Travelling in the dark

[thylacene]

Finally got game and set out at 5am to get to a spot just before daylight. What an experience. After turning the GPS down to the dimmest setting and switching off the radios to minimise ambient light, I was happy enough heading out of the channel. Once in open water though it was a real leap of faith, unable to see anything in front of us, and travelling at a speed where the boat rode nicely without constant throttle adjustments.

It is an interesting experience driving on instruments alone. Had nav lights and an all round light but nothing that offered forward visibility.

For those that travel before first light or after dark, do you use a forward mounted light? How do you see what is coming in terms of swell and chop?

Cheers

Thy

[PinHead]

Usually just keep a look out for unlit boats is all.

[Spaniard_King]

Know the area you are travelling helps, I am usually guided by my chartplotter but don't use this as a sole means of navigation. As PH has stated the best thing is a good lookout for lights and hope that everyone else in your vacinity is doing the same.

[Chimo]

And travel at a speed that allows reactions other than OOPS...... and all the above Greg and Gary comments.

Cheers
Chimo

[thelump]

I have been trying not to use my plotter as much and run off nav lights in the bay. Last trip out from Redland bay toward peel running along the side of snipe island lining up the green light to my right as per usual when all of a sudden berrr (insert motor hitting mud sound) ran aground. The middle green was out and i was lining up the wrong green light at the end of Snipe. I will be watching my GPS a bit more from now on!

[deckie]

If there's any moon try tacking into the reflection off the water, unless its wayy off your heading...gives u some peace of mind and not like the sun reflection u try to avoid.
Get yourself something like this with lots of grunt.
http://www.##########.com/product-gs...olesalers.html

Or a fixed mount HID pencil beam maybe 35-55W on a few stainless rail mounts with a nice piece of thin plate, then mount on point of bowrail which is out of the way anyway. Halogens tend to blow globes with all the vibration and bumping...usually a bit calmer in dark tho.

Dont have the beam off into the distance...you;re using it to give u warning and confidence of the water maybe 50-200m ahead. If mounting closer to you try to have it above the bimini/hardtop so the light doesnt fall on the deck in front of you. A little plate under the anchor light doesnt hurt either.

Do u guys get bad fog ? Here in Syd and i imagine in Vic too its more the fog predawn that slows u to a crawl.

GPS is great but wont tell u what is on the water.

Slow down...best speed is where you;re just holding up on the plane. With the beam on the water just ahead you'll get more confidence.

[Wazzup01]

The more you do it the more confident you will become. I do 99% of my fishing at night and most times head out in the dark. As the other guys have said just keep an eye out for others who like fishing in the dark and don't want to be seen, forget to turn their lights on or worse still don't have any lights. They may not want you to see where their "secret spot" is and you definitely don't want to find it by accident.

[Angla]

I for one would never go fishing with anyone on a hope that you do not hit something.

You're a nong

How much is a torch worth up against the cost of what might happen.
Have you ever seen a yacht at anchor with a single white light up the mast, it looks like a star but I reckon when you hit the yacht you will be seeing stars.

Get a light or go when it is light!

I do go at night with safety in mind hence the search light and before that it was a hand held spotlight.

You are a right dill

Cheers
Chris

[thylacene]

Thinking that a wide beam floodlight mounted under the bow sprite might be a handy addition, With full windscreen to the hardtop, a spotlight is not really an option unless I get someone to hang out of the hatch with it.

The illumination from the GPS reflected off the white surfaces in the boat shows as reflection in the screen impacting night vision, this is the only downside of the full screen and wipers we have come across.

The other consideration is mounting one or more lights on the hardtop but am thinking this would require shrouds to avoid reflection off bow rail and foredeck.

I know that travelling in the dark for the first time, even with shore lights visible when looking behind, and a light house to our port side, was the most stressful activity I have experienced since starting boating. After the first few minutes or so while I worked out how to minimise the glare in the cockpit and get my bearings sorted on the GPS, the levels of stress dropped, but still had me shoving my head out the side just to be sure.

We did encounter other boats, showing nav lights, although these were just an occasional flash due to the swell, and from a suitable distance. Cannot understand why anyone would consider being on the water after dark without the minimum legal lights. I was genuinely concerned that there may be debris in the water or even possibly someone in a tinny fishing in the bay without lights.

Hate to think what it would be like in really crap weather and ordinary seas without some form of auxillary lighting.

It was all worthwhile to be able to be on the fish before first light and enjoy a strong bite as the sun came up.

[Angla]

Thinking that a wide beam floodlight mounted under the bow sprite might be a handy addition, With full windscreen to the hardtop, a spotlight is not really an option unless I get someone to hang out of the hatch with it.

The illumination from the GPS reflected off the white surfaces in the boat shows as reflection in the screen impacting night vision, this is the only downside of the full screen and wipers we have come across.

The other consideration is mounting one or more lights on the hardtop but am thinking this would require shrouds to avoid reflection off bow rail and foredeck.

I know that travelling in the dark for the first time, even with shore lights visible when looking behind, and a light house to our port side, was the most stressful activity I have experienced since starting boating. After the first few minutes or so while I worked out how to minimise the glare in the cockpit and get my bearings sorted on the GPS, the levels of stress dropped, but still had me shoving my head out the side just to be sure.

We did encounter other boats, showing nav lights, although these were just an occasional flash due to the swell, and from a suitable distance. Cannot understand why anyone would consider being on the water after dark without the minimum legal lights. I was genuinely concerned that there may be debris in the water or even possibly someone in a tinny fishing in the bay without lights.

Hate to think what it would be like in really crap weather and ordinary seas without some form of auxillary lighting.

It was all worthwhile to be able to be on the fish before first light and enjoy a strong bite as the sun came up.

No it is not worthwhile if the trip kills you

Your stress is telling you something. Listen to it

Cheers
Chris

[Richo1]

I think your first comments might be a bit harsh there Angla.

One needs to consider that driving around with a flood /search light blaring out in front of you not only reduces you night vision - other than directly in front of you, but also hides your nav lights from other vessels. A boat comming from the opposite direction especially a small boat will only see a big white light and may not have any real idea in what you intentions are. Search/ flood lights have there uses but on an as required basis.

Thy you did the right thing by reducing light given off by your instruments (maybe not turning off the radio) - clear red contact stuck over the light panels helps to reduce the glare further. The stuff kids put over their text books at school.

Regards,
Richo

[Noelm]

any sort of "headlights" on a boat are completely useless, unless you are actually coming into a jetty or ramp, far better to have the legal nav lights on and allow your night vision to adjust to the conditions, then travel to those conditions, now this does not mean that (say) a decent torch to illuminate a dark channel marker is not a good idea, but generally, as dark as possible in the driving position is the best.

[nigelr]

I can understand where angla is coming from but consider how many smaller commercial vessels operate at night. There must be some experienced operators out there who could provide valuable info on improving night-time vision and thus safety.
If it were me, I'd be starting with a flat sea and a full moon.....lol.

[deckie]

any sort of "headlights" on a boat are completely useless, unless you are actually coming into a jetty or ramp, far better to have the legal nav lights on and allow your night vision to adjust to the conditions, then travel to those conditions, now this does not mean that (say) a decent torch to illuminate a dark channel marker is not a good idea, but generally, as dark as possible in the driving position is the best.

After 20 years of fishing the darkest, most steep sided waterway you'll ever navigate i'm here to tell you thats a load of unowot Noelm.

Perhaps you just never set it up right, maybe never put it in the right spot...or always used rubbish lights not strong enough to be any use.

Would NEVER go out at night without one.

Where they become no use whatsoever is when there's any type of fog, plenty of moon so u are better off without it, or in built up areas where there's reflected light from shore. Shine just up ahead on the water...it is to give u warning.

Also worrying about its effect on others seeing your nav lights is nothing. The more light u shine fwd the more everyone avoids you anyway. Its natural and there's no mistake which direction you are heading. besides...i;ve never had a trouble seeing nav lights on a boat with a spottie...they arnt shone in your eyes, you get glare intermittently as their boat is up and down. Nav lighta are couloured so u effectively know if they are coming or going..if u see a spottie can u mistake which way they're going ?..it tells u what is happening well before u see their pissy little nav lights.

If you know your waterway you can also use them to shine on the shoreline out at an angle and simply stay a set distance from shore.

The killer at night and the only scares i've had invariably revolve around people thinking they SHOULDNT be lit up to preserve their vision...often making themselves bloody hard to see in the process with a pissy little all round white set at the back and toy nav lights they never check anyway.

All u care about is the water you are about to pass over and want warning. Until you see your first dikhead in a tinnie parked out there with no light whatsoever (probably coz he wants to preserve his night vision), or pass one 50m away and think "F#@en PR$#K!!!"....thats when u never go out without one and do straight lines WITH it well and truly on the water just ahead.

[Richo1]

Hi Nigel, a flat sea and a full moon is a great start. What Nolem has said pretty much nails it, i reckon.
It all comes down to driving to the 'prevailing circumstances and condtions'. Pretty broad statement that one, but the biggest part would be to operate to your own level of competancy and experience.
All of the posts so far contain good hints and tips, these comments come from the experience of both recreational and commercial operators. I've been a commercial skipper since 1992 and now have an AMSA 500ton Masters ticket - doesn't mean I know everything and I've have worked with plenty of commercial skippers who don't have a clue when it comes to recreational boating.
Best bit of equipment for night operations other than Radar I have operated with is an infra- red night vision camera mounted on the wheelhouse roof. Awesome bit of gear and you can litterally see everything around you including unlit buoys, pylons etc... But they cost a fortune.