Any tips for sailing (motoring) at night?

[NiceAft]

Kelly,

I have a 398. I'm going to see how low the illumination can be set and still be visible.

Ray

[tangentair]

Or you can try the old one eye trick, keep your monitor(s) covered till your ready to look and then keep your right eye closed. Otherwise, we just have one person navigate and the other steer. But I have to disagree with those who caution against travel at night, on a dark cloudless night with little or no moon, the heavens are truly a spectacle beyond my verbal abilities to describe. Looking up at the river of the milky way, or a shooting star storm and contemplating the vastness of the universe while the water slaps the hull as the boat slips along quietly under sail, will turn a skeptic religious – to bad it won’t make the religious skeptical.

[kziadie]

I forgot about the one-eye trick, havent used it in years. However, before you decide which eye to close you should determine which eye is your master or dominant eye (it has nothing to do with whether you are right or left handed). To do this, make a circle with the index finger and thumb of one hand. Hold the circle out in front of you and look at something at least 5 feet away through the circle with both eyes open. Then close your left eye... if the object appears to move outside the circle then your left eye is your dominant eye. If not, your right eye is... you can repeat by closing your other eye to confirm.

The reason for this is that we use one eye for our primary vision and the other to flesh out our peripheral vision and to give us depth perception. Obviously if you are going to impair the vision in one eye you do not want it to be your master eye. Also be prepared that when using this trick that you will lose a little depth perception i.e. the ability to judge distances temporarily.

Kelly

[NiceAft]

when using this trick that you will lose a little depth perception

Kelly,

You won't loose a little of your depth perception. You will loose it ALL! You only have two eyes working when BOTH are open

Tangentair,

You're a romantic You can write more of your prose anytime

Ray

[eric3a]

..

[kziadie]

I have to agree with Eric, at the end of the day sailing at night is not very difficult with the proper preparation but as a rule I never sail on July 4 day or night for the same reason I try not to drive on the night of New Year's Eve. I realize that this may seem to be excessive caution but to me it is just not worth the stress. If I was in a sailing area that was not as congested as the Annapolis area of the Chesapeake I might think differently. I will be taking off the 5th to sail though, while everybody else is hungover.

Kelly

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

[quote=]I forgot about the one-eye trick, havent used it in years.[/quote]
Not since the church lady fell out of the choir loft?

[Catigale]

You won't loose a little of your depth perception. You will loose it ALL! You only have two eyes working when BOTH are open

Not really - if you move your head you can regain some depth perception with a single eye...kind of like a cat does before a lunch pounce....

[Randy McCotter]

Actually when a cat is moving his head like that..... it's not for eyesight, the cat is using it's hearing to hone in on the potition of it's prey. Thier hearing is much better than eyesight. Don't ask me how I know that.... probably from watching too much discovery channel.

[Sleepy]

Tip on spotlights: If you are a inclimate area(lots of fog&rain) try and get a blue spot. They seem to cut through the rain,haze & fog better, keep the beam aimed low to the water to avoid illuminating the rain and fog.