http://www.boatoregon.com/Laws/Equipment.html these are the same illustrations I got from the US Power Squadron when I took their course a dozen or so years ago. Scroll down the page to see: Sailboats and Boat Under Oars Note the difference between anchor light, (illustration below) 360 degrees visibility and the running lights in example 3 or 4. The stern light is about 120 degrees. This, combined with the 120 degrees of the starboard light or the port light helps others determine your direction of travel. Personally, when I get enough skill and confidence to venture out after dark, I will have a properly lit kayak, the LED lights should make it pretty easy. I don't know how having a head mounted light is going to fit into that equations yet, I suppose it will be on when I need it, otherwise depend on night vision like I used to do sailing. ******** I think this is my first post, so I will introduce myself. I am Mike Euritt, living in San Rafael, CA, just north of San Francisco. New to kayaking and getting used to the idea that falling out of your boat, and having it on top of you is just an inconvenience, not an emergency requiring Coast Guard assistance.. I have probably 50 hours of kayaking time, and this Sunday I will be taking my second level class in kayaking, braces and edging. I've learned a bunch from the list all ready, thanks everyone. Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Mike said: <big snip> >Personally, when I get enough skill and confidence to venture out after dark, I will have a properly lit kayak, >the LED lights should make it pretty easy. I don't know how having a head mounted light is going to fit into >that equations yet, I suppose it will be on when I need it, otherwise depend on night vision like I used to do >sailing. Welcome to the wonderful world of kayaking, Mike. There's all kinds of kayaking and all kinds of opinions of how it should be done, that's the fun of a list like this. I have written before about the head mounted light and how I find it very useful while night paddling. I didn't mention before, but probably should have, that I normally paddle with the light OFF and only turn it on when I think there is a potential for a collision. This would be what other writers have referred to as "stealth" mode. This technique works for me because I am usually night paddling in very shallow water near shore with usually only one other paddler (my wife) in an area that does not see a lot of recreational or commercial traffic. I can see how people that paddle in larger groups in more congested areas might feel the need to put more lights on their boats for protection and to aid in group management. It's always good to hear from people in different environments and see how they have had to adapt their equipment and behavior to adapt. Once again, one size does not necessarily fit all. But whatever size you choose, it should meet the appropriate regulations (which a head lamp, shown in time to avoid a collision, does - for my waters). Mark Goff Hampden, Maine ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 8/1/2007 4:46:26 AM Pacific Daylight Time, sixteenfeet_at_sbcglobal.net writes: these are the same illustrations I got from the US Power Squadron when I took their course a dozen or so years ago. Scroll down the page to see: Sailboats and Boat Under Oars Note the difference between anchor light, (illustration below) 360 degrees visibility and the running lights in example 3 or 4. The stern light is about 120 degrees. This, combined with the 120 degrees of the starboard light or the port light helps others determine your direction of travel. Personally, when I get enough skill and confidence to venture out after dark, I will have a properly lit kayak, the LED lights should make it pretty easy. I don't know how having a head mounted light is going to fit into that equations yet, I suppose it will be on when I need it, otherwise depend on night vision like I used to do sailing. While you we are considering a lighting strategy for night paddling, please consider the fact that in a kayak we are MUCH lower to the water surface than almost all other vessels. Your lights will be lower and you may appear to be much farther away, if seen at all. In fact, when a vessel pilot is staring at a windshield full of urban lighting such as ports or large cities your being seen ought to reflect more your ability to know where you are and where they are than some puny light you stuck on back. In rural waters your lighting may well be seen, but its interpretation by the pilot is more important. They don't often expect kayaks at night so they may get closer to you thinking you are an actual vessel farther away. If you think that going brighter is the answer, think of what that may do to yours and your mates night vision. In urban areas, the ability to pick out buoyage against a lit urban background is more difficult when you go from yours or your mates lights to trying to pick up a small signal from a buoy a mile away against a well lit shoreline. In rural areas, picking out subtle details in unlit shoreline is also harder when your night vision is disturbed by the constant introduction of lighting. Cheers, Rob G ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Rob G. noted: consider the fact that in a kayak we are MUCH lower to the water surface than almost all other vessels. Haven't been able to read all the posts on this thread, I'm afraid, so apologies if I missed and am repeating a sub-thread, but I'm often alone in this one crusade, anyway: passive visibility. Unstealth. Yes, lights are good and flares are good, but there is another way to make yourself more visible in low light conditions through what I've heard described as passive visibility. Comes in three flavors: conventional surface visibility, retroreflective surfaces and flourescent painted surfaces. There was a convention in British sea kayaks in the UK -- might be still in force -- that hulls be gelcoated in some combination of hi-viz "international" orange, bright yellow, or white. No-brainer there, but some combination of those colors is going to make your kayak more visible in restricted visual meteorological conditions (VMC) or in partial darkness than one coated in dark blue or green. Same with the paddler: brighter colors, yellow, orange PFD and cap -- easier to see and identify. Retroreflectivity is a step beyond simple reflective tape. Has to do with the ability of SOLAS-type tape or patch surfaces to return a significant percent of a source light to the sender when the surface is not completely perpendicular to the light path. (In other words, if the Queen Mary hit you dead ahead with her bow spotlight coming down the channel, and you had a glass mirror ready to send a bit of that light right back at her to show you had right of way, dammit, that returned light signal would be pretty visible. Might not do much for you in that situation, but at least her bridge would know she just ran over a kayak. Retroreflectivity -- and retroreflective patches and tape -- make it possible for the Queen Mary to know that you're out there off the starboard bow, even if all your retroreflective surfaces are positioned ten or 15 degrees out of the light source path -- assuming she has a light shining ahead and you're close to its beam. Just better and brighter, but still totally dependent on the approaching vessel illuminating the area ahead with search light of some sort. (Dark night, Queen Mary coming down the creek, turning 35 knots with conventional running lights, you out there in the middle of the channel with 400 square inches of retroreflective tape on you and your kayak -- it's crunchy kayak time again. They can't see a thing.) For a good example, see the illumiNITE site at http://www.illuminite.com/Catalog/outdoor/11609.htm. Ain't cheap, but it works! Flourescent paint or flourescent clothing is another way to be passively visible in times of low visibility. (Doesn't do a lot for you at night, but in dusk and fog, it's awesome.) My Europaddle blades are a bright yellow hi-viz flourescent paint ($5 at Lowes), and my cap is a cycling cap of extremely visible yellow with some thin lines of retroreflective tape for good measure. It works. Try it on a group paddle sometime, and see which kayaker you see first coming out of the haze. Lights are great and they're required for good reason. But we're low, wave-hugging little buggers out there, and passive viz might well be the best defense against concrete fishing boats and the Queen Mary. Joq *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Thursday 02 August 2007 13:42, Mike wrote: > Personally, when I get enough skill and confidence to venture out > after dark, I will have a properly lit kayak, the LED lights should make > it pretty easy. I don't know how having a head mounted light is going to > fit into that equations yet, I suppose it will be on when I need it, > otherwise depend on night vision like I used to do sailing. Problem is really waves, as lights on the kayak itself will only very occasionally be visible to others! A brightly lit up paddle should on the other hand be very visible to other traffic. But as always, it is a balance between night vision and being visible! Highly reflective tape on cap/helmet, PFD and paddle is probably better, more fail safe, and what we use - combined with florousent tape on one side of the paddle blades (highly reflective on the other side) - we also have flourosent vests we can don, on top of the PFDs, and strobes! >From the air, a kayak lit up by hundreds of LEDs (technically feasable - and not very powerhungry) )would stand off really well, but it would ruin your night vision very well! I think I'll continue the passive way, plus a flashlight, if needed! I have navigational lights, that I can attach to top of the mizzen mast, with LEDs - not yet tested in a 'live situation' - just the living room :-)! 12V, powered by the bilge pump/GPS battery. Tord *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Next week there will be a requirement for fog horns and turn signals. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On 8/3/07, blackey_at_sonic.net <blackey_at_sonic.net> wrote: > > Next week there will be a requirement for fog horns and turn signals. > There is already a requirement for a fog signal: Rule 35. It is commonly ignored for yachts at anchor or a mooring. There is no specific exemption for vessels propelled by oars alone. Apparently 35 (i/j) would apply; "A vessel of less than 12 meters in length<http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/mwv/navrules/pops/def_3ij_length_bredth.htm>shall not be obliged to give the above mentioned signals but, if she does not, shall make some other efficient sound signal at intervals of not more than 2 minutes." Apparently no one actually reads this stuff. But if you think it doesn't apply then have an accident and see. Craig Jungers Royal City, WA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
>Apparently no one actually reads this stuff. But if you think it doesn't >apply then have an accident and see. > > > Or simply _float_ too close to a secure area and see. btw, some "secure areas" are not obvious. Just ask the turtle sub artist/patriot guy. :-) Jackie *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Highly reflective tape on cap/helmet, PFD and paddle is probably better, more fail safe, and what we use - combined with florousent tape on one side of the paddle blades (highly reflective on the other side) - we also have flourosent vests we can don, on top of the PFDs, and strobes! I must admit to slight confusion here. What is the difference between fluorescent tape and highly reflective tape? I have my paddle blades painted with yellow "fluorescent" paint and then have reflective tape on them, but I am unsure what is most visible after dark. Pam in Washington State ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Pamvetdr_at_aol.com wrote: > I must admit to slight confusion here. What is the difference between > fluorescent tape and highly reflective tape? Pam, the fluorescent tape typically takes UV light in and puts it back out in the visible spectrum, making for vibrant, brighter colors, hence Hi-vis orange, red, and yellow use that method to achieve a greater intensity. But, the advantage is minimal at night, inasmuch as the usual light sources (spotlight, etc.) do not have much (any) UV in them. OTOH, the highly reflective tape (viz., SOLAS) reflects visible light _directly_back_to_the_source_ in such a way that if your boat is hit by a spotlight, the reflection is greatly enhanced for the person holding the spotlight. This makes you enormously more visible to a searcher equipped with a searchlight. Ordinary reflective tape spreads out the reflected light over a wider arc on return, so the source does not get nearly as much visible light back. A strip of SOLAS along your gunnels and on your arms, and on your PFD front and back is good marking for times when a light source is on you. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Friday 03 August 2007 22:59, Pam wrote: >> Highly reflective tape on cap/helmet, PFD and paddle is probably >> better, more fail safe, and what we use - combined with florousent >> tape on one side of the paddle blades (highly reflective on the other >> side) - we also have flourosent vests we can don, on top of the PFDs, >> and strobes! > > I must admit to slight confusion here. What is the difference between > fluorescent tape and highly reflective tape? I have my paddle blades > painted with yellow "fluorescent" paint and then have reflective tape on > them, but I am unsure what is most visible after dark. > Fluorescence is an effect where a high energy photon triggers a low energy photon - often it's a UV photon that triggers a red, ambler, green, blue, or yellow photon - especially visible in fog, where the sun's UV rays still trigger the photons in paddle jackets, PFDs, et cetera. Reflective tape just reflects light: shine a red light on it and you'll get a red reflection, shine a red light on a flourescent painted surface and you'll most likely get nothing! So a mix is best, as I wrote before: One side of our paddles have fluorescent tape, the other red reflective tape! See http://foldingkayaks.org/gallery/XXL/Dayglo and the following four pictures! All the best, Tord *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> Pamvetdr_at_aol.com wrote: > > I must admit to slight confusion here. What is the difference between > > fluorescent tape and highly reflective tape? > > Pam, the fluorescent tape typically takes UV light in and puts it back out > in the visible spectrum, making for vibrant, brighter colors, hence Hi-vis > orange, red, and yellow use that method to achieve a greater intensity. > But, the advantage is minimal at night, inasmuch as the usual light sources > (spotlight, etc.) do not have much (any) UV in them. > -- I wonder if he actually meant Luminescent (glow in the dark) tape... Joe P. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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