** Navigating at Night **

[MulletMan]

I used to do a lot of training of our VMR rescue crews by night - being a necessity - and can honestly say that very few of even the most experienced Skippers or crews were ever "happy" charging all about the Bay.

Even with a Furuno dual Navnet setup, radar and three or four crew on board, most (not all) were pretty twitchy.

The main reason for this was simply lack of experience and/or exposure to night running. A Skipper may go months without going out by night on a decent operation and likewise the "once a month" volunteer concept did very little for anyone reaching a high level of self confidence in using the electronics or Bay knowledge.

As I did most of the mid week night callouts for assistance and much of the training of crews, I felt relatively happy by night but again, recency is a huge advantage.

My policy was that unless you could stand up at a whiteboard and draw in EVERY single beacon/buoy/light with all its characteristics, then park the boat and go home! If you don't have this "forward planning" knowledge then you are a sitting shot for problems.

Reason being that at night everything is very deceptive in terms of judging distance. A green flashing light that looks very close can be many miles away due it's intensity. Conversely, a somewhat dim light that looks like being a long way away can suddenly appear under your bows!

As "things" happen kinda fast at night, the instant you have passed any sort of light or beacon WITHOUT being fully aware of what is (was) then you have fallen BEHIND the boat. In other words your "forward planning" is now shot to hell and things start to get worse as disorientation sets in.

Of course the over-used GPS now makes many Boaties ('cept Ausfish guys) very lazy! I mean why peer out into the darkness looking for a FlW 3.5 second light when the mongrel is staring you in the face on the screen?

As a consequence, far too many Boaties have lost their "seamanship skills" and to a certain extent, navigating by the seat of their pants! Whilst we always encouraged our crews to use the electronics as an AID to navigating, the guys who had a top knowledge of the Bay were infinitely better night Skippers because they knew what they were looking for.

One identifiable light by night that may even be many miles away is one of the best aids you can ask for. I used to tell our crews that so long as they had a top knowledge of less than a dozen major lights in their area of operation, that was far better for orientation then trying to identify every single light in sight!!

I used to put vinyl screens on the windscreen, spin the boat round and round and travel a few miles, then ask them to find where they were - without GPS. If they could pick up the flashing yellow at Goat Island, the greens at SW Rocks, Cleveland Lighthouse or any other major light, they became re-orientated very quickly. The crews without this knowledge were lost from a visual point of view.

I only use my crappy old GPS for going offshore (when I can afford it) but leave it off the rest of time and rely on knowledge of the navigation aids instead. Bit old fashioned maybe.....?

So what am I saying?

I reckon that unless you know ALL the lights and other aids on your intended path, stay home!

Another good idea is to turn your instrument lighting down as low as possible and kill anyone who puts a spottie or torch on as it will instantly destroy your night vision. Even on the blackest of nights, there is still enough lighting to see what is in front.

And of course, come back on the speed a bit instead of going flat chat as you would in the day.

If coming up to an area - like say Blakeleys Anchorage - consider slowing right down as it is a notorious spot for vessels staying the night.

Last but not least, never ever stop scanning from side to side. I have seen guys almost slam into "something" due becoming totally engrossed in the dreaded GPS screen. Good for navigating but no use as you get sliced in half by a ferry!

Next time you go out at night, try leaving the GPS/Chart Plotter on STANDBY, OFF or covered up. You may be surprised at how you handle it having to use the best of all navigation tools - yer eyes!

Of course there is nothing that can be done for avoiding or detecting semi submerged objects or possibly unlit boats, but if you know the route, are aware of where the risks are greatest, never stop looking around, know what red and green on a boat means at night, keep the speed down, plan a long way ahead, you can really enjoy night boating by minimizing the risks!

And if you have a mate or two on board, chase them out of the warm cabin and get them acting as port/starboard eyes for you!
They might think you are going overboard but they also don't have to buy you a new boat or look for your body when something goes crunch!! #

And then I am dun! Never ever use the GPS as the PRIMARY navigation aid! Always (as in ALWAYS) locate the next waypoint or whatever with YOUR EYES and then see if the GPS confirns what you are seeing. Think about it! I bet "most" readers do it the other way around i.e. locate it on the plotter and then look for it outside! Wrong way!

Ime gorn!

[mirage]

Hey Pink Panther, sounds like you were a Central Flying School instructor in a previous life! ;)

[MulletMan]

Geez Mirage, you know how to hurt a guy eh? # :'( :'(

I did all my General Aviation flying with RQAC at Archerfield as an Instructor for some five years. # :)

Went to PNG in 1973, flew the DC's, Fokker Friendships, B707, A300-B4, DC8 (a bit), A310-300 and finished up as the Chief Pilot Check and Training - then #I got bored with trying to stay awake for hour after hour after wretched hour... # :-[

Did twenty five years of international flying and pulled the pin after six years and 20,000 flying hours later. # :-[ :-[

The only thing I miss is the salary - Oh God, the salary!! #:'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

[gawby]

This is a might fine post and you make a lot of good common sense.
Im not the best boatie that you will ever come across but i do it with the best of my abilities.
The other night i was out with my deckie in the seaway at s/port and i pointed out to her the potential navigation mishaps that could occur being many small craft without nav lights and quite a few that were anchored up with no anchor light.
Going back to the grand ramp was slow and with caution, as you indicated distances at night are quite hard to judge and we did it safely.
Graeme

[joeT]

Totally agree PP. Very easy to be disorientated at night and people should only navigate areas at night which they are familiar with.

The only night navigation I do is between vicky pt boat ramp and peel, and whyte island boat ramp and the rock walls. These are the only areas I know well and am confident to navigate without any gps assistance (even though I still bring it).

Being familiar with an area also includes knowing where people usually put their crab pots and avoiding them, and also those moored boats with no lighting!

[charleville]

#Never ever use the GPS as the PRIMARY navigation aid!


Fair enough - but what the GPS does for me is to help me take the most direct path home over the longer distances... For instance going from Mud on the inside of St Helena to the Manly leads is straight-forward enough tracking past the three beacons on the west of St Helena but not as short as simply getting the leads on the GPS and steering straight as guided by that arrow on the GPS.

Nonetheless, I hear what you are saying and indeed have practiced visual "landing" the past few nights just as you have suggested.

I also have learnt to turn off the sounder to get rid of another very bright light source at night.

[mirage]

Sorry, just a stab in the dark Pink Panther ;D

[MulletMan]

Yeh Charleville, that makes good sense when you can take a short cut, even then you can still look for the beacons and buoys ahead, albeit in a different position than if you homed in on them!

I've seen some quite experienced night Skippers get into a dreadful mess (as in lost!) once the disorientation sets in. Truly amazing how they react to the situation and even common sense things like the compass, and where the east and west is all get kinda confused!

I remember many years ago when I was about fourteen, my old man and I ploughed into the Venus Banks north west of Moreton in the middle of the night. Geez, the waves were straight up and we only had a little five metre Haines.

Not happy little black ducks on the night and my bowels still start to rumble at the recollection! :-/ :-[

[dnej]

My biggest gripe , with night navigation, is the cut down of vision caused by the all round white nav light.We have spoken of this before on this site.Turning off the light, makes a big big difference.How does one overcome this issue.
David

[DALEPRICE]

good topic pink panther, i
personally am used to night time
now and running home from 50km
out is fine. i think that you must have
the beacons off by heart and the gps as a
double check. my biggest concern is comming
home at 11.30pm under the bribie bridge and
we always come acrosss boats with no anchor
or nav lights. just not good enough.
but the majority of boaties are doing the right thing
just a couple blokes are a six pack short of a carton.
cheers dale

[Wyoming]

PP, what an interesting background you have had, I'de love to chew the fat with you and share war stories one day.

Unfortunately, I take the opposite view in respect of relying on your instruments at night. I remember well my early NVFR flights, those lights around Melbourne are so deceptive and you gain no sense of distance nor elevation. #Similarly, the lights around Moreton Bay can be a tad overwelming, and I still have trouble judging their distance.

Later on when I got to be IFR, I learned to have total confidence in the instruments and this has stayed with me in my nautical navigational skills. #"The instruments are right : the brain may not be iterpereting them correctly" The fact is, that it is relatively easy when you are moving in only 2 dimensions. Please don't think I'm being a smartarse here, the only reason I'm saying that it is "reatively easy" is because of my training (and the mistakes that Ive made and learned by). I think the trick is to have confidence in the instrument and have established and tested routes saved. #It is very unusual to have an instrument failure, but of couse you have to remain prepared for such an event. #It also provides a little more "think time" when you travel below 20 knots compared to being in 3D at 200 kts.

Neil

[MulletMan]

Good point Wyoming, but of course NVFR is Visual (V) and not IFR (Instrument) so you should be able to fly around at night without any attutude instruments and remain bum towards the ground all the time.

If you were to rely on instruments to fly VFR you would be illegal and classed to be operating under IFR.

The instant a Night VMC pilot has to revert to his attitude instruments to maintain straight and level flight he has entered IMC conditions and that is a no no!

I havta be honest and agree with you insofar that anyone who has mucked about in planes and holds an instrument rating does have an advantage in using them on a boat.

A good test for any Boatie is to look inside and try to steer by the compass only for a sustained period and not cheat by looking outside - very difficult exercise.

[charleville]

My biggest gripe , with night navigation, is the cut down of vision caused by the all round white nav light.We have spoken of this before on this site.Turning off the light, makes a big big difference.How does one overcome this issue.


That is a bit of a problem for many of us. #Some solutions that I have applied:-

1. #Firstly, I wear one of those adaptacaps when I drive the boat at night. #That is one of those things that has you looking a bit like Yasser Arafat but what it does is allow you to filter out some lateral and rear light hitting the eyes and also importantly for someone like me who wears spectacles, it stops rear light sources from reflecting off the glasses into the eyes. I have thought of getting a pair of those sunglasses which you wear over the top of glasses and which have big side panels ( often worn by people recovering from eye operations wherein maximum shielding of sun light from the eye is required) and removing the dark lenses #I would look like a horse with blinkers and that would be the major problem especially as you do still need to be aware of what is happening around you so I have not yet done that.

2. #Secondly, I have wound black insulating tape on my radio aerial as seen in the picture below to reduce the reflection of the white light off the previously white antenna surface right in front of the eyes. #Seems a small thing to do but it did make a significant difference.

3. #Thirdly, one other problem affecting my night vision was the reflection off the white front surface in front of my runabout's windscreen of the red and green navigation lights. (see picture at left). It is not a problem when travelling towards light such at the city or the well lit Jacob;s Well ramp area which lights up the path in front of you but a helluva nuisance when going out into the pitch black bay with the city behind you on a moonless night. #So what I have done is to cut up a rubber mat ($5 at Bunnings) and secure it with cable ties to the bow rails behind the nav lights. #That totally removed the problem and I have checked that the lights are visible from the front of the boat. #I also have to check that the lights are working every time I travel at night as I cannot see them from the helm but it sure did save a lot of reflected light.


But please, oh please, don't turn off your white light. #:( I rely on other boats having them on when I travel at night. #A lot of red and green nav lights are barely visible. especially those all in one things that some tinnies have so the all round white light is essential from my view. #

[Wyoming]

Charleviile, all that reflective problem (now solved) suggests that you have your cab light or perhaps a decklight switched on. #Did you try running with only your essentials on and your instrument lights dimmed down the minimum? #If not, give this a shot, it won't take long to get used to.
Neil

[charleville]

Did you try running with only your essentials on and your instrument lights dimmed down the minimum? #If not, give this a shot,

I would be happy to turn down the instrument lights. Not sure if that option exists on my Quinnie. Will have alook though. Many thanks. :)

I turn off the sounder when travelling and that makes a big difference.

[MulletMan]

One way to beat the downwards glare of the anchor light is to attach a "shade" below it using whatever is easiest to attach to the light bracket fitting.

A piece of black painted Perspex cut to size is usually easy to fit with the help of a bit of gunk or a couple of screws.

Stainless or aluminium can also be used but maybe a bit more difficult to attach.

There is no legality for restricting the downwards light beam just so long as you don't obstruct the 360 degrees of the anchor light.

Anchor lights can be damn dangerous at night when used as a running light because when you see one, you have no idea of the direction of the boat beneath it. Sailing boats that run a topmast anchor light are lethal as it looks identical to a star and while you are looking at the "bright pretty star" you can suddenly find out what it is attached to!!

Couple of white stern lights are good value and combined with really bright red/green navs lites, not the cheapies from the local boat shop. With a double filament bulb, a decent battery and a good size light fitting, the visibility of the boat is hugely improved.

The boating inspectors will also lumber you pretty quickly if you leave the nav lites on when anchored - as I found out when I forgot at Tangalooma some time back!

[seatime]

Always happy to see safety threads, agree with everything TPP except "far too many boaties have lost their 'seamanship skills'".
With the availability and ease of use of GPS, I think a lot of boaties have never had any 'seamanship skills' to lose. Boaties are getting their first boating experiences with a GPS installed, they've never been without one.
I've seen it commercially, flag of convenience (FOC) ships navigating the world totally on GPS, not even any coastal nav skills. They carry 2 or 3 GPS recievers for redundancy and each of the nav officers carry a personal GPS. It can get scary at times as they don't like altering course for other vessels as they will be 'off the track' and have to explain to the master later why there is a cross track error on the course recorder.

I'm glad u posted this thread, there is a topic I'd like to raise. Maritime competency based training mentions 'situational awareness' as a required skill, and 'understanding'. These are terms you will not see in any other competency based training. These skills, 'situational awareness' and 'understanding' set marine training apart from the rest because these skills are hard to define and best judged by qualified persons. Experience isn't easy to get and a lot of boaties are only getting on the water a few times a year, but there are other ways of getting experience if you're serious about you're boating. Crewing on other boats, join VMR, do advanced boating courses etc are some ways to get the experience.
I occasionally drive charters on the Brissy River at night, sometimes it's nearly impossible to see nav lights or boats with the backscatter. It's worse on a still night as the glare off the water makes your eyes sore.
Night nav in and around congested waterways at speed would be a high risk activity, not for the faint hearted or inexperienced. Best to get used to night nav out wide away from stuff to run into, then you will become accustomed to the darkness before tackling beacons and backscatter.
regards

[charleville]

"backscatter" - that is the word I have been searching for. :)

Describes the view exactly. :)

[MulletMan]

[quote author=gelsec link=1149297223/15#16 date=1149320986]
... agree with everything TPP except "far too many boaties have lost their 'seamanship skills'".
With the availability and ease of use of GPS, I think a lot of boaties have never had any 'seamanship skills' to lose. /quote]

Yer a hard cruel Man Gelsec!

I wouldn't have had the guts to say that - true as it may be!!

[dnej]

Hey PP,is there an allround white,that isnt an anchor light.

Would blacking out the stern light on the the bow side,and the reverse on the bow light above the cabin, thus giving an allround white using two lights, help with the problem?
Can you give me a brand name of the real Mc Coy ,all round white,as I have not been able to find one.They are all listed as anchor lights.
David

[Cheech]

Hey Pink,

I disagree. I use to go out to Mud Island in my old tinnie in the middle of winter on the new moon. Could not see squat. No no gps. But got to know my land marks and cardinals so was reasonably safe.

Then a few of the cardinals at mud went out. One night I was coming around from the east and nearly ran aground because I was heading to the next lit south cardinal, not knowing that the one that I thought I was going for was unlit. That was about 2 years ago, and that same cardinal is still unlit.

Since then, another cardinal at Mud became unlit and was unlit for about a year. Then another was hit and simply disapeared (was replaced eventually)

The point is, that even though pre me having a gps, I was able to navigate myself around at night, it is just so dangerous. The more we can rely on electronics, the better.

What I have noticed since gps, is that you get to know the backgrounds better because you tend to get out there more often. Yes you use the electronics, but you still look forward when driving, and get to see things and get familiar with what things look like without being as stressed.

Just my thoughts.

Cheech

[MulletMan]

Good point Cheech but I didn't intend to say that you can never ever use GPS in lieu of outside objects, lights etc.

As GPS is a great SECONDARY aid that means it is brilliant when you have the problem you struck around Mud island.Of course, the opposite can also apply such as when the GPS chucks its guts in and leaves you in the dark.

Guess at night's end, it is all a compromise and whatever suits at the time.

I was meaning more for the Boaties who use GPS 99.999% of the time to navigate and hence don't maintain their knowledge (semanship) of navigation aids.

Did I get out of that one OK? :-/ :-/

[rojac]

Have used my gps more to locate drops or direction back to channel in poor visibility but never for navigating at night.

I fish out of Port Adelaide, from the black pole down barker inlet the channel gets very narrow and shallow due to the govt's lack of funds for dredging. The markers are hard to see, whether a gps would have the accuracy to guide you down the channel is debatable ( I wouldn't use mine).

Local knowledge, chart for comfirmation (thinks look very different in the dark) and a bloody good powered spotty.

cheers

rojac

[blaze]

top thread, good ideas
Still have concerns about floating/semi submerged debris.
we dont have much, never seen a shipping container but have spotted a few trees in daylight after heavy rain.
cheers
blaze

[webby]

If you want some intense night nav' skills, try Amity via Blakesley to Vicky Point on a moon lite night and turn the gps off.
If you got one of those stainless pole mounted all round nite lights on your front deck, get rid of it and mount one on the top of your canopy.
I also run red fluros inside the cab instead of white, although it may look like a mobile brothel, it drastically reduce the glare and brightness inside your cab, while at anchor or moving.
I never sit while moving, but prefer to stand and look over the windscreen, you just need a balacalava during winter.
regards

[Fat Chilli]

Sounds like I may need to invest in some NVG. 8-), but even then depth perception is an issue.

FC

[Angla]

Great post PP and some great responses too.

I had a point off Wide Caloundra that I would return from on a regular basis and while travelling back using the GPS I would look at a light in that direction that was to the right of the light house and keep heading to it so that I did not have to look at the GPS too much.
This worked great for a few times as I was coming in on a Maroochy airport light or similar which then had several miscellaneous lights to the right (coolum area)

No big drama there.

Then one night I did the same thing but some thing was different. Found out that I had followed a container ship with a high mounted bright white light At the stern and scattered lights on the right of the ship kept changing and eventually disappeared as it crossed between us and Coolum?????

Ended up pointing towards Murphys and had to turn nearly 90 degrees towards Mooloolabah

I think you just have to be ready to expect the unexpected no matter what system you are using


Have nearly run up the backend of a trawler on Moreton because he was showing no lights at all. Picked up on that because the ripples on the water had changed in there pattern and just looked strange.

Angla

[skippa]

Interesting topic PP,

I know this is only one example but .... went fishing with a mate a few years back now, when Plotters where reasonably new. We took off after dark and he followed the plotter 'blindly' across the bay to Goat Island. Once we got clear of Cleveland Point I couldn't help myself and stood up unzipped the clears to keep a lookout. With the lights inside the boat reflecting off the windscreen, you couldn't see squat.

So I agree, there probably is a lot of maybe 'new' boaties that don't have the navigational skills to loose, who simply rely heaverly on technology. Electronics and technology is developing rapidly, but its not at a point where we can rely on it soley and this is what new boaties need to understand.

Brian,

I know what you mean, I regularly navigate from out of Reddy Bay ramp too and unless you know where you really are it can be just a scattering of lights. First few times where daunting enough. Confident enough now, but still use my plotter to AID my navigation. You mentioned no lights on the forward deck ... very good point. Also someone mentioned turning their sounder off because of its light. I don't know about other brands, but, Lowrance has 3 light levels. I use the lowest one at night and find it causes no problems, both on the sounder and plotter.


Cheers,
Tony 8-)

[MulletMan]

Yep, I once saw two top rescue skippers get totally and completely lost one night around Peel Island.

This is an occasion of just too many lights in the area!

After about an hour of tootling about the area, finally had to give 'em a hand, and these were very good and very experienced Skippers.

Took away the GPS and all over Red Rover!

Another "big" Bayside rescue unit put their big Cat up on the banks on the eastern side of the Rous at full chat one night and there they stayed! The guys were blindly followinbg the chart plotter and never looked outside.

Even on a chart plotter, select the wrong range scale or the map orientation and it is pretty simple to find the hard stuff suddenly!

Hell, I rammed a rescue boat onto the sand east of Goat Island simply by assuming the guy at the wheel knew his stuff! Big mistake!

I actually used the two x 200 hp Yammies to dig a trench out behind us! God knows how many yabbies I killed!

[RJ5023]

Don't you think that all round white lights while underway (or anchored) are a hazard to the driver? Your night vision is buggered - unless you can mount it up high and shield the light from the deck. Not always possible on an open boat.

Wonder why more boats don't use a steaming light (235 degree) and stern/overtaking light (135 degree). These will leave the working part of the boat in darkness and your night vision won't be affected - or at least no where near as badly. Mount the overtaking light on a small staff on the transom (higher than the outboard), and the steaming light up in the bow area (doesn't have to be mounted high) and leave them on all the time at night.

According to TransportSA, it is perfectly legal to use this two light combination while at anchor or underway instead of an all round light as long as they are visible for 2 nm. Dunno about the other States though.

Must be a reason why it's not more commonly used... :-?

Regards,
RJ

[skippa]

Yep, I once saw two top rescue skippers get totally and completely lost one night around Peel Island........



Speaking of experienced skippers ....... # ::)

I was fishing 'Hole in the wall' at Peel late one arvo, quietly cursing the Strads water taxis as they passed and left their usual wake, when I noticed another one coming, but out 'wide' this time. I watched in amazement as he nearly ran aground on what was left of Bird Island .... swerving away at the last minute to avoid disaster and certain major embarassment. #;D

Decided I should move before his return journey .... # ;)

There's always something to experience when your on the water. # :-?


cheers,
Tony # 8-)

[MulletMan]

That sums it up pretty well RJ5023.

Guess the main restriction is where the average small boat can mount the steaming light or the stern lights.

I've got a spreader light on my rear cabin roof and that puts up a great light that is well behind my vision and I think is almost 180 degrees when viewed from the back for approaching/passing vessels.