Running at night

[RussGW270]

Okay, years of experience in lots of facets of fishing and boating, but I am okay to say that the only night time / dark experience I have was while in the Navy and.....it was not good. I literally had to threaten the owner / captain of the boat to get him to stop / slow down before he killed all of us...heh. When he did, we found ourselves less than 10 yards from a huge object that would have surely killed all of us.

So, all I remember was that....and, my lack of care to drive at night because I never really went out that far on my own boats anyway and....no experience.. so, figured to ask you experienced folks a few things:

1 - I have / will have 2 VHF radios (if I can find or remove the harness for the old one without breaking something else or if I decide to get a 2nd rs35)...do you "talk" to friends etc on yours...or people? like a CB radio?

I know, strange question, but for me, my vhf never got touched more than turning it on and off. I am not even sure I ever did a radio check on one of the things so... if someone can explain to me exactly how "you" do your check and what you do with your radio(s) after that, would be nice. For all I know, all this time I could have been "scanning" empty space... heh

2 - I am not worried about the things I can see, I am worried about the things I cannot see. I have the Garmin radar, but it scares the heck out of me I am going to ram head on into things at night, or catch a rogue wave I cannot see till the last second....but I want to get out to the fishing at the crack of dawn too.. heh...so... is it really a huge deal taking the boat out in the dark, or am I reading too much into it? Lakes? done it many times..but the ocean is unforgiving....and a hell of a lot larger.. heh....and I never seem to have experienced friends to go out with, just people that fish.

I think, that is the crux of my problem is that I just do not know any "experienced" boaters so everything is on my shoulders...and so I stress over it.

Tell me how you did the first time you went out in the ocean at dark-thirty in your Grady.

Lastly....

I need coffee..

R

 

[mmiela]

I have been out in the dark fishing in Long Island sound. It is definitely a lot different. My advice to use is to buy(yes more money) the Garmin G2 or G3 charts for your area and that will allow auto guidance based on height of your boat clearance and water depth. I have the Garmin 741 gps/sonar with auto guidance and works great. I used to have to use a spot light to find the channel buoys but now the auto guidance sends me right through the channel. My radar is plugged into the gps unit so it allows radar overlay so targets appear on the navigation chart. Also, I never run fast at night and watch your radar. Not much you can do about a rouge wave but at half throttle it might be less impact.

 

[RussGW270]

Okay, will look at those charts, thanks. I purchased or subscribed to every app on the iphone that was available lol.

I am interested in what Nautic-on does with it’s devices. Going to research that too.

Hoping that next year I can upgrade the gps antenna to the one that has the heading sensor built in.

R

 

[PrinceofThieves]

We run a lot at night and long range most if the time to the NE canyons. I suppose it took a while to get comfortable with, though i don't think one will ever get completely comfortable with it. The best advice i can offer you is start by running with your radar on during the day, particularly in the areas that you intend to run at night - get familiar with the area and how and where objects appear on radar. If you have the radar overlay feature on your charts, use it - see how the radar overlay lines up on the chart objects. If you notice items that are coming up on radar, but not on your charts (i.e. i have had channel markers in areas where they were not showing on the charts), drop a waypoint on the chart on it's position. In a case like this the radar will pick it up, but at least you know what it is rather than guessing at night. Start off at a comfortable speed and set your range accordingly - in tighter areas, channels, bays, etc, you will want your range tighter 1/4 mile or so, once you get out into the open adjust it to 1-4 miles, accordingly. Once we break the inlet and are clear of all objects, and i'm coming out of NY harbor, so we have quite a bit to dodge on the way out, i set my range to about 2 miles and i regularly switch between 2 miles to about 8 to 10 miles, just to get an idea of what 's ahead. I guess the key is, get comfortable with the area you are running in and learn to use your electronics and to trust them! ...and take it slow. On a side note, but related, I have AIS which is a fantastic tool for running at night especially, and I firmly believe AIS should be required on all vessels.

 

[RussGW270]

This makes no sense. Amazon has all US g2 maps for 90 bucks, or sub-sections for the same price.

Garmin’s site has a sub-section for 300, or all US and part of Canada for 220, heh.
Looking at the differences between g2 and g3, assuming chartplotters read one or the other.

I have the 7610xsv

R

 

[RussGW270]

Okay so AIS should be part of the vhf and since I am plugged into the nmea 2000 backbone, that should be available with the RS35, but will check. Very nice input, thanks.

R

 

[Uncle Joe]

Like others have said... get familiar with the equipment you have.....your chartplotter along with your radar will help you out in open water....bays and sounds with tight channels are a different animal......I like to do dry runs during daylight and then save a track of the trip to help me at night. Use your head.....adjust your speed and attitude to sea conditions.....

When offshore there is a lot of chatter on channel 68....guys are always looking out for eachother....I like to listen in....gives me a comfort level.

I am sure once you do it a few times you will feel much more comfortable.

 

[glacierbaze]

G2 and G3 are the base maps that come preloaded on Garmin chartplotters, and I am pretty sure that you already have G3 on yours. The question is, do you have G3 Lake View, or G3 Coastal? G4 is the new version, but I am not sure if it has been released. For details, and upgrades, you want to buy a G3, or G4, Bluechart Vision mini sd to plug into your GPS.
Youtube is your friend for GPS, VHF, AIS tutorials. You can easily spend an hour or two just familiarizing yourself with VHF/DSC. As well as the Garmin site:
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/c455-p1.html


As far as night driving, some people just see better than others. At some point in my 70 years, I lost night vision, and night time depth perception, and there is no electronic aid that is going to put me on the water in the dark, especially driving the boat.

 

[Lsquared]

all good advice

dont go any faster than you feel comfortable hitting something

make sure prior to going out, you are comfortable with the wave heights, then subtract some for loss of distant vision check noaa
https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

check the weather for any inclement stuff moving your way. i use sirius on my boat like i use the chartplotter. always on overlay.

radio check automated is on channel 27 although for me it works intermittently,
i say...lsquared requesting radio check on ch 16. you will get blow back from sea tow or boatus to goto automated but hey you know you are transmitting and receiving.

ALWAYS...have a float plan.
let someone know where you intend to go, and when you will be back. stick to that as much as possible.

dont always rely on your plotter. make sure you take a compass heading, look back for large objects that will be tell tale of where you came out.

make sure you have hand held horn, flares, whistle, life vests for everyone aboard., i have a ditch bag with that stuff in it and a plb. i opted to not go epirb based on cost since i intend to stay within 50 miles of shore most of the time.

know if you are crossing shipping channels and send out a se'curite' if ships are in your area letting them know of you location

 

[SkunkBoat]

There is a lot to unpack there...

In bays/rivers/channels - picking out the right channel markers or other boats (running/drifting or anchored) in a bay with town lights on shore is crazy hard.
run them in the daytime and save the tracks. Use those tracks when you go out at night. Otherwise you might easily miss a set of markers and run aground.
Run at an appropriate speed from marker to marker..always get an eye on the next marker and verify on your plotter that you are going at the right one.
You don't want to hit an unlighted marker while your running to a lighted marker...

What is an appropriate speed? You gotta be there to know.... factors include concerns about visibility, traffic, obstacles, depth of channel and depth out of the channel, turns in the channel.

I was an FC in the Navy and spent 4 and a half years looking at a surface radar. I did Navigation detail coming into ports. Giving range & bearing of channel markers and shore points to OSs.
I have an old LCD radar that would be worthless on its own and would just take my eyes off of the real world and the chart plotter. I don't use it.

Running offshore is much easier. My biggest concern in NJ is pot markers that have no tall radar reflector..just a float (and a stick and flag if you are lucky). Learn where they usually are and mark that area "POTS!"
Know where you are. Shipping channels are marked on the charts but some tug/barges here run inshore of them. LEARN WHAT A TUG AND BARGE LOOKS LIKE IN THE DARK. There is a cable that will kill you between them.
Get autopilot so you can keep your eyes up and out...and have another lookout.
AIS! Commercial shipping shows up on your plotter. You can set crossing alarms.

We used to swordfish off of Ft Lauderdale/Miami. Be carful when you are drifting and it takes you into a shipping lane at 2 am....

I have been doing a lot of running in the dark lately to get to or from the tuna grounds for the low-light bite. If its flat calm its an enjoyable experience but when it blows... it blows. Pick your weather day and change plans if it blows.
Sometimes at night you still can see a horizon and its not too bad. When you lose any horizon you better know how to drive a boat with electronics and a compass... GET AN AUTOPILOT.

You will always run the risk of striking floating debris or a whale or a turtle.

Float plan with a loved one. I have a generic CG float plan filled out with all of the boat info. Sits at the computer so my wife knows where it is. Then I tell her where I'm going and who is onboard.
I have a Garmin InReach satellite text unit. It allows change of plans and keeps everyone informed.... It lets me share fishing info with some marina buddies too...we spread out and keep in touch.


VHF- learn which channels the fishing guys use...65, 68 ,72....it gets pretty informal on those channels...none of the "Roger, Over" radio talker stuff we did in the Navy.
There are automated radio checks on 24 or 27 depending on where you are. I just use 65 since that's where the offshore fishing guys are...."radio check 65, over"...I still tend to talk navy radio talk....can't help it ...but that would be " Channel six fife this is Flex Time, radio check, over". My brother asked me why a I say the channel number, thinks it doesn't need to be done...but some people are using a scan of multiple channels and will hear you but not know which channel it was.




Oh! EPIRB and/or PLB. Lights on your life jackets.

 

[wspitler]

One other thing, from an old USCG boat/ship driver and pilot, keep interior lights at minimum brightness in an attempt to maintain as much night vision as possible. Red has been used most as interior lights to minimize night vision washout. One bright light can ruin ones night vision for an hour. (Read up on night vision/cones/rods/etc for a more in depth discussion) Your radar won't pick up a large unlit object, so without some Night Vision device such as IR of NVGs, your eyes remain a very good source for avoidance of obstacles. A bright plotter or radar can be a problem as well. Keep them as dim as feasible.

 

[SkunkBoat]

One other thing, from an old USCG boat/ship driver and pilot, keep interior lights at minimum brightness in an attempt to maintain as much night vision as possible. Red has been used most as interior lights to minimize night vision washout. One bright light can ruin ones night vision for an hour. (Read up on night vision/cones/rods/etc for a more in depth discussion) Your radar won't pick up a large unlit object, so without some Night Vision device such as IR of NVGs, your eyes remain a very good source for avoidance of obstacles. A bright plotter or radar can be a problem as well. Keep them as dim as feasible.

yep, dim everything.

 

[CJ7Rob]

I also like to check and compare Google Maps or the BoatUS App against my GPS for accuracy. Not sure how my much that'll help at night, but defintely lay some dryrun tracks down on your GPS during the day first. Oh and no radio checks on Ch 16!

 

[Lsquared]

I also like to check and compare Google Maps or the BoatUS App against my GPS for accuracy. Not sure how my much that'll help at night, but defintely lay some dryrun tracks down on your GPS during the day first. Oh and no radio checks on Ch 16!

Yep, ive used my cell to get back when my electronics went out

 

[ocnslr]

Snipes belong in the hole. Ship drivers on the bridge.

Pay all my expenses and I'll come train you for a week.

Master, Oceans, Steam, Motor or Sail, 1600 Tons
Chief Mate, Oceans, Unlimited
Commander, USN (Ret)
US Navy Senior Offshore Sailing Skipper

 

[Lsquared]

wasnt a snipe...i was agreeing.google maps actually got me home once.

 

[ocnslr]

wasnt a snipe...i was agreeing.google maps actually got me home once.

Russ was. We've talked. He should know I'm pulling his leg.

 

[glacierbaze]

wasnt a snipe...i was agreeing.google maps actually got me home once.

I think that you are referring to snipe as an Internet verb. The use here is a noun, referring to the Navy engineering rates who work below decks, such as, machinist mates, boiler technicians, enginemen, etc.

 

[Lsquared]

got it now...thanks.

 

[Heyspike]

Can someone post a photo of the Radar overlay on the GPS chart plotter. Thanks.