How fast is safe at night.

that like saying balls!!

 

Mal-contents & misplaced fools

Gooday 'masalai' & 'frosty' - Answer is - way to many beers & very short on 'grey-matter'. Alcohol - mouth - brains - thinking don't always go hand-in hand - as we can see - with the 'diatribe' of classical drivel. Ah men ! !

Bad mannered - foul mouthed - total mis-fit - mr konw-it-all about every subject that's ever been raised in these 'forums' & on the whole - just that - a big 'hole' - vacume- anti-matter. It will sure be nice if he wins a large amount of money & just goes away - very far away - stays there - who knows he might find it nice and warm - under some rock - somewhere outside our universe - - Gawd - here's hoping. Ciao, james

 

Yikes!

Should step away from the keyboard when drinking

 

I only had a glass of water !!


Answer is - way to many beers & very short on 'grey-matter'. Alcohol - mouth - brains - thinking don't always go hand-in hand - as we can see
You keep you hand above the sheets where we can see them

:!:AAAAH Styrene that was it was !! dont ya just love walking round in a boat with unwaxed resin !! feet stick to the walls and can play spiderman as long as your shoes stay on your feet or your feet stay in your shoes !!
Would not like to fall over! never be able to get up again !!. :!:

 

I thought Mr. "Raven" had a few too many cocktails before posting.

 

Ever heard,---questions are heard not seen.

I would never drive at night blindfolded either with a paper bag or not.

But the answer is easy. It depends on how much petrol you have --if you don't have much petrol then remove the bag and blindfold first then drive as fast as you can before the petrol runs out.

TIP always keep the windscreen wipers on full speed when driving fast.

There you go tunnels --your question was easy.

 

I think that's it Frosty:

How fast is safe depends entirely on how many beers you've had, day or night.

 

Definitely contributory but is that definitive.

I think not but there is no such thing as dumb questions only dumb answers as Tunnels has delightfully shown us.

To those of us who have actually been at sea at night and im not talking returning from the favourite skiing water and got caught at dusk, Im talking Malacca straits or where ever you want 50 miles offshore full on satnav navigation.

Would you plow on at 20knots reducing speed or slow to 5knots.

The police here chase about at 50kts, ----obvious with there rooster tails picking up moon light and obviously a police boat for miles away.

 

Plenty of conditions where you won't see debris and wallowing half submerged bits that would go bump in the night if you run into them.
Pretty much any low light, stormy, rainy day and you will miss seeing these guys in time to avoid them.

Soooo- speed kills? Probably not as it only increases the damage sustained not the likelihood of hitting these bits in the first place.

Shipping is a different story.
If conditions deteriorate to the extent that one cannot see other vessels in time to avoid collision, slow down.

 

Well, I've done 40 knots a night quite often but that was with a well trained, professional crew of search and rescue experts specifically trained for such, high risk activity and the best electronics money can buy.

I would encourage anyone interested in motoring or sailing at night to take an appropriate course or two, or three or more.

In the mean time, slow down.

 

The way GPS works has nothing to do with old charts ! All it does is tell you your position on the face of the world whether any charting has been done at all.

 

????? So how do you know where you are to calculate where you want to go?


Some body explain it to him.

 

Have you heard about latitude and longitude?

They exist whether anyone has bothered to survey the current position for water depth, reefs, etc. or not.

All that the GPS does, is tell you the latitude and longitude of the receiver, and then thats' it !! Nothing more ! Now, if you have maps that tell you what reefs, sandbanks, water depths exist for that position, then you are lucky. If not, you only know your latitude and longitude, and you can work out how far you are from where you want to be.

The satellites have no map data in them, and neither does the basic GPS receiver- the satellites are just electronic beacons that your GPS uses to work out your current position, like an electronic surveyor.

 

Hi.

Sailing at night.
A reef in main with small jib or staysail
With somebody on watch.

Motor.
the same. around 5 to 8 knots max. with watchkeeper.
and RADAR on.
Anybody without a $2k radar on his Cruising boat nowadays is real dumb....
Look at what the rest of it has cost you.

I've been a single hander all my life.
70. and crook knees. retired from sailing now
Did offshore in 50's\60's UK and Atlantic via Canaries. Timber Nicholson.
Last 40 yrs around Australia ALL with a STEEL yacht.

As soon as you do solo. You defy all rules of the sea.
accept that. and use your brain.

Steel dents. Plastic\timber SINK... Remember that.
My 32 fter 6 mm Corten steel hull with 1\2 keel side plates and a 2in x 12in solid flat bar as bottom of. (Part ballast) Hull built in commercial shipyard.

Unknown waters in dark
DEEP.
I always ran a reefed main.with staysail. and a 10 min timer.
And never in shipping lanes. If there's any choice.

Shallow\coastal waters.
anchor. don't be dumb....Unless you know the waters.Or heading for marked Harbour. Channel.
Not so bad nowadays with GPS.

I Used radar. coastal and when looking for moorings etc. with motor running
Not feasible otherwise.
But get a decent radar. some aren't.

I always found the Furuno 6in 18miler very good. Economical to run. and VERY good at finding mooring balls in dark in pissin' rain by yourself.
shoals\surface reefs etc.

No radar will give you more than 5 or 6 miles max. Unless you have a tall mast.
2.1\2 to 3 miles sensible for picking boat size targets.

Talking to ships in average weather (15 to 25 knots) in a 34 and 40 ft STEEL yacht.. they see you at around 5 to 7 miles

IF...... anybody watching.

Around 2 to 2 1\2 miles if it bumpy. You disappear in the waves.
even steel.
Hence the 10 min timer. that's your safety margin with a ship travelling at 15\18 knots.from 5 miles away.

I either cat napped at wheel in open waters..Depending on conditions.
Or sailed AWAKE with motor running and radar on in shipping lanes.
OR stayed out of them.

Cruising without radar nowadays is real dumb. you can buy a 6in Furuno for around $2.200 in Aust.
That. with your engine ticking over, charging batt's at same time.
Is the best night. harbour entry. mooring finder insurance you can buy.
I also had a 1.5kva Genny. which I could run for same job if I wanted.
Cost me $350. Honda engine second hand.

Small forward sonar for trawlers range from around $12\15k up.
A small cheap Depth sounder mounted low on bow is ????.
Good for reefs etc. but not really containers.
I fitted one. 50% efficient.
Has to be low or it spends half it's life out of the water..
Mine was fitted half way down leading edge of keel 1 mtr down.
A modern Side looker fitted wrongly may do trick too?.
Don't know about range though.

Just use your common sense. and (personally) buy a steel boat.
I've had timber. plastic.and concrete over the yrs.
Steel gives peace of mind. Lived on them from 40 to 60 yrs old.

Had a few mates.acquaintances I met doing it with plastic.
Bouncing all over the water like little corks. Not for me thank's.

Just do it. and savour the experiences. I started in 1956..
with an old Plath sextant a clockwork fob watch.
AND lots of luck.
Macka

Oh And just remember. It's supposed to be fun. an adventure.
Stupid mistakes and risk taking. only end up with a short life span.
As a lot over the yrs have found out.
Be sensible. and take ALL readings three times. B4 you trust 'em.

Offshore.
PLEASE buy a plastic Sextant. Air tables (easier).Towing Log.
and practice. It's an edification.and fun.

and an Admiralty "List of lights"....
Gives you a list of ALL Harbour. and Channel lead lights
IN THE WORLD....(K... For Aust area.)

Then... when your electronics DO stop working. at least you can keep going with an idea of where you ARE going to.

Enuff from an old fart.
See Ya
Macka

 

Everytime I go to a boat show I get sold a crap 2000 dollar radar. Oh no sir they are not like that any more look at this simulator-- Ok Ok then heres my card. Ive tried Furuno and Raytheon. Anything under 4000 dollars is a toy.