Cabin lights whilst night sailing.

For limited night mileage in a small boat, a rear bicycle LED lamp works well, is portable and is independent of the boat's systems

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For general illumination I think the best light is a paraffin lamp turned down low. As long as it's not directly visible from the cockpit it's fine. A red/white flexilite at the chart table completes the requirements.


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Yep, good idea. Mine has them fitted at low level which I like - no eye level glare and deck is just sufficiently illuminated. Only problem is they can get damaged by the feet of clumsy crew or when lurching around in heavy weather. So site them carefully.

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I certainly would not like to consider sailing with paraffin light hanging below. I used nail varnish to paint the bulbs - the more coats the less light gets through.

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We have 1 red over the chart table and 1 red in the companionway steps. Niether put back any glare but they do light the boat well enough for the crew.

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I believe you are correct about colour. Experiments have shown that red is actually NOT a good colour as it makes it more difficult to read contrast on charts etc. It's the light level that matters not the colour.
When I was told this at work (shipbuilding) having noticed that only white lights were specified on the bridge I did my own experiment. I took a conventional white 15Watt household bulb and a red one and put them in my bedside lamp at home which has a dimmer switch. The effect surprised even me. I could read a book and discern detail on the chart with a MUCH lower light level with the white bulb than with the red one. Also looking out of my bedroom window with it on I could see better in the dark with the white light on than the red one. I have therefore equipped my own chart table with low wattage white lights not red ones. And my eyes are 61 years old. The old trick about keeping one eye shut when going below helps too apart from visiting the heads when I am compelled to sit down as it impairs my aim......



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Now I am old and crinkly it takes me about 45minutes to get my night vision and I am reluctant to loose it when sailing at night by exposing eyes to white glare etc.

To preserve night vision [as done in the RN], I have always used a red light below. No good for charts, as red printing become invisible etc. I found that a very low wattage white light was best for the chart table and didn't seem to affect my night vision very much. Use a flexible thinghy [from an auto accessories source] with the lowest possible wattage bulb so that I can place the light over the part of the chart I need without flooding out the cabin or blinding myself by looking at the light source.

The red light I use below is another sourced from auto accessories supply, a red tail light with as low a wattage bulb as possible I have wired it with its own on/off switch. Only other white lights [other than the required navigation lights] used while sailing at night are very low wattage bunk reading lights, and woe betide anyone who blinds the skipper by shining them in a direction that blinds other crew. I keep a torch handy for emergency use where the other forms of light insufficient and use it sparingly.

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That is interesting.

Will be looking further but from a quick look it does seem that the general scientific view is just as you say, it is the level of light that is most important in upsetting night vision, not the colour.

We do not use red lights on our own boat but do have a red flexible light at the chart table which is hardly ever used, and never find it a problem - like you say we just use low levels (and a small low power magnifying glass with built in illumination for the little print, etc on charts if using paper at the time - the ECS is no problem). Invariably customers (smaller commercial) want them on theirs though and is not a matter I had previously really considered much.

John

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