Night Sailing - Off Shore - Moonlight ? No Moonlight ?

[four winds]

Which do you prefer?

I was talking up a full moon sail for a Cedar Key to Apalachicola over-nighter.

An experienced sailor suggested when I was more experienced the moonless night would be preferred. I like the way he phrased it.

Do you agree? No moonlight offers better night vision, especially for long distance detection of running lights. That's the reasoning given by this sailor I was talking to.

[Dockhead]

IMHO, nonsense. Give me moonlight any night sailing.

I did my last Channel crossing on a moonless night. You have less orientation st which to put the lightsbof ships. It's still magical, like all night sailing, but give me moonlight any day (night).

[four winds]

I agree at this point.

I like to listen to what people say and compare to my experience as time goes on.

[Kettlewell]

Definitely like moonlight. Maybe, just maybe you get better visibility on other running lights on a moonless night, but you have worse visibility on everything else. You can see a surprising amount with a bright full moon, or even a partial moon. Plus, it makes it a lot easier to work on your own boat. I basically like to go blackout pretty much at night, except for a masthead light, to keep my night vision, and I think that is where many people goof up--too many bright electronic screens on and night lights destroying your night vision. I go so far as to turn off the GPS if I'm a long way from anywhere that I need a precise position fix. Plus, moonlight just makes everything seem cheerier--I don't like blasting along on those nights that are as black as the inside of an old sea boot.

[jackdale]

Depends

On one moonlit night flying a spinnaker down Georgia Strait on the last leg of the Van Isle 360 was magical.

Last summer on a moonless night laying in the cockpit in the middle of the Pacific watching a meteor shower was also magic.

Logs do show better in the moonlight, as do whales; I have seen both.

[imagine2frolic]

I love the light of a full moon. It's beauty is completely romantic & inspiring. Then again give me no moon, and I can see every single star down to the horizon. I can also appreciate the beauty of a gale too. Come to think of it just get me offshore........i2f

[klem]

It is definitely easier with the moon but it is nice to sail on a clear night without the moon as well. If this is one of your first night sails, the moon would certainly make it easier in my opinion.

[four winds]

I value the input given. Thanks everyone.

Weather permitting I'm thinking I might be making my first cruise where I actually go somewhere around the middle of next month. The week with the full moon.

I want to boogie up to Apalachicola, then take my time making my way to Alabama waters somewhere. Maybe a month or two for that later leg of the journey.

Ten months into the experience I think maybe the boat and I are almost ready.

Thanks again for the feedback.

[Paul Elliott]

Moonlit nights can be spectacular, and if there isn't fog you're going to see any ships just fine. I've done plenty of moonless sailing, and when the sky is overcast the only light comes from the ocean's phosphorescence -- it can be pretty black. Given a choice I'll take the moonlight.

[cat man do]

Full moon for me as well without a doubt.
Any offshore passages we have done have been, well, offshore, so very rarely see ships and no markers to worry about.

[Catamount]

I love the full dome of stars that you can only experience offshore at night on a crystal clear moonless night -- it's absolutely incredible -- but I also love sailing with moonlight, too.

As Paul Elliott says, overcast or fog on a moonless night can be very black -- like in a sensory deprivation chamber! Of course I've also sailed in fog at night so thick that you couldn't see the water the boat was floating in, but you could still see all the stars overhead (the fog layer was only about 10 feet thick).

[alan_za]

I prefer moonlight but on a recent overnight trip I was told this exact same thing, that it's actually better without the moon, for the same reason, you can spot other boats better. I dunno though, it depends on the conditions, we were in 25-30knots of wind with a fair bit of swell and I think the moonlight made it easier in those conditions. When the moon set we were just bashing forward into the waves with zero visibility and it was much harder to helm I felt.

[MarkJ]

Yes, either.

Not only do I enjoy either but after a few nights of moonlight I always wish for a moonless night... just to see the stars

I have never set a departure date for a cycle of the moon.

If someone always goes in one phase then I would suggest they start going in the opposite phase just to get used to it and enjoy it.

One thing the Southern Hemisphere does have is more stars. The Milky Way does its big sweep down south and on a moonless night you can really understand poetry like "the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars" They can be so bright its disorientating - like your hand can reach up forever through velvet and diamonds. But you only get them when the moon is down.

[bigpuff]

I had a erei one one nite;sailing from Darwin to gladston(late 60;s)50 miles off thursday Is.4am. about a mile ahead a large green glow in the water,call the crew on deck(sailing at 4-5kts.(50ft.try)getting brighter as we get closer.the charts clear of shallows;disscus going around it(200 mtrs. in diamerter)aleins-submarine volcano-sea monster-nuke sub,hell our minds where going flat out.Thousands of sea snakes,i thingk it was mating seasonm,the phosferecant lit up the sails like a very bright full moon.

[Multitalent]

a large green glow in the water

This effect has now been captured in Satellite photos, it is NOT Phosphoresence but a related bio-luminesence glow, can extend up to 90 miles.