Building Night Experience

[PhillM]

Except for a few hours on CC and DS course, I have never sailed at night. I am thinking about how to gain some experience in as safe as was as I can.

Current thinking is to plan a trip Hamble to Cowes. It goes dark about 8 at the moment, so leave Swanwick about 6pm, that will put me in Southampton Water about 7pm (dusk?) and over to Cowes in the dark.
Most likely I will be single handed, so was thinking about motoring over (with main and jib rigged, just in case).

Obvious precautions: plan the lights I expect to see; keep out of the main channel, cram up on identifying other boats lights; watch for lobster pots (how?) ...

This is just in planning stage right now as the weather doesn’t seem to be playing ball for weekends, but any advice from the panel will be gratefully received.

 

[Even Chance]

Early evenings this time of year are perfect for learning to sail in the dark. Take small steps, and it will be fine.

 

[Iain C]

Personally, I would say sail with someone else first and aim for something a bit longer. A singlehanded motoring trip to Cowes won't really teach you anything...it's 100% going to be about ship dodging and keeping your eyes open (ears won't work with the engine running...). It's going to be high workload with little reward, and it will be very easy for you to miss something, or get it wrong, with no one to point out your errors.

Once you have a bit of expeirence, fine, but crossing one of the trickiest stretches of water in the UK solo, is not an ideal first foray into night sailing. What about aiming for Lymington or Yarmouth from Cowes? You are more with, rather than crossing the flow of traffic, and there's less things to hit at the entrance. Or ideally, head to Poole from Lymmo/Yarmouth with someone who knows what they are doing.

 

[Tony Cross]

I would try to take someone else with you, even if they don't have much night experience either. It helps to have someone who you can talk to about whether what you think you're seeing is the same as what they think they're seeing.

I'm reminded of a story told me from years ago when those with Yachtmaster tickets could teach up to Day Skipper. A recently qualified Yachtmaster was instructing a boat of four students in a night sail out of Dover. Against the glare of the shore lights he spotted a flashing yellow light. "Ah" he exclaimed to his students, "does anyone know what that is?". Getting no replies he explained that it was a hovercraft and that non-displacement vessels show a flashing yellow light. There was a short pause before one of the students asked "well why is it emptying the dustbins then?"......

 

[westhinder]

If it is really your first night experience, try a night passage in open waters in summertime. This will enable you to get used to the feeling of being at sea at night and handling the boat. In the summer the nights are short and relatively benign. Do not underestimate how long, cold and wet autumn nights can be.
Once you have done this, try entering a familiar harbour at night. I would avoid very busy harbours untill you build up confidence.
The chances are high that you will find it easier to interpret movements of other vessels at night than by daylight, eg when crossing traffic lanes.

 

[jerrytug]

I would suggest thinking about how, or whether, you can achieve and keep your night vision, for as much of the trip as possible. Put everything where you don't need a torch to find it. Work out how to dim the lights on your instruments, and switch them off if they aren't essential. Check that your nav lights don't reflect back off the pulpit or whatever, and if they do, try and stop the worst eg with black tape or paint.
Work out all your lights and clearing bearings so a quick glance through a hand bearing compass will prove you are in a safe place, without torches, charts or staring in to screens.
Wear a blindfold for five minutes before starting. Having eyes even partly adapted to the dark is a huge help.
Anyway just a few thoughts about one aspect of your trip, cheers Jerry.

 

[Iain C]

The other thing I would add is that brushing up on your flip card lights won't bear much relationship to what you see on the water. In the Solent the shore lights are a bit of a nightmare, you will "lose" marks and boats that you have been tracking for 10 mins only for it to appear right next to you again. Ships are not some convenient reds and greens, they are a blaze of lights with the actual nav/steaming lights usually the dimmest, and it's difficult to work out which way they are going. Red Jets seem to go faster than you can imagine, what seemed like two big ships is actually one, there's boats on moorings off Cowes that aren't lit, probably 15% of all Solent yachts seem to show a steaming light with a tricolour, a similar amount of RIBS or fishing boats show no lights at all, and a mysterious flashing white is actually just a bend in the road on shore. You can't "revise" any if this stuff, it really is just an experience thing and therefore a good idea to have someone knowledgable on board until you get used to it.

 

[DJE]

The major difficulty in the area you are planning for is shore lights. The glare of the shore often obscures the lights of boats and buoys. Big ships sometimes show up as a black area moving across the bright background but unlit mooring buoys can be very hard to spot against a well lit shore.

Big ship movements down the main channels are relatively few and you can see them a long way off. But the frequent ferries and numerous small craft are going to keep you very busy. Hamble to Gosport might be a bit less challenging for a first attempt. Having said all that it's not difficult once you get the hang of it. At least there is no doubt about which bouy is which at night as they (mostly) all have different characteristics.

Edit: Check your insurance covers single-handing in the hours of darkness. Mine covers daylight only.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

but crossing one of the trickiest stretches of water in the UK...

That made I laugh! A sandbank, the odd ship, a few ferries and some background lights. Pentland Firth is tricky: there be tides that can whoosh at 3 times boat speed, whirlygigs, standing waves that eat small boats and other assorted evil dragons.

Southampton to Cowes, or Scrabster to the Orkneys. Hmm, let me think which one would give me the eebie-jeebies on a dark night...

 

[BruceDanforth]

It's not really that bad. Try and pick a night with a fullish moon if you can, that always helps a bit. Have a flask of coffee, some snacks and some energy drinks to hand. It will be colder than you expect and could be quite damp at this time of year. Keep a good lookout, particularly in the bit over by the IOW where the big ships go and turn. If you sail then set a bit less canvas than you would in the day rather than powering the rig right up. Have fun and look forward to a nice whisky at the other end.

 

[capnsensible]

In my experience, staying warm and dry whilst being clipped on makes night sailing a pleasure.

 

[alant]

Except for a few hours on CC and DS course, I have never sailed at night. I am thinking about how to gain some experience in as safe as was as I can.

Current thinking is to plan a trip Hamble to Cowes. It goes dark about 8 at the moment, so leave Swanwick about 6pm, that will put me in Southampton Water about 7pm (dusk?) and over to Cowes in the dark.
Most likely I will be single handed, so was thinking about motoring over (with main and jib rigged, just in case).

Obvious precautions: plan the lights I expect to see; keep out of the main channel, cram up on identifying other boats lights; watch for lobster pots (how?) ...

This is just in planning stage right now as the weather doesn’t seem to be playing ball for weekends, but any advice from the panel will be gratefully received.

Obvious stuff, so don't want to teach granny etc, but, if you haven't already sailed out/into the Hamble at night, don't forget to use the sector'd lights (1) Warsash (2) in the tree's next to the big oil tanks (they will be in your almanac).
Plus, check your own nav/steaming lights are OK.

 

[GraemeS]

Many years ago when I did my first night passages in charge I by chance hit landfall about 2 hrs before dawn. As I was unfamiliar with the port (In Portugal) I was a little nervous of the approach and with lots of fishing boat about things got a little hairy. Because it was only a couple of hour before dawn I bottled it and just hung off until I could see. Suppose what I'm saying is if you are caught out for any reason knowing that it will be light in a short while will really help.

 

[Iain C]

That made I laugh! A sandbank, the odd ship, a few ferries and some background lights. Pentland Firth is tricky: there be tides that can whoosh at 3 times boat speed, whirlygigs, standing waves that eat small boats and other assorted evil dragons.

Southampton to Cowes, or Scrabster to the Orkneys. Hmm, let me think which one would give me the eebie-jeebies on a dark night...

You are talking about natural features and navigational hazards. I'm talking about the fact that both shores are a blaze of lights, you have colossal commercial ships that do a funny handbrake turns in front of you, complete with their moving prohibited zone at least a kilometre long and escort vessels, there's high speed ferries, conventional ferries, a 3kt cross tide, lots of unlit moorings off Cowes, and probably more yachts in the Solent than anywhere else.

So yes, whilst there are significantly more dangerous stretches of water to sail on, that bit if the Solent is one of the trickiest bits of water for a newbie to go night sailing on.

 

[benjenbav]

As others have said: an experienced second pair of eyes is invaluable. If only so as to be able to sense check.

As in,

"I'll follow the leading lights right in"

"Up to a point, dear boy. Don't forget that at least one of them is on a pole in a car park..."

 

[geem]

That made I laugh! A sandbank, the odd ship, a few ferries and some background lights. Pentland Firth is tricky: there be tides that can whoosh at 3 times boat speed, whirlygigs, standing waves that eat small boats and other assorted evil dragons.

Southampton to Cowes, or Scrabster to the Orkneys. Hmm, let me think which one would give me the eebie-jeebies on a dark night...

Me too! southern softies!!

 

[OGITD]

With Electronic Navigation Equipment

It's easy-ish.

But Marine Insurance for solo and night sailing isn't automatically included in most policies ..... you must check with your insurers first.

 

[prv]

Most of the advice here is good, but the sheer volume of it tends to give the impression that sailing at night is a terribly difficult and complicated undertaking. Which it isn't.

My own piece of advice is that eyeballing it as you go along, even in an area you know quite well, is harder than you might think due to the loss of distance perception. But I know you're an extremely careful person who will have plans up the ying-yang, so this doesn't apply to you.

I'd second the suggestion to go down the less-busy Western Solent for an easy first outing, rather than across to Cowes. Perhaps cross the main channel as soon as you come out of the Hamble (having a good check for traffic up and down it first) and then handrail along just outside the port-hand markers round Calshot and away to the west. Head towards the Lepe cardinal - see how far out you can pick it up (binos with a compass in them help a great deal - get the bearing to the mark from the chart or plotter and then look down that line). There is a racing mark or two on that line - they are lit, but not terribly brightly, so make sure you know (chart or plotter) when you're approaching them and keep a good eye out.

If you don't want to go all the way to Lymington etc, after passing Lepe you might stop at Beaulieu for the night. Late season, and almost certainly if you're going midweek, there should be a visitors' buoy free in the lower reach, otherwise there's plenty of room to anchor in the same general area.

Pete

 

[LadyInBed]

The obvious question for me is what electronic nav aids do you carry?
If you use a chart plotter, sailing at night is no different to sailing during the day.
If you use a GPS then your concentration will be split between steering and nav, when you return to the helm it takes longer to re-orientate yourself at night.
Arrival at a familiar port is not an issue, as the ports you have in mind are lit up like Christmas trees!
Oh, and one very important point, you cannot judge the distance of a flashing light on a buoy at night.

 

[flaming]

Oh, and one very important point, you cannot judge the distance of a flashing light on a buoy at night.

Very, very true.

I once saw a light that I just couldn't place. It's flashing characteristics were nothing like anything that should be around me. I checked the plotter, I checked the chart. Nothing. All the time this light is getting higher and higher and brighter and brighter, I was absolutely convinced that it was a big tower buoy, and I was just about to crash into it. I grabbed the wheel and did a 90 degree turn, waking up the off watch crew with the violence of the turn.

Only then did it become obvious what I'd done.

At a range of about 15 miles I'd swerved to avoid the Alderny lighthouse. I just hadn't looked that far away on the chart!