ctva
Well-Known Member
...as they are sitting in a comfy chair with a hot cup of cocoa in hand.
Then they are are not doing their jobs.
Lights while sailing at night
- Thread starter Sailorsam101
- Start date
Then they are are not doing their jobs.
JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
That if you are very careful about when you take pictures of yachts, you can get their mastheads lined up with the shore. The second one show how that can make a masthead light more visible than a deck level one.
Frank Holden
Well-Known Member
Sigh.... You are meant to use a bit of imagination here.... bit hard taking photos to illustrate my point in the dark... esp if you can't see the lights...
If any of the yachts in those photos ( with one exception ) was showing just a tri they would be invisible.... if they were showing lights on the pulpit or taffrail the light would be showing against a backdrop of black.... and would be easily spotted.
Also... on these particular arrivals into this particular port we are approaching a major city... Melbourne, Straya, Jewel in Queen Victoria's Crown, richest city in the Empire, etc.... so lots of tall buildings , lots of lights...
Now, contrary to popular belief the watch - in clear vis - does not have their noses stuck in the ECDIS... they are actually looking out the windows...
So consider the photo top left and lets imagine that these yachts are on my starboard bow... maybe 2 points...lets assume the yacht on the right - which as you point out is motoring - is actually sailing and showing a trilight. Got to do a little bit of 'pretends' here...
So we see a red light... which is on the boat on the left which in this scenario is showing lights at deck level... steady bearing....
A quick look at radar and AIS.... sure enough there is indeed something there ( not all yachts run AIS...not all yachts show up on radar) ... maybe a mile off...so we haul around to starboard to pass close astern of her..... can't give her a mile or anything fancy... maybe 100 metres or even less.... as we are in pilotage waters and are shaping up for the Port Melbourne Channel.... have to cut it pretty fine...
This isn't just me making stuff up... my last day(?) job of 18 years involved arriving in that port in the dark for 6 months of the year and also - indeed quite often - sailing in the dark as well. It only took me a few days of daylight arrivals and departures to get those shots....
Anyway... do as you please... matters not to me....
You know... on a big ship you don't even feel the bump...
'Hey Captain, do you want a trilight and a windex and stuff?'
Just kidding... we had the anchor jammed in the hawse... sometimes happens when you are working to windward at 18 knots into a bit of a Bass Strait gale...
alant
Well-Known Member
Neither will you other lights either.
I've been a watchkeeper on commercial vessels & trust me little time is taken gazing out of windows, the instruments are receiving all attention.
Biggles Wader
Well-Known Member
Perhaps a decent radar reflector is more useful than worrying about which lights to use.
RichardS
N/A
Or flip on that AIS transceiver switch, crack open a bottle ..... and relax. :encouragement:
Richard
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
:encouragement:
Yealm
Well-Known Member
+1!
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
Yes, that as well.
Kukri
Well-Known Member
I have read this thread slowly, calmly, and carefully.
I will declare an interest: I know Frank Holden; he has sailed on the East Coast with me on my ex boat some years ago on his last visit to Blighty. Frank followed his father to sea and spent a full career at sea, mostly as Master of course, the last fifteen years being as Master of the big red thing in his pictures which was a Bass Strait ferry so in and out of yacht infested harbours very regularly, and both before, and more particularly since, retiring he has done a phenomenal amount of sailing in successively a Vertue and a now much rebuilt Oceanlord.
To those who have taken issue with him here, I will just say, in the words of Oliver Cromwell, “I beseech you in the bowels of Christ - consider that you may be mistaken!”
I will declare an interest: I know Frank Holden; he has sailed on the East Coast with me on my ex boat some years ago on his last visit to Blighty. Frank followed his father to sea and spent a full career at sea, mostly as Master of course, the last fifteen years being as Master of the big red thing in his pictures which was a Bass Strait ferry so in and out of yacht infested harbours very regularly, and both before, and more particularly since, retiring he has done a phenomenal amount of sailing in successively a Vertue and a now much rebuilt Oceanlord.
To those who have taken issue with him here, I will just say, in the words of Oliver Cromwell, “I beseech you in the bowels of Christ - consider that you may be mistaken!”
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[70521]
Well-Known Member
I have the opposite problem. Big ships lit up like Christmas Trees! You try working out where the navigation lights are.
Looking at the evidence of the pictures, I am not convinced that they were taken after sunset.
Hopefully, somebody is keeping a lookout in both vessels. I have always taken the line, might is right, and keep out of there way.
Looking at the evidence of the pictures, I am not convinced that they were taken after sunset.
Hopefully, somebody is keeping a lookout in both vessels. I have always taken the line, might is right, and keep out of there way.
dom
Well-Known Member
My £0.01 worth as not a ship's master, but +1.
Looking from the bridge of a ferry it's much easier to pick up sea-level lights as one scans away from the ship. Moreover, upon sighting a tricolor one's brain (at least mine) encourages one to think that the light is further away than it is.
From the perspective of a yacht where one is looking more horizontal to upwards; tricolors, anchor lights and whatnot continuously get lost in the twinkling sea of land lights. Small, restricted steep-to harbours like Cowes, St Peter Port, Roscoff, etc. seem to be the worst.
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Frank Holden
Well-Known Member
Spot on! Good to see that someone understands what is going on here...
Now, I know some of our brethren are struggling a bit with the imagination side of things ... but imagine that in this pic it is dark... the control tower is active.... and there are incoming aircraft.... where would you like your anchor light to be if I was coming up the channel at 15 knots?
They are right on the edge of the channel and my HoE was about 5 metres when I took the photo.. small work boat bridge maybe?
I know you are joking, but maybe make it a bit clearer? An uninformed novice might actually take your advice..
Kukri
Well-Known Member
My ex boat as Frank will recall was set up for pottering round the Thames estuary where one often anchors at the edge of a big ship channel and was equipped with a two foot tall Davey cone burner paraffin riding light that had begun life as a merchant ship NUC light minus the red shade, absolutely visible and unmistakable from two miles and more, hoisted on the forestay, and a pair of lower side lights off a scrapped Hong Kong harbour tug, 24 volts and 90 watts so the current drain can be imagined but they were only used in and around ports and traffic and nobody failed to see her. At sea under sail - tricolour at the masthead of course.
Wish I still had that lot.
Wish I still had that lot.
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RichardS
N/A
Errrrr ..... I would recommend any novice to take my advice. If I'm anchored anywhere which is potentially close to the passage of larger ships then I always leave the AIS switched on. Why wouldn't you? A large vessel heading towards you in the gloom is going to get 20 miles worth of warning that they are going to hit you.
OK, they might have Class B reception switched off (allegedly) but if they then hit you at least you will know from the "other side" that the ship's master will be hammered to kingdom come and back by the Courts.
Richard
Does that include not standing on to ships, even if the Rules say you should be?
prv
Well-Known Member
Your post didn't say anything about being at anchor - looked like you were saying that transmitting AIS while underway meant you could crack open the booze and stop keeping a lookout
Pete
It sure didYour post didn't say anything about being at anchor - looked like you were saying that transmitting AIS while underway meant you could crack open the booze and stop keeping a lookout
Pete
[70521]
Well-Known Member
I make sure I keep out of their way, but there is not a lot of shipping round here. When I am leaving or entering the marina the big stuff follows a clearly marked channel, no reason for me to be in there when they are. The Queen's Harbour Master kindly emails me every day with shipping movements, just the odd unpublished movement of submarines to worry about. If we have a submarine movement the "men in black" make sure you are well out of the way.
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