[Paddlewise] Lights for night paddling

I would second (third?) the comments about avoiding paddling at night 
in commercial traffic areas at all costs.  Especially in harbor 
areas, where shore lights mask running lights, you will not notice 
the barge/ship until it is too close for comfort.

On the night lighting issue, I wish there was some "legal"  solution better 
than carrying a headlamp.  It seems to me that a headlamp will only 
be visible from in front of you and has the potential to blind the 
skipper of the vessel you shine it into.

One thought that occured to me: how about lights or LEDs built into 
paddle blades?  An LED and wire could easily be epoxied into a 
wood/glass composite paddle blade with the batteries and switch in 
the center of the shaft.  The LED could be recessed so that it does 
not affect the surface of the balde.  From a distance, the lights may appear to 
blink, but as you get closer, there will be no mistaking that the 
lights are coming from something that is not a motor boat or a buoy, 
and probably will be pretty clear that the lights are coming from a 
paddler.

Just a thought.
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