Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 07-09-2015, 10:58   #151
Senior Cruiser
 
boatman61's Avatar

Community Sponsor
Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: PORTUGAL
Posts: 30,561
Images: 2
pirate Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by hellosailor View Post
"I thought it was common knowledge that range was limited to 2 miles.. in perfect visibility.
And when you remember the horizon is just over 3 miles away from the cockpit of the average small boat "
Yes and no. Two miles is a legal requirement, but ask an infantry soldier how far away you can see a lit cigarette on a dark night. A good eye under good conditions (no background lights, dark sky) may spot something that dim most of a mile away. Running lights? Much further. Remember, good ones can and will exceed the COLREGS minimum standards.
And how many infantrymen have to deal with 'Land Swell' of 2 to 3 metres... every 9 t0 12 seconds.. that cuts your range view to a 4 second scan.. easy to miss those lights if their rising and falling close to sync.. and seriously.. how many folk out there know what they're buying.. its pull the dead one.. wander down to West Marine and 'Have you got one off these'..
As for the horizon being 3 miles away, sure, if you are looking for debris on the water. Which is why there are masthead lights. If your head is six feet above the water and a small sailboat has masthead nav lights 40 feet above the water? The distance goes up to TWELVE miles. The height of both the lights and the observer has to be accounted for, the horizon itself is not the issue.
VHF/UHF Line of Sight Distance Calculator
An online line-of-sight calculator link.

Radio waves do not travel in a straight line.. and even then a hand held in the cockpit is extremely limited..



If those other running lights are only in the bow pulpit? They can still easily be seen from six miles away--if they're bright and unobstructed.
Ya gotta lay off the rum mate.. naah.. boogarit.. if its cane your able..

So "How far away is that light?" with no other clues? Well, if it is on a tanker eighty feet above waterline and moving at eighteen knots....(G)....
Why do I get the feeling your a fair weather sailor...
__________________

It was a dark and stormy night and the captain of the ship said.. "Hey Jim, spin us a yarn." and the yarn began like this.. "It was a dark and stormy night.."
boatman61 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2015, 11:20   #152
֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎

Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 15,136
Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

Radio waves aren't the same as light waves, but the radio line-of-sight calculators don't provide for that, they use straight trig functions, same as for light. Or microwave or laser communications, all done by plain trig and anything else is a bonus.


A fair weather sailor? No. But I can read the classified in a newspaper by moonlight, so perhaps my standards for good illumination are different from yours. If you want to broaden the topic and discuss weather and other factors, by all means, what is the range of your nav lights during a winter blizzard? Or didn't you forget that too?
hellosailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2015, 11:30   #153
Senior Cruiser
 
boatman61's Avatar

Community Sponsor
Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: PORTUGAL
Posts: 30,561
Images: 2
pirate Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

Much better than thick fog.. more refection..
Safe sailing..
__________________

It was a dark and stormy night and the captain of the ship said.. "Hey Jim, spin us a yarn." and the yarn began like this.. "It was a dark and stormy night.."
boatman61 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2015, 17:24   #154
Registered User

Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Panama City Beach, FL
Boat: Pacific Seacraft 37
Posts: 19
Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

found that I never slept more than two hours at a time -wind changes or boat motion changes wake you up. In shipping lanes I ran the nav lights... Returning from Hawaii to the LA area, I saw many large ships... you can hear the machinery noise below deck when the big boys are still miles away. My experience was that they always saw me, and in many cases they changed course to check on me.
Oronsay is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
sail

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
dropping anchor around nanaimo vancouver island for extended periods boatlife Liveaboard's Forum 0 21-07-2012 18:07
Dogs Aboard for Extended Periods? Jim Mc Families, Kids and Pets Afloat 15 18-09-2009 15:00
Logistics of leaving a boat for extended periods of time? scm007 General Sailing Forum 6 03-03-2009 06:32
Is idling an outboard for long periods bad for it? PatrickS Engines and Propulsion Systems 4 16-02-2009 06:58
watch while solo martinworswick General Sailing Forum 8 11-11-2008 10:55

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 01:30.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.