[Paddlewise] Night paddle - night lights, kayak, Near Miss

This is exactly to what I am referring as I also paddle on the Minnesota and
Mississippi Rivers that have tow boat (barge) traffic. 

	a recent near miss with a barge which brings out several of the
points
	
I have found tow boat (barge) river pilots are very nice and professional.


With LED red and green running lights on the bow, and the Scotty white all
around light on the stern, I can easily been seen by all boaters, including
tow boats.  We can communicate via VHF radio   They can easily determine my
heading. There is no panic or near misses.  The river captains appear to
appreciate this.  Again, this is above the required Coast Guard rules.  I
can tell them what I am and we each know where the other is heading. Or if I
decide to go to shore, I can tell them.  They can watch me head to shore
with my green and red running lights.  Everyone on the water, except us
paddlers, is use to the red/green and white all around.  The small,
waterproof red and green LED lights and the Scotty white LED all around
light (all use a single AA battery) make this doable for boats without
electric power.  My night vision is not impaired by these lights either. 

And paying attention to the nuns and cans also helps as the tow boats do not
leave the channel, at least in my area - upper Mississippi and Minnesota
Rivers.

However, the lights do attract bugs . . . and a kayaker can move too slow
when paddling against the current or upstream . . .





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