Re: [Paddlewise] paddling at night

Chuck wrote:
>
>LEDs might also be the way to go if you want to put running lights
>on your kayak. One possible problem: if the lights are too dim, power
>boat drivers might run you down thinking they are on a larger boat
>much farther away.

Running lights have been on my mind quite a bit, and after making a few
night crossing I am interested in hearing in people's (legal) solutions. I
know we've hashed this over on the list a few times, but I don't recall a
really good solution for something that will let boats know you are there
and is also unobtrusive on the boat. What I've always done is to hang my
headlamp off my PFD in back, and when a fishing boat is heading towards me,
grabbing the light and flashing it at them. Problem there is, they may
think you are signaling for help. Not to mention this really isn't a
running light set up.

I am less worried about large boats. Those small fishing boats are what
worried me. Last summer, I was on a solo crossing (OK, there were two of us
in a borrowed double, but we're a couple so think of it as solo). This was
on Lake Superior out to Sand Island, about two miles. We embarked right as
darkness fell. I was compass navigating, and headed towards the dock on the
island. More accurately, I was heading towards the light on the dock.
Imagine my surprise when over halfway across the dock light drove right by
me. It was a small fishing boat that had been trolling around the dock.
This is when I discovered how difficult it is to a). discern how far
something is simply by judging its light intensity and b). you simply
cannot hear those boats until they are literally on top of you. Luckily, I
had taken a bearing before leaving and arrived at the dock without a hitch.
Of course the fog rolled in before we landed so I didn't even know if we
were at the dock until we were about five feet in front of it.

Then I woke everyone in camp up. Those Iowans are *lazy*. ;-)

-Patrick

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patrick Maun
pmaun_at_bitstream.net


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