member suitably adapted to be removably attached to the base member;
• a mast, having a retention end, a shaft, and a signal end, wherein the retention end and the signal end are located at opposite ends of the shaft, and wherein the retention end of the mast is suitably adapted to be removably inserted into the retention member and the retention member is suitably adapted to receive the retention end of the mast;
• and
• a signaling device, said signaling device suitably adapted to be attached to the signal end of the mast;
• wherein the base member comprises
• a support cylinder, wherein said support cylinder is constructed of a rigid, durable material, is substantially cylindrical and substantially hollow, and comprises
• a curved circumferential side wall having a top edge,
• a bottom surface, wherein the bottom surface is substantially planar and located adjacent to the curved side wall opposite the top edge of the curved side wall, said bottom surface being biased at an angle to the curved side wall such that the curved side wall of the base member is oriented at an angle from the bottom surface, said angle being less than forty-five degrees from a perpendicular to the bottom surface,
• a central aperture passing completely through the bottom surface, and
• a top opening bounded by the top edge of the curved side wall;
• a retention bolt, said retention bolt having a head and a shaft, said bolt head being larger than the central aperture of the bottom surface and said bolt shaft suitably adapted to pass through the central aperture of the bottom surface, with said bolt head adapted to be positioned within the support cylinder and said bolt shaft adapted to extend outward from the support cylinder in a downward direction relative to the support cylinder, said bolt shaft suitably adapted to pass through an aperture in said upper surface of said watercraft;
• and
• a retention device, suitably adapted to be attached to the bolt shaft of the retention bolt;
• whereby the base member is removably attached to said upper surface of said watercraft by placing the support cylinder onto said upper surface of said watercraft with the bottom surface of the support cylinder adjacent to said upper surface of said watercraft, with the central aperture of the support cylinder aligned with the aperture in said upper surface of said watercraft, the bolt shaft of the retention bolt passing through the central aperture of the support cylinder and through the aperture in said upper surface of said watcrcraft, and the retention device attached to the bolt shaft of the retention bolt, thereby securing the base member to said upper surface of said watercraft,
• the signaling device is supported by the mast above the upper surface of said watercraft, said mast being in a substantially upright orientation and being removably attached to the watercraft through the retention member and base member, and
• the retention member is suitably adapted to maintain the retention end of the mast in a fixed orientation in relation to the base member under certain operating conditions of said watercraft and to permit independent movement of the retention end of the mast relative to the base member under different operating conditions of said watercraft.