Night Boating
By Officer Joe Alvarez

One of the most enjoyable and relaxing pleasures of boating is a night cruise. The sun isn't making you squint or roasting your body, the wakes of too many boats causing surface confusion is diminished, and the heat and humidity of midday is replaced with offshore breezes. Night boating however, requires special attention from the skipper. You can't see where you're going, you can't see where you are, and you can't see where you've been. Familiar landmarks disappear and the only hint of a shoreline is the flickering of some lights on the now-invisible horizon.

You may want to use a spotlight or searchlight at night just as you would use headlights on a car. The problem is you're not on a highway or street where other traffic will approach you from expected directions. Other boats may approach you from anywhere on the water.

Other boats won't be using spotlights or searchlights. The green, red or white lights on other boats will be the only way you'll have to see them. A great deal of concentration is required when dealing with lights that are both stationary and moving up and down the shoreline and criss-crossing the surface of the water. If you've ever boated at night you'll know that navigation lights aren't very bright and by the time you see them, you can be extremely close.

Boating is three-dimensional. Unlike boaters, automobile operators don't have to have to worry about what lies beneath the highway. The reflections and shadows created by a spotlight shining on the water can look like debris or fishing floats. These illusions may cause a skipper to take every sighting as a danger. After a few of these illusions, a skipper may become complacent, opening up the possibility of missing the ones that truly represent a danger.

Temporarily blindness and confusion of another boater may result from the use of a searchlight for nighttime boating. This confusion may cause another boater to maneuver into the path of your boat.

When boating at night keep in mind distances are not as easily judged as when you have high visibility and a relative sense of distant objects. You're going to need more time to figure out what the lights mean that are moving at different directions, distances and speeds relative to your boat.

Interior lighting should be arranged so you are not blinded by your own illumination and keep them dimmed.

Sound carries across the water as though it were amplified, so use your hearing to your advantage. If the volume on your boat's stereo system is just below the threshold of pain, you'll miss important sounds from approaching vessels such as engine noise, horns or even a loud conversation.

If you're not comfortable with taking your own boat out in the dark, take someone with you. Listen and watch to what's going on all around you. A little common sense can make night boating an enjoyable experience. Remember, safe boating is smart boating.



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