Peter Hendra wrote in
:

The interesting thing is, I have got a lot of criticism from other
yachtees who say that it is not "regulation" is a distress signal that
ships will detour to investigate and so on. Someone even called me
"selfish and arrogant in flaunting the rules". I wonder if any of
these people have spent much time on passage, especially at night as
they are commonly used to mark ends of fishing nets and long-lines as
well as being displayed by fishing boats having a braek.


If is saves one life, to hell with the rules. If they get curious...they
can TURN ON THEIR RADIOS AND ASK!....which is what I wanted them to do in
the first place.

Speaking of radios, do you chat with ships you can see out beyond land on
Channel 13? Most sailors treat that radio as some kind of plague they're
required to carry. I'm an old ham operator, so like to chat. Coming
home from Florida, off the GA coast a hundred miles or so, we had 14
active "checkins" to "The Channel 13 Ship Net" at 1AM on the midwatch.
One of the 1st Mates wanted to trade me Lionheart for a containership,
but I had to turn him down...(c; They're really BORED TO TEARS up on
those tall bridges in the dark, I found. Having a chat on 13 perked
everyone, including me all red-eyed and a little seasick in the slop.
Oddly, though we could see lots of other yachts, both motor and sail, we
couldn't raise them on 13 or 16 or get them to respond to our calls for a
chat. Maybe it was that old "hermit syndrome" so may yachties have,
trying to leave the whole world on another planet. You know them, I'm
sure.

The big 12V quartz-iodine 55W searchlight with the big reflector can also
make anyone stand up and take notice.....especially if they are headed
right for you. After a quick sweep across to make a big flash pointed at
them, shine the beast up on their side of the mainsail, lighting up the
whole sail rigging like day so they can't miss that you are a SAILBOAT
and expect to be treated like same. Deck lights on the spreaders can't
hold a candle to the beast lighting up the sail for visibility to some
idiot banker on his Hatteras 58. Lionheart looks like the tail of a
Delta 757 taxiing its tail billboard around....(c;

Larry
--
Don't just sit in the dark and wait to die! LIGHT UP THE DAMNED BRIDGE
OF HIS SHIP!