Mondays 05/09/2011 Question and boating safety tip

CaptainScott · Post by **CaptainScott** » Mon May 09, 2011 5:22 am

Safety tip:
With all this light chatter going on I figured this is appropriate! When is the last time you checked your running lights? I mean an actual visual of each and every light? You should do regular checks of all your running lights making sure each one not only lights up but shines brightly. Corrosion can easily get into the light sockets causing less than ideal connection and can dim your lights! After a good cleaning of your sockets and bulb connecters a nice dose of dielectric grease will help prevent water intrusion and thus further deterioration of the electrical connection!

Question:
You are motoring along at night. Your sails are up. There is a breeze and you are making good way. You see a single green light. You are to far from shore so you know it is not a shore light and must be a boat. You see the light is moving confirming your suspicions. It is a boat. What lights on your boat does the other boater see?

Andiron120 · Post by **Andiron120** » Mon May 09, 2011 6:16 am

He probably sees my red, or port running light and steaming light, but possibly, both red and green, and the steaming light.

TravisJ · Post by **TravisJ** » Mon May 09, 2011 6:30 am

What you see is the Starbord light of the other boat. Which light they see of your's depends on where they are in relation to you. They will see either red, green, or white.

EmergencyExit · Post by **EmergencyExit** » Mon May 09, 2011 8:54 am

Ooo good one..

I'm going to make some assumptions here (there's some trouble starting right there) about the other boat's direction relative to mine. If I can see the light moving I'm thinking its on an opposite course from mine (and not the the same course with the light sitting in the same place) and is then off my starboard on an angle that occludes his port and stern lights.

He might then also be seeing my starboard green only..or my red and green if i'm intersecting his course and crossing behind him. If so his stern will show soon..if I soon see his red and green, maybe that's not good ..he has turned towards me..

Now will he see my steaming light ? Maybe not. Scott said we were motoring so the light is on, but we are under sail as well. I bet EE's big genny will block the light on the sheeted side at certain angles.

So if the other boat is off my starboard on a barely closing course, and the wind is from my port, then he might not see the steamer as it is blanketed by the genny..

(I hear you laughing Scott)

CaptainScott · Post by **CaptainScott** » Mon May 09, 2011 9:24 am

Actually ! WAS laughing as I read your post!!!! Grinning ear to ear as I write this!!!! LOL!

Scott

EmergencyExit · Post by **EmergencyExit** » Mon May 09, 2011 9:35 am

Oh, I knew you were..

You know, you should rename Forplay to "Coyote" - after the trickster of Native American lore..

And I'll name my next one "Thor" because I can be so thunderously dumb..

lecker68 · Post by **lecker68** » Mon May 09, 2011 11:41 am

If I see his starboard light he will see my port and masthead but this is only if his boat is lit properly if his name is Bubba and running a bass boat he may sink before I get there and I can congratulate him on converting to a submarine as I pull him from the water. Last year I was motoring south in the river and a tug with 2 barges appears about 1/4 mile off my stern and I hailed him on the vhf and asked where he wanted me I was going past a yacht club and he said it would be great if I stayed on course and he would pass to my starboard so I said fine 1 whistle capt. and we wished each other a good trip so with me Idling 50' from the boats at the yacht club all of a sudden I hear get the light and 10' off my port bow I see a black alum. boat with a Merc. outboard and no lights immediately I went full starboard rudder and he asked why I was so close and told him narrow channel and the tug has right of way and the tug called and asked if I was OK and I got back to port rudder and back on course he said that was good as he had a friend on his starboard side then I saw his friend with a blue light and spotlight on a red Zodiak with USCG on it.

Alanhod · Post by **Alanhod** » Mon May 09, 2011 3:42 pm

I like all the answers so far but wish to toss in another possibility.

You see one Green light, you do not see a Red light or a white light. The Green light is moving.

This happened to me. I could see the Green only light up high like 20 to 30 feet in a channel or it was a very long way away but way too bright to be that far away.

My friend stayed at the tiller and went out on the bow for a better view. I'm looking and cannot make out any boat just all black and one green light. on the port side of the channel.

Then it hits me when I looked way over to starboard and there is a red light at the same height as the Green light. I turn and yell back to my friend at the tiller. "HARD TO PORT" My little Honu turns like a cutter and heads for the shore on the port side. Just after the Green light has past being in line with my boat when a very large spotlight is shined on me from the big tugboat pushing the very large loaded with dirt barge down channel. Must have been 3 to 4 stories tall but that may be because I was so afraid it just looked that big. In my minds eye, it is easily that big.

Now this is when Bubba in his Bass Boat, up on a plane, in this no wake zone sees me all lit up by this Big Spotlight. He cranks it hard over to starboard and splashes the bow of the barge with his wake because he came that close to plowing head on at high speed into the face of the barge.

The most fear I ever felt sailing (under motor power at the time) to date. It really got my heart pumping the moment I figured out it was a REALLY BIG BOAT coming right at me, real close and I had not seen it because it was so big and I did not expect something that big in that environment.

I hug that channels side when I come into it at night now. I swear I could not really see it clearly till he lit me up with his spot light from way behind the whole rig. And Bubba was a dead man if I had not been lit up when I was. They were concerned about me till Bubba came along and made me look like the good boater instead of the bad boater I really was in this situation.

Thanks
Alan

CaptainScott · Post by **CaptainScott** » Thu May 12, 2011 6:34 am

Alanhod · Post by **Alanhod** » Thu May 12, 2011 9:41 am

WAY cool question of the week and answer.

Thanks
Alan

EmergencyExit · Post by **EmergencyExit** » Thu May 12, 2011 11:17 am

Scott, that's just what I did, doodled on paper trying to figure out the other boat's direction to me..really great question of the week !