Hello all...

I'm writing from Switzerland and this is my first post on this
newsgroup...but I've been reading you all for a long time and got plenty of
tricks that helped me improve my poor skills...

Most of the time, I paddle on Lake Leman but I travel every year to Brittany
and put my kayak to rougher seas !!

I just wanted to hear from you about seakayaking at night...do you use any
light so other boats could see you ?

Thanks..

JB

JB,

I would certainly recommend standard boat lighting (red and green), however,
I would not wish to rely solely on same. Some device to provide a radar
profile would also be useful, as would additional safety and signal
equipment should something unexpected occur. While collisions with a kayak
are unlikely, you are in a very exposed and unprotected situation and should
take reasonable safety precautions.

Rick

"JB" wrote in message
...
Hello all...

I'm writing from Switzerland and this is my first post on this
newsgroup...but I've been reading you all for a long time and got plenty
of
tricks that helped me improve my poor skills...

Most of the time, I paddle on Lake Leman but I travel every year to
Brittany
and put my kayak to rougher seas !!

I just wanted to hear from you about seakayaking at night...do you use any
light so other boats could see you ?

Thanks..

JB

On Tue, 30 Sep 2003 23:25:28 GMT, "Rick" wrote:

"JB" wrote in message
...
Hello all...

I'm writing from Switzerland and this is my first post on this
newsgroup...but I've been reading you all for a long time and got plenty
of
tricks that helped me improve my poor skills...

Most of the time, I paddle on Lake Leman but I travel every year to
Brittany
and put my kayak to rougher seas !!

I just wanted to hear from you about seakayaking at night...do you use any
light so other boats could see you ?

I would certainly recommend standard boat lighting (red and green), however,
I would not wish to rely solely on same. Some device to provide a radar
profile would also be useful, as would additional safety and signal
equipment should something unexpected occur. While collisions with a kayak
are unlikely, you are in a very exposed and unprotected situation and should
take reasonable safety precautions.

Rick

In the US, any craft on the water at night is supposed to display the
standard basic lights, regardless of propulsion. Obviously the US
Coast Guard rules do not apply elsewhere, but your equivalent agency
may have similar policies.

There are many inexpensive lights available, which attach in a variety
of ways..

For radar, there are things called "corner reflectors" which do a fine
job of reflecting radar back to its source. These dramatically raise
your visibility on their radar for little cost and no power.

Any marine supply store will have these.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

I'm not going to bother to try to look up the actual regulations right now,
but I seem to recall that kayaks, for whatever reason, are exempt from the red
and green light thing when out at night. We are required to carry a
"directional beam light," i.e., a flashlight, and that's about it. The purpose
of the directional beam light is to be able to use it to signal boats as to
your position in the event one looks like it is going to pass near you. Of
course that's in the US, I have no idea what the regulations are in
Switzerland.
When I am out paddling at night I usually tape a couple of chem lights to
the paddle shaft out towards the paddle blades to make myself more visible. You
want to avoid having any brighter lights on your boat as they will ruin your
night vision.
As for radar reflectors, it is my understanding (and once again I am going
from memory here, which is not as good as it used to be :-) that anything you
can carry in a kayak is, for the most part, useless. If you stick close to
shore then boat traffic should be not much of a concern.

Scott
So.Cal.

I think Scott has it right. The 72 COLREGS (international rules to avoid
collisions) states that kayaks can either use the same light pattern as a small
sailboat (red/green) or just a white light that can be shown to avoid a
collision. The picture in the regulation shows a sailor using the light to
shine on their sail to make them more visible.

You may also be required to have a night visual distress signal. The most
common for kayakers would be three aerial flares (three count as one device) or
a strobe. According to international rules, the strobe must automatically
flash SOS in Morse Code. Fortunately with tiny computers, you an get a light
to do that for about $35US.

Hope this helps.
Brian Blankinship

"Blankibr" wrote in message
...
I think Scott has it right. The 72 COLREGS (international rules to avoid
collisions) states that kayaks can either use the same light pattern as a
small
sailboat (red/green) or just a white light that can be shown to avoid a
collision.

Does the white light have to cover 360 degrees?

Check out:

http://www.connyak.org/Public%20Affa...ng_Lights.html

paddle safe,
doug m

On 01 Oct 2003 00:58:52 GMT, (Blankibr) wrote:

I think Scott has it right. The 72 COLREGS (international rules to avoid
collisions) states that kayaks can either use the same light pattern as a small
sailboat (red/green) or just a white light that can be shown to avoid a
collision. The picture in the regulation shows a sailor using the light to
shine on their sail to make them more visible.

You may also be required to have a night visual distress signal. The most
common for kayakers would be three aerial flares (three count as one device) or
a strobe. According to international rules, the strobe must automatically
flash SOS in Morse Code. Fortunately with tiny computers, you an get a light
to do that for about $35US.

I wasn't sure about the exemption.

No harm in having the same lighting as a small sailboat.

I would still behave like a bicyclist on the same road as trucks:
assume you are invisible no matter how many lights you have, and
always be prepared to get out of the way.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

The white light must be at least 2-3 feet above the water. I forget which.

Gary S. wrote:

On Tue, 30 Sep 2003 23:25:28 GMT, "Rick" wrote:


"JB" wrote in message
...

Hello all...

I'm writing from Switzerland and this is my first post on this
newsgroup...but I've been reading you all for a long time and got plenty

of

tricks that helped me improve my poor skills...

Most of the time, I paddle on Lake Leman but I travel every year to

Brittany

and put my kayak to rougher seas !!

I just wanted to hear from you about seakayaking at night...do you use any
light so other boats could see you ?


I would certainly recommend standard boat lighting (red and green), however,
I would not wish to rely solely on same. Some device to provide a radar
profile would also be useful, as would additional safety and signal
equipment should something unexpected occur. While collisions with a kayak
are unlikely, you are in a very exposed and unprotected situation and should
take reasonable safety precautions.

Rick


In the US, any craft on the water at night is supposed to display the
standard basic lights, regardless of propulsion. Obviously the US
Coast Guard rules do not apply elsewhere, but your equivalent agency
may have similar policies.

There are many inexpensive lights available, which attach in a variety
of ways..

For radar, there are things called "corner reflectors" which do a fine
job of reflecting radar back to its source. These dramatically raise
your visibility on their radar for little cost and no power.

Any marine supply store will have these.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

lcopps wrote:

The white light must be at least 2-3 feet above the water. I forget which.

No, there is no height requirement by the USCG. According to
http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/fed_reqs/equ_nav.htm the only required
lighting for sailboats under 7 m in length and "vessels under oars" (I
think paddles and oars are considered synonymous by the USCG) is a white
flashlight or lantern which can be used to signal when necessary to avoid a
collision. Other lights, such as red/green side lights and a 360 white
light, may be displayed but are not required. I prefer to use a headlamp
as my white flashlight so I can use it to signal while still being able to
paddle.

Gary S. wrote:
In the US, any craft on the water at night is supposed to display the
standard basic lights, regardless of propulsion. Obviously the US
Coast Guard rules do not apply elsewhere, but your equivalent agency
may have similar policies.

There are many inexpensive lights available, which attach in a variety
of ways..

For radar, there are things called "corner reflectors" which do a fine
job of reflecting radar back to its source. These dramatically raise
your visibility on their radar for little cost and no power.