You think you are sooo experienced at this sort of thing but then you
dont do it for awhile and you get humbled.
Went out last night for a nice night sail, first time in a couple of
years. Took note of the flashing pattern of our entrance channel
marker, a red light every second. Only went out about 3 miles. On
way back in, suddenly we saw three red lights flashing at 1 sec
intervals against light shore clutter. Decided it HAD to be the
easternmost one so headed for it. Soon, it went out, surprise,
surprise. Headed for middle one. Got within a half mile of shore and
slowed down because I was nervous, very fortunate. Suddenly depth
said 4', YIKES, 180 turn till I had 10'. Take out binocs. Hmmm.
During flashes I can make out the tower structure of our channel
marker under WESTERNMOST red light. Came in with no probs then.
Our shoreline is prob easier than most at night due to very little
lighting on shore and still I got fooled. I was casual about all of
this because we have no rocks here, it is all mud flats and tide was
due to be a very high in 3 hours so running aground would not have
been a real prob but still............

On Sun, 9 Nov 2008 07:52:14 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

You think you are sooo experienced at this sort of thing but then you
dont do it for awhile and you get humbled.
Went out last night for a nice night sail, first time in a couple of
years. Took note of the flashing pattern of our entrance channel
marker, a red light every second. Only went out about 3 miles. On
way back in, suddenly we saw three red lights flashing at 1 sec
intervals against light shore clutter. Decided it HAD to be the
easternmost one so headed for it. Soon, it went out, surprise,
surprise. Headed for middle one. Got within a half mile of shore and
slowed down because I was nervous, very fortunate. Suddenly depth
said 4', YIKES, 180 turn till I had 10'. Take out binocs. Hmmm.
During flashes I can make out the tower structure of our channel
marker under WESTERNMOST red light. Came in with no probs then.
Our shoreline is prob easier than most at night due to very little
lighting on shore and still I got fooled. I was casual about all of
this because we have no rocks here, it is all mud flats and tide was
due to be a very high in 3 hours so running aground would not have
been a real prob but still............

Sounds like a good time to have light gathering binocs.
I think Wayne can make a reco on that.
That aside, I don't care to drive at night, or boat.
Besides the danger aspect of impaired visibility - of myself and
others - there's more drunks out at night.
But the biggest reason is you just can't see the sights.
A long transit of open water beyond sight of shore would be an
exception. Thank goodness we steamed all night when crossing the
Atlantic. That horizon gets old pretty quickly.
Even on the interstate I enjoy seeing the terrain when I'm driving.
I've driven all over the country and the only exceptions to that are
long passages through urban areas, which are boring.

--Vic

wrote in message
...
You think you are sooo experienced at this sort of thing but then you
dont do it for awhile and you get humbled.
Went out last night for a nice night sail, first time in a couple of
years. Took note of the flashing pattern of our entrance channel
marker, a red light every second. Only went out about 3 miles. On
way back in, suddenly we saw three red lights flashing at 1 sec
intervals against light shore clutter. Decided it HAD to be the
easternmost one so headed for it. Soon, it went out, surprise,
surprise. Headed for middle one. Got within a half mile of shore and
slowed down because I was nervous, very fortunate. Suddenly depth
said 4', YIKES, 180 turn till I had 10'. Take out binocs. Hmmm.
During flashes I can make out the tower structure of our channel
marker under WESTERNMOST red light. Came in with no probs then.
Our shoreline is prob easier than most at night due to very little
lighting on shore and still I got fooled. I was casual about all of
this because we have no rocks here, it is all mud flats and tide was
due to be a very high in 3 hours so running aground would not have
been a real prob but still............

Did you have a chart aboard?
I'm spoiled with my Garmin GPSMAP 60CX and added Blue charts (and topo
charts).
In a new area that might seem confusing to navigate, I just follow the
yellow brick road on the screen with the occasional glance at my depth
sounder.
Hasn't been wrong yet.

On Sun, 9 Nov 2008 07:52:14 -0800 (PST), wrote:

You think you are sooo experienced at this sort of thing but then you
dont do it for awhile and you get humbled.
Went out last night for a nice night sail, first time in a couple of
years. Took note of the flashing pattern of our entrance channel
marker, a red light every second. Only went out about 3 miles. On
way back in, suddenly we saw three red lights flashing at 1 sec
intervals against light shore clutter. Decided it HAD to be the
easternmost one so headed for it. Soon, it went out, surprise,
surprise. Headed for middle one. Got within a half mile of shore and
slowed down because I was nervous, very fortunate. Suddenly depth
said 4', YIKES, 180 turn till I had 10'. Take out binocs. Hmmm.
During flashes I can make out the tower structure of our channel
marker under WESTERNMOST red light. Came in with no probs then.
Our shoreline is prob easier than most at night due to very little
lighting on shore and still I got fooled. I was casual about all of
this because we have no rocks here, it is all mud flats and tide was
due to be a very high in 3 hours so running aground would not have
been a real prob but still............

Sounds like a GPS, even handheld, might be in order.
--
A Harry Krause truism:

"It's not a *baby* kicking, beautiful bride, it's just a fetus!"

On Sun, 09 Nov 2008 10:19:28 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

Sounds like a good time to have light gathering binocs.
I think Wayne can make a reco on that.

Good 7 x 50 binoculars are hard to beat when you really need to "see"
something at night. Our radar and chart plotter(s) are the primary
lines of defense however. First Loran-C, and now GPS and
chartplotters, have made navigation so easy that it's hard to believe
we ever blundered around with out it. When we first started cruising
back in the 70s it was not unusual to sail all day without a reliable
confirmation of the DR plot. At least once or twice a season a small
boat would emerge out of the haze, out of sight of land, pull along
side and ask for directions to somewhere. Typically they wouldn't
even have a compass or chart on board.

On Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:02:09 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Sun, 09 Nov 2008 10:19:28 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

Sounds like a good time to have light gathering binocs.
I think Wayne can make a reco on that.

Good 7 x 50 binoculars are hard to beat when you really need to "see"
something at night. Our radar and chart plotter(s) are the primary
lines of defense however. First Loran-C, and now GPS and
chartplotters, have made navigation so easy that it's hard to believe
we ever blundered around with out it. When we first started cruising
back in the 70s it was not unusual to sail all day without a reliable
confirmation of the DR plot. At least once or twice a season a small
boat would emerge out of the haze, out of sight of land, pull along
side and ask for directions to somewhere. Typically they wouldn't
even have a compass or chart on board.

Agree about having GPS, but I thought you had some "night vision"
binocs. Something akin to what the military uses.
If I did night sailing inshore I'd probably foot the bill for a pair.
Have you tried out that type?

--Vic

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 09 Nov 2008 10:19:28 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

Sounds like a good time to have light gathering binocs.
I think Wayne can make a reco on that.

Good 7 x 50 binoculars are hard to beat when you really need to "see"
something at night. Our radar and chart plotter(s) are the primary
lines of defense however. First Loran-C, and now GPS and
chartplotters, have made navigation so easy that it's hard to believe
we ever blundered around with out it. When we first started cruising
back in the 70s it was not unusual to sail all day without a reliable
confirmation of the DR plot. At least once or twice a season a small
boat would emerge out of the haze, out of sight of land, pull along
side and ask for directions to somewhere. Typically they wouldn't
even have a compass or chart on board.


Still happens. When kayaking at Pt. Arena couple weeks ago, friends in a
boat pulled up along side a guy in a pontoon yak and asked where he was
going. He said to shore, and they had to point him 180 degrees and told him
to follow the guy in the rowboat. He did not even have a compass. He was
looking at the fog bank, thinking it was the cliffs. Guy in rowboat is very
cool. Used to be a commercial fisherman out of Pt. Arena and still loves to
fish and goes out most days for a fish or two. You can launch non powered
boats for free from the pier via a hand winch. Was for the commercials that
moored their boats on buoys. Pull up with the rowboat in back of pickup,
hook up straps and launch boat. Reverse when you come in.

On Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:10:29 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

Agree about having GPS, but I thought you had some "night vision"
binocs. Something akin to what the military uses.
If I did night sailing inshore I'd probably foot the bill for a pair.
Have you tried out that type?

Offshore you want a radar that will pick up awash shipping containers,
and in the NW, monster logs. I think that means all of them. Either
way you want to run at night you need be in practice with the fast
Hail Mary. In the last fifty years, Iowa has had two collision deaths,
both at night. One by arrogant[are there any others?] cops who ran at
high speed through a designated anchorage and killed a guy in his
bunk, one by a drunk who overtook a boat and killed its driver with
the prop, and kept on going. They caught his ass and gave him a few
years. You can get a radar for about 800 bucks, and I may put one on
my 22 foot cuddy. I gave two days income for the boat, I can afford an
upgrade or two. You can use it for watching for storms, while at
anchor drowning worms. For the benefit of salt water guys, any thing
that swims loves nightcrawlers[pencil sized earthworms]and they are
free on your own lawn.. If it gets ugly, shore is never more than
about 3 1/2 minutes away, Driveways are always full of boats for
peanuts, and the worse the unemployment, the better for a buyer. On
the lake where I have been boating the season is mostly about three
months, although you can go out much longer give or tqke ice. Much of
the year, you fall overboard you die, unless you get rescued,
especially with a boat like mine, with to much freeboard to climb back
in. All things considered, Inland lakes sailing has lots of fun and
not that much risk, and for sailors, the fastest monohulls, the A
scows. 30 MPH for more than the last century. For the tiller lovers,
they have two. My sister has a 16 foot scow, and you can ski behind it
in enough wind. Me, I used to like a Sunfish in a gale. Fifty MPH
winds only generated four foot waves. You get capsized fifty times in
two hours, lower the sail, and reach for the shore, at ten or so. Only
a teenage athlete can do that mindless ****. Those wood daggerboards
stick to the slot like glue and never even move. Thing about lakes is,
you get all the wind, but not the waves. Only thing wrong with Spirit
Lake is that the fishing has pretty much sucked since the forties. I
am going to put VHF, radar, GPS on my boat and trailer it to salt
water and catch me a decent fish, after a fifty year wait. One ****ing
fish in a lifetime, and I will call it good. I may buy a longliner and
lose maybe a hundred grand chasing the fish that are gone. Excuse to
get out on the water.

Casady

Casady

On Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:10:29 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

On Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:02:09 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Sun, 09 Nov 2008 10:19:28 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

Sounds like a good time to have light gathering binocs.
I think Wayne can make a reco on that.

Good 7 x 50 binoculars are hard to beat when you really need to "see"
something at night. Our radar and chart plotter(s) are the primary
lines of defense however. First Loran-C, and now GPS and
chartplotters, have made navigation so easy that it's hard to believe
we ever blundered around with out it. When we first started cruising
back in the 70s it was not unusual to sail all day without a reliable
confirmation of the DR plot. At least once or twice a season a small
boat would emerge out of the haze, out of sight of land, pull along
side and ask for directions to somewhere. Typically they wouldn't
even have a compass or chart on board.

Agree about having GPS, but I thought you had some "night vision"
binocs. Something akin to what the military uses.
If I did night sailing inshore I'd probably foot the bill for a pair.
Have you tried out that type?


My wife bought me one of the relatively inexpensive "Generation 1"
night vision devices a few years ago. You can get them for about
$300. I'd have steered her away from it if I'd known what she was
planning because there were negative reports. It actually works OK
using the built-in IR illuminator but that only goes out 100 ft or so.
Beyond that I find old fashioned 7 x 50 binocs to be more effective if
there is any light at all to work with. The best use for the Gen 1
equipment would be something like close in surveilance work, not
piloting a boat.

The really good night vision gear that the military uses are the so
called "Generation 3" models which cost about $3K and up. By all
reports they are very effective and I'd probably buy a set if I spent
more time running at night. We have very good radar and chart
plotting systems however and for the few times that we run at night
they are quite adequate.