Night Sailing
Night Sailing
Night Sailing
Sailing at night can be magical, the moon, the stars and, if you’re lucky, meteors, but it is fundamentally different from day sailing. Most obviously, your vision is limited and easily distorted. It takes your eyes about 30 minutes to fully adapt to darkness. White light will further compromise night vision which is why you should always set instruments, flashlights and cabin lights to night mode (red light). If possible, plan your night legs for a full or partial moon, which can extend your vision for miles.
A strange aspect of night sailing is your boat may seem to be moving faster than it is. This can distort your sense of distance, especially in a crossing situation. Check your instruments to verify what you think you see around you. Don’t forget to look behind you regularly.
AIS is very helpful at night, but you must respect its limitations. Not all craft, especially smaller vessels, are required to transmit on AIS, and some that are required to, may not be. Fishing trawlers are notorious for turning off AIS at night, believing it gives them a competitive advantage with other trawlers.
Radar is also great tool, but can’t substitute for a sharp lookout. On a trip up the East coast, I saw a small blip ahead and almost discounted it as noise. Suddenly a fishing trawler turned on its lights not more than 100 yards away. If I had gone below for a quick cup of coffee, I could have been in big trouble. Be sure to hoist a radar reflector up your pennant halyard at night to increase your visibility to other vessels’ radar.
Similar to white line fever on the highway, don’t let yourself get lulled to sleep late on your watch. If you have a watch buddy, let them take the helm for a bit. Even15 minutes of rest can make a big difference in your alertness. If alone, take a break before you start fighting fatigue, and rouse up the off watch. Your crew will appreciate your respect for their safety.
Dodging crab traps on the Chesapeake Bay is a daily ritual, but if you’re in over 25 feet of water, you can usually relax. That’s not true offshore, especially the further north you go. I have seen lobster pots at depths over 100 feet. You are unlikely to see them at night in time to avoid fouling your prop. For peace of mind, I installed a line cutter on my prop shaft. They aren’t cheap, but you don’t want to catch a lobster pot at night a few miles offshore.
One more tip, if you are under sail, even in light air, throw in the first reef. You can’t easily see squalls coming at night. Enjoy the magic of night sailing, but stay alert.
Captain Dan
