Headlamps for yachts?

Very true, and if anything it applies more in Solent / coastal waters; years ago I kept telling my Dad in the Western Solent ' there's a submarine coming up fast astern ! 'but he was sure it was a wind-up so refused to look - so a bit of a shock when an Oberon Class boat went past at pretty high speed.

I also tell people, ' if you see a ferry of any type, quickly look 180 degrees for his mate coming the other way '.

I've only done cross-Channel stuff where one is - or should be - constantly aware of traffic around, but I can imagine on a blue water passage it would be all too easy to become complacent about a frequent all round lookout.
 
dslittle said:
If that were the case what would you expect the boat heading directly into your stern to do???
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An interesting question.

Presumably as the headlight gets closer the "following" boat will decide that he is the overtaking boat so will know that he has to keep clear and might decide to overtake on you starboard side. You will perceive a boat heading directly towards you so might adjust course to starboard and both boats will pass red to red.

However, if the "overtaking" boat decides to pass you to port .......... :ambivalence:

Richard
 
jdc said:
The one place I know of where a sort of car style 'headlight' i usual is in ice. See for instance http://www.highlatitudes.com/antarctic-yachting-guidelines.pdf where the requirement for an 'ice light' is mentioned. That's perhaps why the expedition boat mentioned in a previous post had some.
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The only other time a "headlight" might be of use is if coming into a group of moorings in true pitch black night, without a spare crew member to stand on the bow with a torch. Most of the time all they would do is dazzle others and prevent them seeing the real nav lights, at the same time as destroying the headlight boat crew's night vision.
 
I tried this once many years ago. The experiment lasted about 3 minutes before it became obvious this was NOT a good idea. It completely destroys your night vision so that you are unable to see beyond the lit up area - far more dangerous. If the light is dimmed enough not to affect night vision, then its not lighting up anything anyway!

As above, the only time its of any use is in amongst the moorings , trying to pick out your own buoy and avoid other moored boats, and even then there is often so much light pollution that you can see enough anyway!. Out at sea its a disaster and the risk of failing to spot anything outside headlight range is far greater than that of not seeing something you are unlikely to see anyway before you hit it! A Night vision or IR headset is of far greater value. Another factor is the risk of dazzling other users, a bit like car headlights on full beam coming at you. A cars headlights even a couple of miles off shining directly at you can be enough to destroy night vision IME. I once approached Dell Quay in darkness: someone had rigged a garden floodlight near the pub by the Quay. I was quite unable to see any of the channel nav marks north of the CYB entrance.
 
Most posters seem to have missed the point that if under sail at night the battery drain of a lamp powerfull enough to be of any use would soon flatten the battery bank........................................
 
rotrax said:
Most posters seem to have missed the point that if under sail at night the battery drain of a lamp powerfull enough to be of any use would soon flatten the battery bank........................................
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I have 600 Ah of house batteries. A car headlamp bulb is around 50W so about 4 amps. I could run the headlamp for 150 hours which should get me through the night. :)

Richard
 
rotrax said:
Most posters seem to have missed the point that if under sail at night the battery drain of a lamp powerfull enough to be of any use would soon flatten the battery bank........................................
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I always had excess electric as I had a towed generator which ran the auto helm, lights, fridge....but the idea of headlamps is never going to make sense to avoid random debris.
 
Most posters seem to have missed the point that this thread has been a complete wind up and lots are actually falling for it.

Well done, JT. :encouragement:
 
RichardS said:
I have 600 Ah of house batteries. A car headlamp bulb is around 50W so about 4 amps. I could run the headlamp for 150 hours which should get me through the night. :)

Richard
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In theory.

When you require it, you may be halfway through a passage under sail and you 600AH already depleted.

You know as well as I that you will never get 150 hours from 600AH in practice without some form of top up.

Solar wont work at night, wind is not very good downwind.

Also most yachts, unless set up for extended liveaboard dont have 600AH-we have a theoretical 475.

The batteries are not new so we dont expect full performance.

They are fine for 4/5 months liveaboard, but do drop quicker than they did when new.

Last summer was so $H1te in regard to weather where we were that we got little from solar, and the wind genny was often spragged for feat of overspeeding or too much noise.

The next boat will have a big diesel genny...........................
 
capnsensible said:
Most posters seem to have missed the point that this thread has been a complete wind up and lots are actually falling for it.

Well done, JT. :encouragement:
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Like you I thought it was a wind-up when I first read it and had intended making a reply at the time, but was unable to do so, quite simply because..........................................I couldn't stop laughing. Then I discovered it was NOT a wind-up when the OP stated that it was probably not a good idea after all. Yet more laughter. My surprise was that no fool suggested using Port/Stbd Nav lights as indicators or the stern light as a brake light...............................give it time !!!
Seriously what I will say is that if this is the level of people today coming into sailing then the sooner the whole industry is properly regulated the better.
 
Sandyman said:
Seriously what I will say is that if this is the level of people today coming into sailing then the sooner the whole industry is properly regulated the better.
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Regulation is clearly unnecessary. All we need is for you to make a pronouncement based on one thing 'they' ask, since you clearly know everything.
 
I'm sure I had a few daft ideas when I started sailing 48 years ago, I remember a boyhood ' wizard wheeze ' was to let off firework rockets from the spinnaker chute - thankfully that one never got beyond a pipedream.

The idea of using headlamps was quite a reasonable suggestion from a relatively inexperienced person - and we need lots more newcomers, not people harumphing at any fresh idea...
 
Seajet said:
The idea of using headlamps was quite a reasonable suggestion from a relatively inexperienced person - and we need lots more newcomers, not people harumphing at any fresh idea...
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I have been watching this thread & the different directions it has taken - from the problems of light degredation on the eyes at night, to current drain on the batteries, to navigation issues, to other means of seeing in the dark etc . Some points having a degree of common sense & some just silly & some just poking fun at the Op

For once ( although I hate to admit this) I find myself tending to agree with Seajet . The idea was probably placed by someone with very limited experience & thought he had hit on an idea that might work. I think some members of the forum have been a little unfair to the Op. I hope he has the same push that Dan Crane & the like have ( look how he got berated over some of his ideas but never seems to have given up)& has the drive to come back for more because eventually i am sure he will be an accepted contributor to the forum. Certainly one who is seen to be no dafter than the rest of us at times
 
Daydream believer said:
I have been watching this thread & the different directions it has taken - from the problems of light degredation on the eyes at night, to current drain on the batteries, to navigation issues, to other means of seeing in the dark etc . Some points having a degree of common sense & some just silly & some just poking fun at the Op

For once ( although I hate to admit this) I find myself tending to agree with Seajet . The idea was probably placed by someone with very limited experience & thought he had hit on an idea that might work. I think some members of the forum have been a little unfair to the Op. I hope he has the same push that Dan Crane & the like have ( look how he got berated over some of his ideas but never seems to have given up)& has the drive to come back for more because eventually i am sure he will be an accepted contributor to the forum. Certainly one who is seen to be no dafter than the rest of us at times
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I'm afraid I'm much more cynical than you. I'm of the opinion that Lyndsy Doyle is a new account for a previous poster here. I've not been bothered to try and figure out who but they've been making trollish posts ever since day one.
 
Woodlouse said:
I'm afraid I'm much more cynical than you. I'm of the opinion that Lyndsy Doyle is a new account for a previous poster here. I've not been bothered to try and figure out who but they've been making trollish posts ever since day one.
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Personally I think his rather nice boat would look very silly with headlights either side of the bowsprit, and he knows it :)

(I gave a straight-faced response way back at the beginning of the thread because I hadn't noticed who posted it.)

Pete
 
Okay,

so maybe the OP turns out to be someone like RKJ laughing himself under the table, I think it's been a worthwhile discussion.

I feel 100% the same motivations as Dancrane, one day I hope to be as sensible as he is. :)
 
Woodlouse said:
I'm afraid I'm much more cynical than you. I'm of the opinion that Lyndsy Doyle is a new account for a previous poster here. I've not been bothered to try and figure out who but they've been making trollish posts ever since day one.
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OK I have fallen for it.
But perhaps the response is to make a sensible reply & leave it at that
It just spoils it for the true beginner
 
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