[Paddlewise] Fwd: Night vision question

Clyde,

Picking buoys out against urban backlighting is a challenge but you acquire
the skill.   A trick I was taught was to concentrate on the flashing.  When
your mind starts to work selectively, the flashing lights stand out against
the constant lights.  The constant lighting becomes "white noise".  You will
also notice police cars running along the waterfront much more readily. When I
was bringing tankers into White Fuel in S. Boston the buoys got to be so
familiar it was like looking at a lighted runway but I remember the first time
I went in it was very confusing.

It also helps to commit the chart to memory or at least study it thoroughly
before setting off.  That way you at least have a chance of anticipating where
to look.  Trying to study a chart on the fly at night is really hard.

So the moral to the story is if you can have a conversation in a bar while a
band is playing you can pick out flashing buoys against an urban backdrop.
Huh?

TM

  

attached mail follows:

This past summer I took a night sailing course in Boston Harbor.  On the
return trip we had the Boston skyline as a backdrop with it's thousands of
lights.  Very pretty, but I was instructed to find a couple of flashing buoy
lights a mile or two away, amongst all those lights.  With explicit
directions I as able to locate them after a few minutes, but then I blinked
my eyes and they were gone forever.

Is this a natural or acquired skill?  In either case, I don't seem to have
it.

Fortunately I don't plan on any (much) night time urban paddling.  I've only
been on one night time paddle (full moon), and while interesting, not
something (for me) to get excited about.  I do know circumstances could make
night paddling a reality and have been following the thread with intrest

Clyde Sisler
http://csisler.com


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