Night moves

[Mark M]

Texas night sailing . . .

During the summer, we don't leave our marina until sundown. It is too hot and the wind can all but vanish during the day. There is nothing worse than pitching and rolling to the wakes of powerboats during a windless, sweltering day.At night a pleasant wind builds from the SE and we sail until well after midnight, often not arriving back until 2-3am. Our favorite time is on or near a full moon. But, moonless nights have their own special appeal . . . our 8-year old son searches the sky for the constellations and planets he has come to know. At home, because of the city lights, he could merely read about them.

 

[jim johnson]

night sailing

I only sail at night when the evening is so nice that I don't want to go in, Usually mild breezes, full moon, etc. Sometimes it beats day sailing. Need to be more aware of your surroundings and safety considerations.

 

[Dennis Brewer]

Texas

I dragged my son, Dustin, to the boat one night this summer with the promise of a special event. We only sailed out a little ways from the marina, but it allowed for a special moment when, 'on cue', the space shuttle chased the space station across that big Texas sky. Dustin, age 16 was 'blown away'. For reasons already expressed about Texas night sailing, I love it. Dustin will likely become more enamoured with sailing, especially night sailing', when he gets to 'that' page in the Rick Webb book, 'Reasons for Sailing'.

 

[Robin Mc leroy]

All night sail

We left St. Pete at 4:30 pm sailed out past Egmont Key down the coast past Sarasota and in to Vinice. Droped anchor at 5:30am. Beautiful moon light most of the night. It was fabulus. I was awake most of the night my wife,Willene, slept some but spent most of the time watching the chart. Had no GPS only DR.This was all under sail.

 

[Dick Horton]

LAST ONE OUT....

Night sailing can be more relaxing than day sailing....But does require some changes in approach. I often sail IRISH ROOTS, my 23 ft MacGregor Venture, for an hour or two in the evening. A gentle breeze is all that is needed to let me glide effortlessly back and forth off the enterence to Washington Irving Boat Club by the Tappan Zee bridge on the Hudson River. There is none of the washing machine of wakes that is found during the day. Sun glare and burn are not a concern, and relaxation is the name of the game. However, you DO have to maintain a sharp lookout. Fuel barges and other large vessels move silently up and down the river and can be on top of you in a shorter time than you would think possible. Also, you need to watch out for hazards floating in the water, although at barely steerage speed little or no damage would probably result from all but a direct hit.At sea, it is a little different - especially single handed. Rule one is to stay out of sea lanes. Rule two is to stay away from night fishing grounds. When I sail offshore I try to sleep as much as possible during the day so that I can be as alert as possible during the night. I also maintain my night watch in the cockpit and set my alarm for half hour intervals, although I usually don't need the alarm. Make sure you are aware of where you can go in half an hour so you don't wind up on a lea shore, etc.! And enjoy the stars! Off shore the sky is beautiful at night because you don't have all of the miscellaneous lights that you find everywhere else.

 

[Robin Mc leroy]

Boat delivery

When bringing my boat "Spindrift" around from Jacksonville where I bought it I spent the night in Cape Coral Marina. Left early the next morning took the waterway up to Charlotte Harbor then out side up the coast. Put the autopilot on and dozed in the cockpit most of the day. When night fell I was still about 2 hours from Vinice but continued on in and anchored about 7:30. There was an idiot fishing in the Vinice inlet with no lights on. Fortunely I saw a light refect off of hin so I didn't hit him. Be careful of this type of idiots. Had a great time that trip.Vinice is the only inlet that I would try at night in this area. It is very well marked.I do go into St. Pete at night guite often.

 

[Russell Egge]

Too Many Pots!

While I do love lobster, we have to watch out for pots where ever we go. For those of you with more experience any suggestions. Wrap one of thoes lines arout a rudder or prop and it will ruin your day (or night)RREggeS/V Allie Kat

 

[Bob Gulbrandsen]

Cool Moves

Yes sailing at night takes on a hole new meaning .... The Moon and stars , the reflections on the water ....and as is normal the wind become calmer and everything slows down ... Every fourth of July , we make it a practice to be on the water at night to see the spectaular fireworks dislpays in stero . In the Sky and reflected off the Water... really special ...

 

[LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners]

No traffic

I didn't do much night sailing this summer cuz the water was so low (it would really suck to be stuck on a sandbar all night!) but normally its a wonderful time out. No other boats; barge traffic is even lower. The only problem is the wind typically dies down for awhile too. LaDonna

 

[ted]

night shift

I work nights, so sailing at night is a natural for me. Also it's funny how most of the idiots on our crowded Ohio River disappear with the sun. It's quiet, peacful.

 

[Ed Schwerin]

supprise!!

A mundane sail outside, moving from Fla North.One of those very black,no moon nights,the wind was light,barely enough to keep the sail full, "motor sailing" off Charleston. We could see the lights of the city way off to the left and occasionally the channel bouy lights coming out from the darkness ahead. The mist was hugging the surface of the rolling water rising maybe 50'or a 100'into the almost still air, not as thick as fog but hazy enough to limit visibility.Like a thin cotten blanket over the water. As we approached the channel markers, we saw lights indicating probably a couple of fishing boats about a half mile apart heading to sea, so we gaged our distance to cross between them. As we got about 50 yards from the channel we realized that the two sets of lights were connected by a super tanker or freighter and we made a scrambled "U" turn. Radar and night vision goggles would have been very nice to have. Another romantic evening on the sea. No body died.

 

[Kevin Paige]

Night Sailing

We have owned our Catalina 320 just over one year and sail on the St. John's River in North East, FL. Preps we made to sail at night:-Always know the time of moonset and moonrise.-have large spot light in the cockpit(with 12 volt adapter if the battery goes out -there are numerous crab pots in some of our favorite anchorages and need to navigate through them).-always keep a red lens flashlight in the cockpit. Helps to read the chart without losing night vision. In a pinch once, my wife used her red lipstick over a piece of plastic taped over the flashlight lens -worked great!.-have magnetic courses pre plotted for all the courses in the narrow parts of the river.-always wear a light colored top shirt in case some one goes over.-have outfitted three (the number in my family) life jackets with PFD strobe lights.-use only one oil lamp (gimble mounted) in the cabin, reduces drain on battery and helps keep our night vision because it only dimly lights the cabin.-have stored all the lighted markers on the gps with the supplemental information on their flashing characteristics. We used the available CD download with our Garmin GPS for all the markers.-We usually sail for the early part of the night, anchor during the middle of the night and then sail again in the morning.Have not got caught out in bad weather yet but I am sure that is only a matter of time.Nothing like it when there is a three quarter to full moon.ThanksKevin and Linda Paige

 

[Wanderer138]

Clear dark nights are best

It takes about 30 mins for your eyes to become fully adjusted to the dark. It helps if you keep the artificial light to a minimum, i.e. running lights only and limited use of red lights in the cockpit. On a really good night far enough from civilization, the sky will actually change color from black to dark silver! That's when you start to see the really faint stars in between the ones you usually see, and the starlight is bright enough to see what's going on on deck. In warm ocean water, the boat leaves a phosphorescent wake. Meteors are a common sight...jet skis are not. On the way to the Dry Tortugas from Ft Myers this spring, we watched Mars rise at about 2 am. It was so bright red we thought it was a nav aid. Chalk me up as another big night sailing fan.PeterH23 "Raven"

 

[Scott]

Even a blind man knows when the sun is shining.

I try to get out after work on my O'day Mariner (19') as much as possible, usually by 6:00. In July that gives me about two hours of sailing before sunset. I have rarely gotten in by dark. I started sailing at night as a result of this reluctance to quit.As the season progressed I found myself sailing in the dark more and more, until I am just as comfortable at night as during the day.I have running lights, and carry a 500,000 candlepower spotlight. I use a cheap flashlight with 2 AA rechargeable batteries for seeing around the cockpit and checking the trim of the sails. When a powerboat is approaching me I shine the spotlight on the mainsail to let them know that I am under sail. I have not had any trouble with other boats at night. I am amazed that so many people, fishermen mostly, operate small powerboats at night with no lights. I can hear them, but I should think that a large powerboat would not detect them at all.I have found that if you are used to your boat, and do not have music on, you can tell how the sails are trimmed and estimate your boat speed by the sounds of the sails and the hull. I have a blind friend who enjoys sailing, and he does real well this way, and is always aware of the wind direction by feeling it on his face. He does need a lookout for buoys, moored boats, etc.I mostly sail in sheltered bays that are unfortunately surrounded by lights on land. I have found that I can see obstructions by finding their silhouette in the reflection of the lights on the water. Most importantly, I am very familiar with the areas in which I sail at night. I would not attempt it in a strange area without a full moon and some chart study. On the plus side; there is no traffic at night (no jetskis!), around here the wind is more steady after sundown, and it is more of a challenge. The wind off the land in the summer smells wonderful at night.I have the most trouble with the bamboo stakes that the baymen use to mark traps and oyster beds. This past summer one of them put out stakes with black flags, which are quite invisible at night, even if you shine a light on them. I try to avoid them, but I have found that a collision causes no harm to either the boat or the stake. It is a bit startling, however.If you are comfortable with your boat, know the area in which you sail, have the basic safety equipment and lights, and are up for a challenge give the night a try.

 

[Herb Landes]

Interesting Sailing

My night sailing experience involved two different places and boats. The first occurred in the Chesapeake bay. We were sailing from St. Michaels heading for Philly, with a planned stop in Chesapeake City. This was the first of October, nice broad reach and the wind didn't die so we keep sailing right into the canal and almost into the anchorage at Chesapeapke city. It was a wonderful experience.By-the -way this was on a 27' Watkins. My second experience happen this past summer. We sailed a 31" Allmand from Barnegat Bay to Block Island via NY City and Long Island Sound. On the way back we left Northport, Long Island and hit beatuiful winds and tides that carried us through Hell's Gate in 45 minutes. After that ride the winds held and we sailed down the coast to Barnegat. A beautiful sail again with the lights along the coast adding a nice view. That's all!

 

[NHsailor]

Night sailing for fun and to make distance

My crew and I have sailed at night just to see the stars. Living in the Northeast the fainter stars are lost to light pollution, so we have sailed out about 60 miles so that we could see the night sky.This also made our trip a direct line across the Gulf of Maine.

 

[Bill Howard]

Best time of the Day

Sailing at night is wonderful. 95%of the stink boats are gone. The natural feel of the bay comes back. You have the place all to yourself.

 

[Capt. Kimo]

Night Sail on Lake Mead, Nevada

>Have you ever sailed your boat at night?Yes, often. Best with a full moon and a love one on board. > Do you sail at night to reach a distant destination, or because you like the adventure of tougher conditions?Both. To cover the greatest distance and having crew on board for watch standing, I will go for the distant distination and reduce travel time. Will not travel in shallows or restricted areas (The Narrows) at night. Will anchor in coves that I have anchored in during the daylight hours. With the current low water level at Lake Mead, would not do this until the water comes back up. Currently down some 50 feet.> Did you get stuck out there due to adverse winds, currents, or gear?No, always by choice. All lights and handheld spot lights working. Usually travel with another boat. >Other than turning on the lights, what do you do differently when sailing at night? Harness, reefed sails, more crew on watch?Two people on watch. Check the weather, if in doubt will reef. If alone will use the harness and tether even in the cockpit.> Enlighten us with your experiences in the dark, then vote in this week's Quick Quiz at the bottom of the home page.Sailing at night is the best sailing. Less crowd. All that are out are usually the best sailors, boat people. Lights on other boats clearly show their location and direction heading. I would not single hand at night because of the concern of fall overboard and no one around.

 

[Dakota Jim Russell]

Time for GPS

Night sailing is a great time to test your comfort level with GPS, especially when you are on a lake 200 miles long a 5 miles wide, and the only lights you can see are the night fishermen.

 

[Jay Eaton]

Chesapeake Bay risks

I've sailed at night on the Great Lakes without incident. One year our HSA scheduled a Night Navigation exercise. The idea was to familiarize us with how nav buoys, commercial vessels and our own sailboats look at night in various situations. It was a full moon and a 12K breeze. The sail was wonderful. My biggest concern was navigating around the crab buoys under power at night. The views of everything familiar at night was amazing. We could see when a leading boat changed tack because of the light pattern change. However, the unexpected did come up. We came upon a small boat, at anchor with NO anchor light displayed. Fortunately, they had a citronella lamp lit in the cockpit. We managed to see them in time and tack around them. A sailboat at night under sail is very stealthy. We surprised them as much as they surprised us. We relayed our sighting via VHF to those following us.Oh, it turns out that my steaming light illuminates the crab buoys just fine.s/v NEVERMORE