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thinkxingu · 07-09-2021, 05:11 AM

Went to the Wolfeboro fireworks by boat the other night (they were awesome), and it was busier than I've ever seen. It was also a moonless and, therefore, pitch black night. A few questions:

1. While at anchor, the only light that should be on is the white stern light, yes? As I looked out from where we were—a few hundred yards in front of Brewster Academy—it was a sea of reds and greens not moving.

2. Because it was pitch black on the return trip, I went slowly, relying on my GPS for directions and confirming the markers as we went. BUT, when approaching dangerous channels—the Graveyard, the north side of Moultonborough Bay, etc.—we had to find them before we got there, which is impossible in darkness. We went so slowly thar we were able to start seeing them shine in our port/starboard lights, but people were coming up behind us using spotlights and/or their dock lights. I've always avoided using lighting so as not to affect my night vision, but it seemed doing so would've made those moments much less stressful. Thoughts?

Any other (pitch black/moonless) nighttime navigation tips?

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07-09-2021, 05:11 AM	#1
thinkxingu Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 5,943 Thanks: 1,153 Thanked 1,962 Times in 1,212 Posts	Nighttime Navigation Questions Went to the Wolfeboro fireworks by boat the other night (they were awesome), and it was busier than I've ever seen. It was also a moonless and, therefore, pitch black night. A few questions: 1. While at anchor, the only light that should be on is the white stern light, yes? As I looked out from where we were—a few hundred yards in front of Brewster Academy—it was a sea of reds and greens not moving. 2. Because it was pitch black on the return trip, I went slowly, relying on my GPS for directions and confirming the markers as we went. BUT, when approaching dangerous channels—the Graveyard, the north side of Moultonborough Bay, etc.—we had to find them before we got there, which is impossible in darkness. We went so slowly thar we were able to start seeing them shine in our port/starboard lights, but people were coming up behind us using spotlights and/or their dock lights. I've always avoided using lighting so as not to affect my night vision, but it seemed doing so would've made those moments much less stressful. Thoughts? Any other (pitch black/moonless) nighttime navigation tips? Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk