How Often Do You Sail/Cruise At Night?

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by Ukeluthier

Crab pots? I laugh at crab pots.

All the boats I've bought have had the prop in an aperture... well protected from pot warps. Never picked up a pot in 40 years.

Besides, we're supposed to be sailing the beautiful, quiet Chesapeake at night, not motoring.

Not everyone has a boat that can deal with crab pots. Even with the engine off it is possible for a line to get between a full keel and a rudder. I have seen lobster pots in the keys in less than twenty feet of water with the line between the pot and the float at least 100 feet. With the right wind and tide conditions a line that long can literally form a loop.

While I enjoy sailing after the sun sets, especially with a full moon or phosphorescence I also feel uncomfortable under some circumstances.

[carstenb]

Dockhead said it. Night sailing is great. WE do sail at night every chance we get. We are, hover, not delighted at having to dock in an unknown harbor at night - especially if there is a lot of wind.

With chart plotters, night sailing even in coastal waters is no big deal

[Group9]

Back when I was younger, it would get so hot in the summer, that night was the only time we would sail.

I had a friend, and our usual Wednesday night thing, was to take one of our boats out around seven and stay out until eleven or twelve, just sailing around.

It is easier in waters you are really familiar with, but I look forward to overnight passages. You can see stars like you cannot believe.

[builder dan]

There is a nice land breeze in Tasman Bay in the summer.I usually leave the marina at midnight and anchor up at first light in the Abel Tasman always a lovely sail very peacefull.Night sailing is one of my favorite things especially solo.

[chuckr]

OK TIME FOR A FUNNY -- we have done a few long passages and folks who know nothing ask us what we do when it gets dark - depending on how i feel and how much i have had to drink and if i can keep a stright face -- they usually get - well we plan it so we pull into one of the floating motels at nights - they have them everywhere out there - and then begin to embellish the story a bit -
some actually asked if we had to call ahead for reservations -

just some fun we have along the way

[r.bideaux]

We do alot of sailing at night. Try to avoid navigating channels at night unless one that we use frequently .

[pbmaise]

Once I finally listened to all those that kept saying how ultra dangerous it was to sail at night in the Malaca strait. I pulled into a very large bay and anchored a full mile from shore.

Everything was fine till a squall came up. My anchor began to drag, and about 100 Malaysian fishing boats suddenly showed up all trying to race into the same bay that was once empty. I had to stand there holding flashlights waving frantically at the boats so they would't hit me, restart the engine, pull up anchor, and get out of dodge.

So much for being safer not sailing at night!

[sww914]

The night time passages are the ones that I remember as the most beautiful. Spectacular!

[OldFrog75]

Never. Our club doesn't allow it.

Hopefully I can hitch a ride on one of the Baha races and have the experience.