Conference unifix::sailing

>>> what to wear at night

Warm clothes. We've found expedition weight polypropylene long underwear 
a good beginning if you're sailing in cold climates like New England. 
Rarely have I been comfortably warm sailing at night.

>>> basic rules to follow

Wear a good (ie, expensive) safety harness at all times. Be sure you 
have sufficiently strong attachment points in the cockpit, by the mast, 
and on the foredeck. Never go forward on deck if you're alone (unless 
you're singlehanding). You should be able to clip on your safety harness 
before leaving the cabin.

Be sure your navigation lights are bright and are working. I would 
suggest a masthead tricolor (eg, Aqua Signal or Peters and Bey). Much 
more visible than deck level lights. Usually brighter, too.

>>> safety precautions for other crew members

The basic rules apply.

>>> type of flashlights to use

Nonmetallic and waterproof. The various Tekna models are good, though 
expensive. We use flashlights with both white and red lenses. The red 
are used most.

>>> trying to find unlit channel markers

I've never found a spotlight helpful -- too much glare even when held 
high overhead. Experience and a good pair (ie, expensive) of 7x50 
binoculars are better. It takes something like 30 minutes for your eyes 
to fully night adapt. The glare from a spotlight will ruin your night 
adaptation. Once your eyes are fully night adapted, you'll be surprised 
by how much you can see even by just starlight. Red lights are much less 
likey to affect your night adaptation -- use no brighter a light than 
you have to.

Be sure you know your compass error.

    And whatever you do don't shine bright spots at other boaters. I
    do quite a lot of nite sailing(the heat during the day is unbearable)
    and there are a lot of fisherman out, especially on weekends. They
    shine their Q-Beams down in the water to attract fish and when I
    approach they ALL shine their lights at me. My nite vision goes
    instantly and I see spots for a while.
    
    Lights on the water are to be seen, now for seeing.

    I can vouch for the preceding replies.  I have been sailing at night
    for nigh on to 25 years (I don't like the term "Old Salt" due to
    mid-life crisis, but I guess it fits).  You will find that night
    sailing is something that could affect your entire outlook on life.
    The sea and sky take on a whole new perspective.  Alan's comment
    about the ability to see very well by starlight alone is true, but
    you may not be able to do this close to shore.  The reflected light
    from on-shore cause a lot distortion.  You'll have to head out about
    50-100 miles to get the true benefit.
    
    Use only red lights at night, period!  If you are in a narrow channel
    or near collision, then break out the Q-Beam, but except for that
    don't let the bright lights ruin your night vision.  Install red
    lights in the cabin.  I put a seperate circuit in my boat using
    Truck running lights from an Automotive store.  They are cheap,
    all plastic, with brass terminals (be sure to check this), and the
    bulbs are easy to find in any Medi-Mart.  I turn on the "Nite Light"
    circuit at dusk and shut off my cabin light circuit to ensure no
    crewmember will accidently switch on a white light.
    
    I also feel that a Mast Head Tri-Color is the best for Night Sailing.
    It gets the light away from the deck where reflections from stantions,
    shrouds, and deck house can affect your vision.  It also puts it
    up in the air where a big ship (which can be you biggest enemy)
    can see it clearly.  Another benefit of a single masthead light
    is that is usually uses less electricity to operate reducing the
    potential on a dead battery as you return to port.  Make sure that
    the wiring running up the mast is sufficient gauge so that voltage
    drop doesn't cancel out the advantage.
    
    There is one item that the others have not touched on.  That is
    that the shore takes on a totally different look as well.  When
    all the landmarks that you use during the day disappear and lights
    come on you can easily get confused.  Be very careful interpreting
    your charts with regards to lights.  They can often get hidden by
    city lights and you can easily get turned around and not feel confident
    that you know where you are.  If that happens, go out to sea and
    wait.  Go up or down the coast (safely away from shore) and try
    to get a new view of the coastline.  You would be surprised at the
    number of boats I have heard of that were found on a beach in the
    morning because they thought they were heading into a channel that
    wasn't there.
    
    There is a good book on night sailing called "Night Sailing".  I
    don't the authors name, but I'm sure if you called the Armchair
    Sailor in Newport they could send it to you.
    
    Enjoy, but be careful.
    
    Jeff
    
    
    

One interesting aspect of night sailing is that navigation is actually 
easier if the visibility is somewhat poor -- say five miles. There are 
many, many lighted aids to navigation around Boston, and on a very clear 
night it can be quite difficult to determine which is which. Also, 
finding the (usually) dim navigation lights on other boats and ships 
amid all of the non-navigation lights on the land can be very hard. 
Nonetheless, night sailing is fun -- one just needs to be a little 
careful out there. 

    Night Vision
    
    Never stare at one point at night. Keep your eyes moving in a circular
    pattern around the area you're looking in. The sensors in the eye
    that work at night, rods?/cones?, are denser around the edges of
    the retina so your chances of seeing something at night are better
    if it's off to the side of your field of vision.
    
    Use as low powered a light as possible, and definitely make sure the
    lights are red. If you have to use a light to look for markers,
    keep it as far from your eyes as possible. Most buoys have reflective
    tape on them so I'd suggest using a regular flashlight for this
    instead of a big searchlight.
    
    Looking at the shore
    
    The "Old Salt's" comments are right on the mark. Things will look very
    different at night.  For example, the brightest light off Scituate is
    the street lamp in the parking lot behind the light house! You have
    to look real hard to find the flasher that marks the end of the
    jetty. Know the color and flash patterns of the lights off your
    harbor and keep track of the general area of where to look for them.
    If there were a lot of lights on shore I'd refrain from approaching
    an unfamiliar harbor at night.
    
    I'll get the author of "Night Sailing" and put it in here. I've seen it
    in Marine sections of bookstores. It's published by (and available
    from) International Marine publishing out of Camden.
    
    THe first time we sailed at night I was totally unprepared for the
    cascade of water from the main. we had a high dewpoint that night
    :-)
    
    Ed 

In addition to the preceding good points, I might add a few:

It is illegal to shine a (spot)light onto the bridge of another vessel.  
If you want to be more visible, a useful technique is to shine your own 
light onto your sail -- that's tells 'em just what you are as well as 
where.  If you feel you need to identify something that might be another
vessel, start your light aimed quite low and sweep back and forth raising
it gradually.  The reflection off the water will be noticeable to other
vessels, and you're more likely to have your beam strike their hull rather
than bridge.  Once you make contact, try to move the beam away quickly. 
(Once in an ICW canal at night, in searching for a highway bridge abutment
we accidently hit a tug's bridge with our battery-powered handheld spot. 
He responded in kind, his somewhat brighter light nearly bubbling our deck
paint.  We had to toss the anchor and wait ten minutes in order to see
enough to continue navigating.) 

Looking for land and other unlit objects at night requires some of the 
same subtlety as fog vision.  Looking straight at something often makes it 
disappear -- the area around the center of your eye (rods or cones?) is
more sensitive to light/dark than resolution and color.  It's like walking
down a path on a dark night, when you need to keep sweeping your eyes back
and forth, noticing the every-so-slight differences in darkness with your
peripheral vision. 

Finally, another old timers' trick, if you haven't got a red light handy 
sometime:  close or cover one eye, and check your chart with a white
light.  Once it's off, open the still-acclimated eye, and you haven't lost
all ability to see in the dark. 

John.

    Two other thoughts:  As already noted, things will look different
    at night.  What still throws me off is the change in my ability
    to judge distances.  For me, islands and shorelines seem to always
    appear much farther away than they really are (it looks 100yds away,
    but it really is only 10!), and especially on clear nights lights
    are much farther away than they appear (I once thought a lighthouse
    6 miles away was a red flasher close abeam; very confusing.)
    
    Also, if you sail in "working" waters at night, I'd keep in the
    cockpit where it's instantly available, a guide to what various
    combinations of lights mean.  Tugs, barges, and other large commercial
    vessels need to be identified quickly.  I use one of those 8.5x11"
    plastic coated cards that also has on it stuff about bouys, rules of
    the road, etc.  It has a section showing the lights of most vessels.
    If I'm sailing all night, I duck tape it to the cockpit bulkhead
    where it won't get lost and everyone can see it.  We all carry the
    small Tekna microlight with *red* lens to read it.

    I also carry a quick reference guide to nav lights.  It's especially
    useful for those combinations you don't see often.  A few points
    to remember:
    
    	o Tugs pushing or pulling are usually easy to spot.  Barges
          pushed ahead may be dimly lit at the forward end.  A "black
          hole" where the shoreline or horizon should be is a clue.
        
    	o Offshore, barges being pulled may be a thousand feet astern
          of the tug and not well lit.  Do not cross astern of any tug
          towing until you verify the location of all the barges.
    
    	o Similarly, fishing boats pair trawling may be separated by
          a considerable distance and the nets may not be visible.
    
    	o Depending on your cruising area, be aware that submarines
          may be on manoeuvers.  I remember one evening between Block
          Island and Montauk suddenly surrounded by several subs from
          Groton.  A helo with a very bright light then appeared and
    	  asked us to clear the area.  
                                                                   
    Steve

    Re "Sailing at Night"
    
    Author is Richard Henderson.
    
    Published by International Marine Publishing as a part of their
    Seamanship Series.
    
    If you'e like a copy of their sales bulletin, contact me through
    mail - Ed Thomas @chm.
    

RE: .7 & .8:

Why not learn the lights?  Once you get into it, you'll find some patterns 
among similar or related situations which make sense, and it doesn't take 
all that long.  Some of the study guides also provide helpful mnemonics, 
like, "White over red, pilot ahead" and "Green over white, fishing at 
night."

Also, don't trust what you see to be properly lit, or even legal for that 
matter.  During one night passage up Buzzards Bay late this past July,
between about 2200 and 0200 in moderately good visibility, I saw the
following: 

-  A fishing boat, clearly underway at speed while exiting Quick's Hole, 
   with his fishing lights fully lit.  Illegal, as well as confusing for a
   while until we got quite a bit closer; we thought we were seeing his
   stbd side when in fact he was showing a much weaker and partially
   obscured port light. 

-  Later, a 100+ foot ferry crossed ahead of us, apparently bound from
   Woods Hole to New Bedford.  I never did see running lights, and if he 
   was properly displaying range lights, they were lost in the glare of
   more than 20 mercury vapor decklights.  A yellow buglight near the 
   bridge caused further wonder (which will make sense to you when you 
   learn the towing light combinations.) 

-  A large ocean-going tug (itself >100') had lengthened his tow a couple 
   miles south of Cleveland Ledge Light and was cranking up to full speed.
   The tug displayed the correct towing lights for a long tow (3 vertical),
   but I just couldn't see any tow.  I figured it must be awfully low, and
   since the land behind was largely unlit from the angle I was looking
   from, it was quite a mystery.  Until New Bedford began to disappear. 
   It was the largest barge (and highest load, whatever it was) I've ever
   seen in the canal, and though I scanned it continually with binoculars
   from a half-mile away, never did see *any* lights on it.  We were far
   enough away to be quite safe, but it caused 30 minutes of consternation
   and a 15-degree course change just to be sure. 

It's a crazy world, even out there.
                                    J.

    Cant resit another note about not using that damned spotlight.
    An old friend of mine used to carry a 30-06 rifle on his boat. I
    dont think he ever actually shot anyones spotlight out, but just
    aiming the rifle seemed to cause spotlights to quickly dissappear.

    Another book is "Night Sailing" by S.F. Whitaker which I think was
    mentioned in -.n.
    
    I also keep a current years Light List on board.  Light characteristics
    seem to change most frequently of anything on the charts and I've
    been fooled more than once.  The List also has lat/lon for major
    lights - a definite help when it's time to turn on the loran.
    
    Keeping a good log and practicing your dead reckoning navigation
    should also be part of the ritual.  A self illuminated "hockey puck"
    hand bearing compass can help.
    
    The ACR "Crew Light" clips (or velcro) on to your life jacket (which
    we require + harness).  It has a red filter and is surprisingly
    easy to aim with both hands free.  Just the right amount of light,
    too.
    
    The quick reference card for ships lights was handy until I encountered
    an oil drilling platform!  Look that one up!
    
    

My question is: from this (below) can we assume that the only time
a white masthead light (235 degrees) should burn is when 
a sailboat is under power?

There seems to be alot of confusion (at least in my
own mind) in regards to the configuration of navigation
lights to use after the sun goes down. 

The most popular configuration I see in Salem Harbor is:
	* Red and green on the bow
	* White (135 degrees) on the stern
	* White (235 degrees) halfway up the mast

However, looking in the official Coast Guard manual for
International and Intracoastal navigation I find that,
for sailboats (under sail is implied), two configurations 
are recognized by the CG:

	a) * Red and green on the bow as either a 
	     combined light or two separate lights
	   * White (135 degrees) on the stern
	b) * Configuration (a) above plus a masthead
             light having green (360 degrees) on the
             bottom and red (360 degrees) on the top.

No other white lights -- certainly not one at the masthead 
or one half way up the mast (which is usually still refered 
to as a masthead light).

Now if we look at boats under power, the regulations call for
a white light (235 degrees) at least one meter above the red/
green bow lights, etc., etc., for the dozens of different
combinations the Coast Guard recognizes.

    > My question is: from this (below) can we assume that the only time
    > a white masthead light (235 degrees) should burn is when 
    > a sailboat is under power?
    
    That is correct. If you are under sail (only), you must not show a
    white light forward. If you are under power (with sails up or not),
    you must show a white light forward like all other power boats.
    i.e. - If you have a otor on, you are a power boat.
    
    Another little observed requirement for larger boats is that if
    you are under power with sails up during daylight hours, you must show
    the required dayshape - a black cone in the forward rigging.
     
    Both of the above are so that another vessel may determine
    whether you have the right-of-way priviledges of a sailboat or
    a power boat.
    
    Bill
    

re .13:

>>> The most popular configuration I see in Salem Harbor is:
>>>	* Red and green on the bow
>>>	* White (135 degrees) on the stern
>>>	* White (235 degrees) halfway up the mast

This is the usual configuration for a boat under way under power (which 
includes a sailboat motoring with sails up). However, the sidelights 
(the red and green lights) do NOT have to be at the bow. They can be 
anywhere along the side of the boat. I've seen a number of commercial 
vessels with their side lights well aft (especially on fishing vessels), in 
fact aft of the white light. This can be very confusing.

>>> However, looking in the official Coast Guard manual for
>>> International and Intracoastal navigation I find that,
>>> for sailboats (under sail is implied), two configurations 
>>> are recognized by the CG:

>>>	a) * Red and green on the bow as either a 
>>>	     combined light or two separate lights
>>>	   * White (135 degrees) on the stern

Yes, this is the most usual (legal) configuration.

>>>	b) * Configuration (a) above plus a masthead
>>>          light having green (360 degrees) on the
>>>          bottom and red (360 degrees) on the top.

This is very unusual -- I've seen it maybe once in eighteen years. I 
assume it is seldom used for two reasons: The electrical power required 
for two additional lights and the difficulty of mounting two 360 degree 
lights one above the other.

There is a third legal configuration -- a single masthead light 
combining the side and stern lights (tricolor light). This is the one we
use except when in harbor for three reasons. 

First, the electrical power used is much less. Our tricolor lights uses
a single 25W bulb. Our deck lights use two 25 W bulbs and one 10 W bulb
-- 60 W total. 

Second, more importantly, a mastlight tricolor light is MUCH, MUCH more
visible. Deck level lights can be obscured be relatively small waves if
you're in a trough and the other boat is also in a trough. It will take
a very large sea to keep a masthead light from being seen. 

Third, deck level lights almost always aren't properly mounted so that 
either there are gaps between the lights or the lights overlap. This 
doesn't happen with a tricolor.

See Notes 845.85 - 845.88, 845.91, 845.100, 845.103, and 845.109 for 
further discussion.

Alan

Of course the tricolor light -- how could I have overlooked that!

Do you use the standard deck lights when in crowded areas instead
of the tricolor light? I would think that having a single light
so high could be confusing to someone close by. (I think there
was a similar discussion in regards to anchor lights being high
off the water.)

I concur with you on all points in .15.

Michael

    Re: other mariners' use of lights.  Bear in mind, these people are 
    drivers when in their cars, and think about how many people use their
    fog lights for a bonding means, use parking lights when driving, use 
    high beams when they are inappropriate, or...
    
    Sailors using a steaming light (sometimes referred to as a masthead
    light I guess) while sailing give up their right to be treated as a
    sailboat, since they are showing the lights for a power-driven vessel.
    
    Like Alan, I usually use a tricolor.  A few years ago I took a trip on
    a 137 foot schooner for whom such lights are not legal.  The
    skipper of that schooner showed an absolute disdain for tricolors,
    even on the high seas, because the light is all in one place, and up
    high.  Go figure.  
    
    djc
     

    re .16:
    
    Yes, in crowded areas we use our deck level lights, but then we're
    usually motoring anyway. 
    
    There are several factors that affect how likely navigation or anchor
    lights are to be seen.  
    
    The height of the light above the water is one, especially if one in
    concentrating on looking horizontally as would be the case when
    motoring or sailing in crowded places. Of course, in some crowded
    places (eg, Marblehead harbor), deck level lights will be frequently
    obscured by the other moored boats, which may make a masthead light a
    better choice. 
    
    Second, and particularly relevant to anchor lights, is brightness. A
    bright light, even at the masthead, is much more likely to be noticed
    than a dim deck level light. All too many boats have very dim
    navigation lights. A masthead light is actually fairly close to the
    horizon even when you are surprisingly close to the boat. Our masthead
    light is about 50' above the water, which means it is less than 5
    degrees above the horizon for a distance greater than about 600'. A
    mistake I've made more than once is to assume that a dim light on the
    horizon is a distant light when in fact the light is a very close but
    dim light. 
    
    Another advantage to masthead lights (our anyway) is that it
    illuminates the Windex and also (when my eyes are fully night-adapted)
    provides just enough light to see the deck gear. The deck level lights,
    especially the white stern light, are distractingly bright. 
    
    Alan

    re .17:
    
    Gee, I'd guess that most of the navigation lights on large ships are
    about as high off the water as my masthead tricolor.
    
    I'll continue to use my tricolor, and if someone markets one with a
    bigger bulb, I'll probably buy it.
    
    :-)

    The combination (red/green) bow lights such as made by Aqua Signal
    privide a very sharp break between red and green and only use a
    single bulb. Mine is hung from my bow pulpit, forward of everything
    else on the boat. The 10 watt falvor gives 1 mile visibility 
    (through a colored lens) and the 25 watt gives 2 mile (or better -
    10+10 does not = 25) visibility.
    
    Not an argument against masthead but against separate red/green bow
    lights.
    
    Bill