longjohnsilver
Well-known member
How do you manage when out at night. In my experience having spent a fair few hours at sea during the hours of darkness it seems fairly stressful at first but you gradually relax as time progresses until you approach land. Then you start to worry more about lobster and crab pots which you know are there but can’t be seen, then having passed those you start to look for buoys, some of which in my home river are unlit, and various lights. And have I got the tides right, oh s##t is that a rock over there!! Trying to distinguish nav lights and leading lights from those ashore can be extremely confusing, particularly when you have car headlights shining in your eyes. And what about those nite vision thingys, do you use them and if so how do you rate them? Or do they just dazzle you with all the background lights around?
So being at sea seems relatively easy, but entering port can be difficult, I seem to spend all my time looking at the radar, GPS, echo sounder, never seem to get the level of backlighting right, always leave me dazzled and straining for night vision, really need 4 pairs of eyes! I know lots of people prefer not to be out at night and many have the speed to ensure only daylight passages. My first channel crossings were in the winter and both ways were in the dark, disappointing not to have seen the rocks on either side as we went up the Little Russell!! But also good not to have seen the waves hitting the windscreen!
However once safely ashore I do get a feeling of satisfaction that all went to plan. Wouldn’t want to do it everyday but now and again can be good fun, also no-one around to see you cock up your mooring /forums/images/icons/smile.gif. Even better if the pub’s still open! (unless you're in Peter Port eh Dom /forums/images/icons/wink.gif)
Planning I guess is all important when approaching an unfamiliar port, but then as many others have said, that is all part of the enjoyment. Sat poring over charts with a full glass and trying to imagine and visualise what they are trying to show you on a cold dark winters evening in front of a roaring fire is all part of the fun of boating. Must bring back the Isle of Scilly charts when next on Blue Fisher!
Would be interested to read what you look for and do when making a passage or landfall at night, guess it’s the area that most of us have the least experience.
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So being at sea seems relatively easy, but entering port can be difficult, I seem to spend all my time looking at the radar, GPS, echo sounder, never seem to get the level of backlighting right, always leave me dazzled and straining for night vision, really need 4 pairs of eyes! I know lots of people prefer not to be out at night and many have the speed to ensure only daylight passages. My first channel crossings were in the winter and both ways were in the dark, disappointing not to have seen the rocks on either side as we went up the Little Russell!! But also good not to have seen the waves hitting the windscreen!
However once safely ashore I do get a feeling of satisfaction that all went to plan. Wouldn’t want to do it everyday but now and again can be good fun, also no-one around to see you cock up your mooring /forums/images/icons/smile.gif. Even better if the pub’s still open! (unless you're in Peter Port eh Dom /forums/images/icons/wink.gif)
Planning I guess is all important when approaching an unfamiliar port, but then as many others have said, that is all part of the enjoyment. Sat poring over charts with a full glass and trying to imagine and visualise what they are trying to show you on a cold dark winters evening in front of a roaring fire is all part of the fun of boating. Must bring back the Isle of Scilly charts when next on Blue Fisher!
Would be interested to read what you look for and do when making a passage or landfall at night, guess it’s the area that most of us have the least experience.
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