Comments interspersed:

Parallax wrote:


The biggest problem I saw on this little night sailing excercise
was the unlighted buoys. Two of them, I only saw when I was abeam of
them and two I never did see. Running into these markers is the
biggest hazard on a night like that.

Always has and probably always will be a problem. Two thoughts: Have a
narrow beam flashlight handy (one which doesn't throw a large diffused
light) to pick these out. Normally, this type light won't totally
destroy your night vision .... normally.
When coming up on this type buoy, check your charts for other, more
visible landmarks, which you might be able to use for back-up
positioning .... course, there's always electronic methods potentially
available, but if you are cruising and piloting, the visual back-ups may
give you a more secure feeling.

The reflective coating must be
faded from the sun so they just do not show up until fairly close.
Furhtermore, there is some discrepancy between what the charts say and
some markers.

Again, an ongoing problem ..... always consider the chart info to be
where the marker "should" be, not where it "is".... give yourself a
built-in amount of safety room, around any marker and whenever possible,
"danger bearings" when approaching any you might think suspect, though
all would be better.

There is also a recent uncharted shrimpboat wreck at
the west end of the island that is partway into the channel thazt I
was never able to spotlight on the way in.

Local Notice to Mariners on the net, is all I can suggest here for
possible latest info on these items. Note: I've had numerous queries on
a wreck in my area. My surprise at the queries.... the wreck is a small
fishing boat in 300' of water that is marked as a "wreck", not a
"dangerous wreck" .... point being, some necessary info may not always
get out or be understood, in the LNM.

The excercise was good in exposing a couple of small problems and
bringing back some old skills. For example, I did not have a small
flashlight for taking a quick peak at the chart so I was blinded for
about 30 secs after every time I looked at it. In the day, I
obsessively rely on my handbearing compass to take bearings which
enables me to go on a course till a bearing is presented to something
which will clear all obstacles. My hand compass is not lighted and it
would have blinded me to take such a bearing so I used the GPS. I
completely forgot about simply pointing the boat at the object in
question and using the dimly lighted boat compass.

I had a portable azimuth circle which mounted on the cabin hatch for
taking relative bearings ( could easily be mounted over a binnacle) when
there were two people available. I would use this, compared to a "mark"
heading on the steering compass (which I knew the error to -deviation
tables). This type of rig would need to be boat and/or operator
specific, but coupled with the ole red flashlight, I found it the least
cumbersome .... to each his/her own.

otn