Travelling in the dark

[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.

[Noelm]

"deckie" you are fishing a closed/narrow waterway, Thy was talking open ocean, and headlights are useless

[deckie]

"deckie" you are fishing a closed/narrow waterway, Thy was talking open ocean, and headlights are useless

I come out of tight steep sides yes, then into the Hawkesbury entrance which is about 1km across, then out into Broken Bay. Can get pretty lumpy but still classified as enclosed water. Very little shore light coz all national park. One of the main problems is the fishing is best after a wet and/or after big tides...when u see a stick "sticking up" you dont know if its attached to half a sydney red gum just under the surface. The spottie is great for tht and for seeing debris/flotsam lines and staying away from them where the big branches usually are. Any decent moon and you;re right i wont use it much.
Thing about getting outsdie tho Noelm is that invariably you need to come and go from built up areas where more boats are/ enclosed water....outside isnt usually the worry or where u need one.

[scottishguy]

With the price of radar coming down all the time, it's probably a worthwhile investment if you are doing a lot of night/low vis fishing.

Not saying it's the be all and all but it certainly helps.

[Whiley_Whiting]

Hi

A little advice is to know the area and know where things are in the dark!! I used to rely on my GPS / Chartplotter until it decided to give up the ghost late afternoon before heading back in. Luckily I know the area (hervey bay) well and could use the moon light and lights from the shore to guide me in and also knowing the from the depths on the sounder what was coming up etc to get back to the beacons to get me home safely.

I have been looking at the new 8 and 10 beam led spot lights to install on the bimini of my cruisecraft to give me some light ahead of me to try and see objects in the water and unlit boats. When fishing the Wathumba area at night once before the only reason i knew a boat was ahead was when the guys in the tinny were yelling out!! with no moon or moon behind the clouds it gets very dark!!

I always carry my old hand held gps with points to get me back in case the chartplotter fails. At the end of the day you can never be to safe or to overstocked on equipment like chartplotters, radars, spot lights and back up gps etc.

After having a friend be involved in a serious accident a few years back at the mouth of the brisbane river when the were relying on chartplotter and ran into the seaway wall you can never be too careful. They were taking precautions but you can never be too careful!!

cheers craig

[Noelm]

to put it as bluntly as I can, there is no amount of electronic gear/lights that can replace a pair of eyes attached to a functioning brain! all the gear in the world is nice, but it does not "see" everything and should never be relied on 100% as your means of getting out/home safely, sure it is far better than a wild stab in the dark (pun) take care, and drive to the conditions (and that applies not just to night time)

[deckie]

scottish...a lot is simply knowing your waterway well. A plotter can go a fair way but its still confidence that is needed. After awhile you know the area so well u can run it near blindfolded but you still dont stop worrying about whats in/on the water just up ahead. As u know even hitting a smallish branch can gouge the crap out of your hull or even rip the bait pump bracket off...gives u a nasty scare when the motor bounces up. I just dont like that feeling and i reckon even with radar on a 5m cuddy i wouldnt change much.

Things like cardinal and channel lights are better maintained and reliable these days, but when u pass one thats not lit/broken it still makes u wonder about the guy who doesnt know the area well.

One of the worst and most bizzarre prangs i can remember was seeing a 40 footer (with radar) high and dry 50m up on Long Reef point. Then u wonder about the worth of even tens of thousands of dollars of high tech when one of the more experienced boaties around can lose his life in familiar water on a calm night with high tech up the wazoo plus a designated navigator (andrew short). When its calm there's no rough water/breakers around the base of rocks which also doesnt help i guess.

Sensible speed...and a crawl in fog

[Angla]

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

Thanks for that Richo. All is good. I just wanted to give a very pointed opinion towards a safe trip. I know there will be those that travel at night and rely on a little starlight to show them the way and then others with a similar opinion to mine.
In respect to spot lights shining into peoples eyes on other vessels I would like to tell you how I operate with my spottie.
The light is a search light and has a very good beam that will go some 2 km. It is remote controlled with a joy stick at the wheel and I will generally have it trained forwards so that I can see some 30-40 metres ahead. The action of the swell and waves means it does go up and down with the bow . Then every now and then I will turn it 45 degrees to the left and then 45 degrees to the right (this takes less than a second each way) to look for other boats in my vicinity, returning to the forward position. If I pick up another vessel in the beam I will identify it very quickly and then keep the light off them. I then maintain an appreciation of their position and travel direction if required.
If I am travelling in a channel with others then I will keep the light pointing lowest to my front so it is really only showing 5-10 metres in front. I do not use it to intentionally reduce others night vision.
This light is excellent for travelling in the open ocean in either calm or rough conditions.

Cheers
Chris

[deckie]

A great thread where we can all learn...and lucky there's a few guys up there ^^^ who really know their stuff. Most of us have just learnt from experience in their own dung holes i guess.

The spottie thing will be personal choice i guess. But i will say that when i see one on another boat i'm happy. At least i know he's coming towards me for starters coz who would be driving along with their spottie facing backwards ?..and even if he was he's not really a problem. To me its better than nav lights as long as its not a numbskull thinking its fun to shine it in your eyes. The new night light laws they brought in a few yrs ago are actually great, as long as people take it seriously, coz so many boats (i'm guilty too) had a tiny little halogen fixed to the gunnel down back and u just cant see it when on.

Just how accurate is your gps anyway ? Sure its supposed to be a few metres but then u hear and read stories like WW above ^^ and u wonder if people rely too much on them now and forego the common sense. Maybe they really arnt that dependable.

Thing is tho..it truly is the most beautiful time to be on the water i reckon. If you're a half sensible bloke u wont have a problem at all and soon learn to love it. Just dont be half asleep at anchor when a "mate" sneaks up and suddenly starts banging on your bow rail with his paddle and a grin on his face. To this day the closest to a coronary i've ever been.

[gaz066]

I fish at night in many different waterways and to put it simply (minus all the emotion ) my 2 cents worth .....the key points are in order of preference

1- Know your waterway ( do a few trips in the daylight and get your mental map right)
2-Check your nav lights before you leave home

3-Travel at a speed you are comfortable with
4 - Have a decent hand held spotty at the ready for quick bankside /channel marker or mystery object checks
5-Use electronic gizmo's (GPS AND sounder ) as aids or 'comfort' meters
6-Don't go alone till you have done a few night trips with others in their boats or yours
7-Trust your night vision in open water like big rivers the bay or offshore ( you will get confidence in it over time) and only use a spotty (fixed or hand held) when you know there are obstacles (like Mondy trees) ahead or your nudging back to into the ramp ( about the only time my spotty gets used around Brisbane) Up north with trees and rock bars it stays on!

After many years running at night I love it and it's a whole different ball game , there is nowhere else I would rather be than on the water at night in calm conditions , rough nights well ......stay home
You do need to keep an eye out for boats without lights there are still some f#$%^wits out there

[whiteman]

Night boating is easy compared to a rain storm where there is NO vision. That's when you seriously trust your electronics.

[Cheech]

Most of my trips are into the evening, and as long as I can remember, I have never seen a boat traveling at night with forward facing spotlights on (fortunately). I note one of the posts above saying that they are diverted when another boat is seen, but how close would they have to be before you see them? A lot closer than if there was no spotlight on I would think. Imagine that we are heading in opposite directions. You are coming in to port and am heading out. I will have to look straight at your spotlights until you eventually see me. Screwing up my night vision along the way. Even 3 or 4 k apart, the light would not be good.

[charleville]

Good night vision is so important for night boating. I would not go out if my night vision were not OK. ( A glaucoma test at an optometrist or eye specialist will tell you if you are losing peripheral vision due to glaucoma etc. )

If your night vision is hunky dory, I reckon that spot lights are a hindrance. I have used them at Jumpinpin when I was unsure as to where the channel markers are but if you know where they should be and don't travel too fast they are not hard to find in the dark, if your night vision is OK.

To assist your night vision, you need to block out every source of unnecessary, interfering light on your boat. eg I have erected shield behind my nav lights to hide reflections from them on the forward deck. That made a big difference to my being able to see clearly under power.



.

[johncar]

Instruments are just aids but can all help if used correctly.

You have to be able to see and keep watch while under way to be safe and legal.
I have also been a VMR standby Skipper with many rescues at night in varying conditions.
I really hope the spotties thing doesn't catch on, it would be really annoying at sea for everyone else. One flash in your eyes at night will temporarily blind you and if someone is heading towards you with that thing continually on then it will continually blind you and you could miss seeing something in between.
It would be very dangerous actually.

It would be very ignorant to drive around continually with any type of spotlight or even floodlights while underway at sea, unless they are directed straight down as work lights.
Otherwise they should only be used momentarily at close range in areas with difficult navigation or known hazards.

I have done 100's of night trips and will only go if I can see and have adequate night vision. When there is no moonlight or totally clouded over I would not take the risk these days. I have been pressured into going in poor night conditions in the past but won't again.

Always drive at a conservative speed regardless.

One night I came close to grief was when I was temporarily blinded while passing steadily between two anchored boats about 70 metres apart.
No spot lights, they were just well lit up and fishing away.

I decided to pull up as I had lost my night vision due to their lights and I put the spottie on ahead and yes there was some lunatic in a tinnie (No lights at all!!) anchored 20 metres dead ahead. Then I copped a mouthful of abuse from them, go figure?.

So I went along side and told them they are invisable but I don't think they got it, because they had plenty of light in the floor of their boat and any approaching boat is gonna see that. Not..

Anyway my advice is:

Know your area very well. Know your compass headings, know your depths.
Ensure that you have the correct navigation lighting working.
Minimise or eliminate all light pollution in your boat which may need either turning off instrument lights or covering them.

Two sets of eyes are better than one.
If you feel the need to watch instruments then hopefully you have an crewman to keep watch, but someone must.

If you unexpectantly get caught in fog or smoke as I did a couple of times when Moreton Island had bushfires, proceed with extreme caution. It is very daunting to be in this situation worrying that some crazy will be flying through there just relying on instruments and not see you in time.

[fishing111]

What worries me equally as much as the dope's with no lights is the dope who has absolute blind uncompromising faith in there chartplotter. I've seen guy's screaming along in the darkness and just wonder, why?