Coming back in the dark??

[Adam F]

This is something I have thought about for a while now.

 

How do you guys do it?

 

When we come back in off the ledge, we go for one person either out of the front hatch, or standing over the cuddy - with a high power spot light. I have my plotter on, and follow my track line back in. We have pot bouy to dodge, as well as shallow sand bars and of course Xchurch harbour, although the plotter helps here.

 

Charter skippers though, just seem to follow their instruments and plod on in. I tried this at the weekend, and found it like walking along the pavement with my eyes shut! - I could only do it for about a minute before I got paranoid about hitting something.

 

I'd be interested to hear how others do it.

 

Also I am considering getting a Nite Tracker 2,000,000 CP spot. Anyone have any views on these? My current spot is a cheapy

[Afishionado]

Being an old bloke I remeber the days (Durin' the woar etc) before all this electromatrix HRT PMT BSC LCD stuff , and at the risk of sounding snooty (which of course I am being ) we managed then.

 

The answer in my honest opinion is the Mk 1 eyeball and experiance based on observation. Ones night vision is far better than you might believe and on most summer nights there is sufficient light to see pretty clearly what is in front. However any light shone out from your boat will instantly destroy your night vision making you think that the light is needed.

 

Observe on your way out in daylight, transit bearings that will show up in silhouette against the back lit shore on the way back. Street lights, carpark lights, gaps in hedges, prominant trees, all show up well at night. Eventually after consciously practicing these old ways they become instinct and a feel for where you are, And that is what I think the charter skippers have. I bet that they don't even have the GPS on as they approach the harbour as the glow would harm their night vision.

 

Not a boast but to proove the point. I know I can navigate round Poole harbour including South Deep and Arne at night with nowt but me one eye. but then I've been doing it off and on for 30 years. However the skills needed do not take anything like thirty years to learn, I reckon a couple of weeks and a bit of using ones brain .

 

Mad Mike

 

 

 

 

[Bob F]

I think it depends on the harbour you are entering. With a harbour like Poole where you have deep, wide, well defined and stable channels, it is relatively easy to use your plotter to navigate the channels.

 

But with a harbour like Xchurch where you have very shallow, changable and very narrow channels you have very little margin for error using your plotter alone, and a very short reaction time to make direction changes without hitting the mud banks. In this case, the plotter is best used as guide only to allow you to predict where the next turns are, and where to look for the next bouys.

 

The bottom line for Xchurch is that you cannot reply on the plotter. You need to use the bouys to navigate, which means you need a powerful torch or spot light to find them.

 

That's my view, anyway.

 

Bob F.

[Swainiac]

Adam, depending on how much light pollution there is from shore, generally, night vision is attained after about twenty mins in darkness. It is enhanced by the hour. You should be able to pick out any dark shapes in the water, if a tide is running, so much the better, white water will show around the pot bouys.

If you are thinking of adding any lights, try using dim red light, this is far better for retaining night vision......however, as red is a navigation light colour, I'm not sure how you stand here.

 

During my time in the "Mob", I found it amazing just how much you can see, without the aid of a hooooooooge torch, but if you want to try one, have a lend of my eight zillion CP see how you get on.

 

Rich

[munterhunter]

We come back in the dark, some nights u can do it at 10 knots and others at 6 depending on vis/chop/moonlight. We make sure on the way out we follow a direct course as possible missing pots by as big a distance as achievable. We found using a spot light made things worse as your eyes dont adjust to the dark, we always take it though. It does always help having two pairs of eyes on the lookout for pots etc. Is better if going slightly slower than normal as your perception of distance goes to pot at night. We also found making sure no lights are on in the cabin (except navigation lights) improves vision and slightly covering illuminated instrument display helped.

[duncan]

If you have an accurate plotter, and know you are going to be coming back in the dark then the 'extra' time taken to plot a smooth course as far away from buoys as possible will pay dividends on your return, as already said. This does assume you don't run out in a big tide when the dan's are submerged!

 

Harbour wise I don'r understand why the plotter doesn't achieve the same thing? Accept that the charting itself won't necessarily be right due to moving sand etc but I have created a 'perfect route' through the centre of the channel and have that stored - would work for Christchurch as much as Poole.

 

The enemy for me is glass - despite being clean and clear it takes the edge of your vision at night significantly.

[great white]

Some interesting points

I find that looking through the glass makes it harder ,but the worse thing is the amount of lights that take away night vision.

 

I have my electronics set dim and deck lights off, but the reflection off the pushpit from the nav lights does not help.

 

when I used to go further up the harbour at night I used to turn electronics off and use night vision and background light to see the way through the buoys it seemed easier that way.

 

Charlie

[JIMBOB]

I think it a case of practice!! when I first started comeing in at nite it was pretty daunting! But have got used to it now and feel fairly confedent comeing in at xchurch. it just takes time to get used to ure equipment and where those dreded pot bouys are hideing

 

I find if you know your going to be out after dark, on the way out steer a course well clear of any bouys then as long as you follow your plott line back you know your fairly safe. (provided they havent laid more while your out!!) I know this can be a bit difficult depending on your gps, plotter ect but I have done this on tara and its worked ok. but i know theres always a certain risk some of those bouys are hard enuff to see in the day(all coverd in sea weed and half submurged!) you just have to be very aware at all time and be prepared to cut the engine instantly if you think youve hit a bouy.

James

[daviduk]

Hi

I have every confidence in my Plotter but i do kill all unnesasary lights and as mike says i use the MK 1 eyeball , it certainly pays to have good knowledge of your way home and often go out at night on my own although not lately

On another note ,these big powerful lights only last for about 20 mins unless you can run them off your battery