A scary night on the water last night...

[BandB]

Wifey B - Perhaps I missed it, the suspense is Killen Me! You hold PhD in what; please, do tell. - Thanks, Art

Wifey B: Curriculum and Instruction. Concentration Elementary Education. It was actually far more interesting than I expected and included a good bit of Urban Education and Literacy too. Up to that point I felt I'd learned how to teach, but that's what taught me how to develop programs and then evaluate them.

 

[Art]

Wifey B: Curriculum and Instruction. Concentration Elementary Education. It was actually far more interesting than I expected and included a good bit of Urban Education and Literacy too. Up to that point I felt I'd learned how to teach, but that's what taught me how to develop programs and then evaluate them.

Thank you, Wifey B.

I respectfully address you as Dr. Wifey B - this one time, in this one sentence... cause, it just feels good saying that to you and about you!

As you desire, it will be Wifey B from me... here on out?

BTW: BIG Congrats!!

 

[dhays]

Thank you, Wifey B.

I respectfully address you as Dr. Wifey B - this one time, in this one sentence... cause, it just feels good saying that to you and about you!

As you desire, it will be Wifey B from me... here on out?

BTW: BIG Congrats!!

Well said Art.

(But now I do have another tool to use when I want to harass Wifey B. ?)

 

[Wxx3]

...

However, I also have concluded that I need to spend more time with the RADAR so that under poor visibility conditions I am better at interpreting it. Hence, I have used the RADAR much more, even under ideal conditions, just to get that practice.
...

BandBs point about more than one pair of eyes is very important. The other night, we had three of us actively looking for traffic and obstructions. Only one of us spotted the unlit anchored boat.

I usually agree with PS, but when it comes to radar, unless you've been trained and have many hours in it's use, for a recreational boater, it's critical that they use it in good conditions, so they have a clue what it's telling them when they can't see sh.t. Otherwise, it provides a very false sense of security.

When I have someone at the helm, I want them to be able to correlate everything they see outside with both the radar returns and the navigation charts. I train them and check periodically. If they can not do that, then I helm and I give them more limited tasks.

 

[Wxx3]

So what we really have here is 25 pages about using common sense!

In my fourth year of boating, my sense is becoming ever more commoner.
How so:

In my first year, of course I turned on the anchor light when anchored.

In year two, I realized some boaters wouldn't see the anchor light since it was 28 feet above sea level. So I changed my spreader lights to LEDs and leave rhythm in also.

In my third year I realized that a few boaters, racing home after a day of fishing, may not raise their heads enough to see either my anchor light or the upper deck, illuminated by the spreader lights. SO, I added the backward and downward facing fog Iights that light the bow and hull. I turn them on when anchored near, though still out of a channel.

Also, I've never seen a large cargo ship with just the minimum lights on.

The COLREGS are about what you must do, not necessarily what you should do.

 

[psneeld]

Just to be clear, I recommend it be on whenever a recreational boater is learning something or it is helping.

I just don't think the Colregs mandate its use 100 percent of the time.

 

[Art]

So what we really have here is 25 pages about using common sense!

In my fourth year of boating, my sense is becoming ever more commoner.
How so:

In my first year, of course I turned on the anchor light when anchored.

In year two, I realized some boaters wouldn't see the anchor light since it was 28 feet above sea level. So I changed my spreader lights to LEDs and leave rhythm in also.

In my third year I realized that a few boaters, racing home after a day of fishing, may not raise their heads enough to see either my anchor light or the upper deck, illuminated by the spreader lights. SO, I added the backward and downward facing fog Iights that light the bow and hull. I turn them on when anchored near, though still out of a channel.

Also, I've never seen a large cargo ship with just the minimum lights on.

The COLREGS are about what you must do, not necessarily what you should do.

Thanks for mentioning, I agree with you Richard; more signifying lights are better when at anchor. Although I'd not mentioned in a post on this thread (my bad), in addition to mast anchor light... we always keep four additional lights on at night. Two solar lights on fly bridge railing, one on sundeck railing and one on top of U.S. flag pole on transom. The more boat-signifying lights on at night the better... to a point. Also keep a stash of several more solar lights to use if need is felt required.

When we are at anchor and we have been out to after dark in our runabout visiting places, we will have already left on the main anchor light atop mast as well as solar lights in position. Sure is nice to be able to spot/recognize our boat from long distance away while cruising back with hand held spot light and full array of running lights aglow.