On Wed, 02 Mar 2005 17:08:21 GMT, otnmbrd
wrote:

A great secondary ID method for sailboats at night is lighting up your
sails with a flashlight, etc..
Generally this will give a brighter target without destroying visibility
of your running lights.

Here's how I "get attention" on Lake Ontario if I see I am closing
with a lake freighter at night.

1) Running lights are always on at dusk.

2) Mast top trilight is on, too, although I am only obliged to have
one or the other.

3) If under power or motorsailing, I have the steaming light on at the
spreaders.

4) If I detect no change, I will hail the ship on 16. If no response,
I will hail them on 13, which is sometimes monitored more closely in
my area. If I get a response, I will give my position in lat/lon and
my bearing to them, my speed and my suggested reciprocal bearing (Uh,
on the port quarter and closing, Skipper...that's me!)

5) I will shine a million candela spot on my sail if sailing or down
my deck if under jib alone and/or under power. I will flick my anchor
light. I will fire a bloody flare at them, duck their stern and report
them to the Coast Guard, giving time, lat/lon and other details.

Only some of the above have ever been necessary, but I have gotten to
within two NM before being seen on light air nights with a full moon,
and have not shown well on their radars...basically, I had to give
them a vector to follow to see me.

None of the above would be possible were I below not keeping a watch.
"They can't see you" is my default assumption. COLREGS might help my
widow get a better settlement, but I will get out of the way of
shipping unless I have positive proof they've seen ME.

It does give me a huge appreciation for WWII destroyers that sank
surfaced U-boats at a couple of thousand yards at night in the
Atlantic. The conning tower of a U-boat is a much worse target than a
white decked sailboat.