Swimming at night: tips and tricks

Night romance

Night sailing is a familiar story for a yachtsman who is often in the ocean. Slightly less frequent are coastal cruisers at night. And if in the ocean a night transition is inevitable, then in coastal areas it is often the night transition that can be of decisive importance. Maybe it’s at night that you have to catch the tide, get away from bad weather, or just save miles and save precious time.

Therefore, one should not be afraid of night crossings. Sailing at night is as much a skill as anchoring in difficult terrain. This is an important skill and needs to be learned and then honed through training and experience.

Dark hours don't have to feel threatening. Some of my most memorable moments at sea have involved the magic of darkness. The veil of night hides civilization and gives closeness to nature, which eludes us under the harsh light of the setting sun.

Feelings intensify at night. It seems that all the sounds are louder, the movement of the body is sharper, the waves seem more formidable, and the smells become much more expressive. And if the moon decided not to visit the sky, then our path will be illuminated by myriads of stars and the Milky Way will be clearly visible ... And vice versa, the full moon can cast its spell - nothing compares to the magic of swimming along the path of moonlight.

Perfect memory

Two weeks after passing Cape Horn during the Vendée Globe, I have a vivid memory of true perfection. Earlier that day we had gone from a frustratingly changeable area to blissfully constant trade winds. 

The suffocating cold didn't even exist. Emboldened by the relief and optimism that I managed to survive such a section of the road, I fell into a short four-hour sleep.

When I woke up, I found that with the onset of darkness, real magic came into the world. Our boat Aqua Quorum trembled with joy as it surmounted the waves. The deck, flecked with phosphorescence from the rushing water, came to life. Fascinated, I sat on the gangway, the only dry place on board, in the company of a group of dolphins overboard. 

Swirling bands of phosphorescence around and under the boat signaled that the dolphins wanted to play. It was a moment too special to be captured on film, but it never left me.

I often let the entire crew sleep at night. I like to stay on deck by myself until dawn. However, this feeling of comfort in the dark came with time. My first night sail was a Channel crossing with my parents. And, honestly, then I sincerely tried to understand what could be beautiful in the threatening darkness.

My seasickness got worse, and it seemed like we were drifting in a void without any direction. The few flashing lights on the shore, instead of reassuring me, seemed teasing. Even the colored ropes lost their individuality as I tried to make sense of this new world.

Subsequently, after introducing many people to night swimming, I realized that my reaction was typical. Therefore, I decided to share a few thoughts on how to compensate for this. Night sailing should not only be safe, but above all enjoyable.

Spatial awareness in night swimming

The visual horizon, which decreases with the onset of darkness, must be replaced by a projection of the spatial imagination. It's hard to do right off the bat, it takes practice. It is necessary to visualize and compare all available external landmarks. The wind, the waves, the lights of the village on the shore, the lighthouse in the distance, the presence or absence of the moon… 

Anything that can give at least some idea of the position of your boat in space. Focus on it, try to catch the rhythm, realize the boat as a three-dimensional object, try to look as if from the side.

With due skill, the result can be surprisingly accurate. I always check my score by plotting an evaluation circle on the map before plotting our location. Spatial awareness is quite far from the accuracy of measuring instruments. But it can give a sense of the reality of what is happening, make you compare your feelings and instrument readings. Train your intuitive sense that "something is wrong." It can save a life.

Night sailing plan

Start with a detailed plan for the route section. Think about the lines of sight, the direction of the wind and waves, where the lights will appear or disappear from view. 

Where will you be at dusk and dawn, will the weather bring rain, cloud cover or perhaps fog? What are the high-risk areas - put them on a map, break them into parts for clarity. Study books on pilotage. Talk to other people to make your visual recommendations as detailed as possible. Feel free to ask for help from senior comrades. Discuss the transition with the team. Build a precise plan of action for several possible scenarios.

Celestial bodies and even clouds can be used to not be chained to a compass. Manage all the senses and periodically glance at the compass. Trust your feelings, but don't forget about safety.

Divide the responsibility by asking one of the crew members to take the forecast and follow it, another to check the tide calculations, a third to organize refreshments, and so on. Also, have everyone take turns completing the hourly log and plotting the location on the map. Breaking down the transition into watch makes the transmission of information extremely important.

Wake up the counter watch with at least 15 minutes left. Greet them with hot tea and conversation as they put on their gear. When they go out on deck, check for protective gear, hats and gloves. The outgoing helmsman/navigator must remain close to his reliever until his watch is fully ready to start work. The new watch officer needs to formally hand over the ship's settings, visual references and updated charts.

Contrary to popular misconception, navigation at night is often clearer due to the accuracy of navigation landmarks. What is clear at night can become a blur at dawn. So make sure the last fix at night is as accurate as possible. This may be a decisive fixation, on which the entire further countdown will depend. The downside is that the bright backdrop of the city on the coast can make navigation lights very difficult to identify.

Fatigue is the worst companion

Fatigue suppresses all the senses, reducing alertness and the ability to make decisions. Darkness and water require caution and vigilance, but your body is incapable of working in an unregulated manner without repercussions. A good watch system helps - two five-hour shifts a day to ensure longer sleep. At night, you can put short watches. 

If the watch is very tired, I will replace the skipper to give my comrades a chance to take a nap. If severe overwork accumulates, shifts can be shortened. The best option is to rest near the shore or anchor. Review your route plan if you see that the team is too tired.

Rarely does landfall coincide with a watch system. Therefore, consider extending the approach watch to ensure a well-rested watch on approach to the harbour/marina/anchorage. If you have the opportunity to go beyond the watch system, plan your sleep so that you are alert at the moments of decision: on headlands, high and low tides, passing fronts or landfall. A clear understanding of when, where and why to call the skipper will help the crew to remain vigilant and resist the temptation to go under the hood.

Encourage movement, from push-ups to regular steering changes. Alternate watches, setting the hour position, providing hot drinks, snacks and sweets. Anything to maintain engagement and spatial awareness.

This may seem silly, but remember that no question can be silly, especially at night. The crew are your eyes and ears, so encourage them to express any concern or intuition. Reward them for this by finding out the cause of their anxiety. The crew must learn to feel the danger, keep the rhythm of swimming.

Watchkeeping procedures for night sailing

The most important person on a ship is every member of the crew. So spend your money on nice clothes and personal gear before getting tempted by the latest gadgets.

Watch for the first signs of seasickness or hypothermia and take action immediately. Keeping a watch is a duty, so cut your conversations down to essential information. 

Night vision

A person adapts to the dark in 20 minutes. At the same time, it is easier to navigate in the dark if before that you were near a red light source. So the transition to pitch darkness will be easier.

Instead of red lights on deck, I prefer red headlamps. This will help reduce light emission and keep it focused. Remember that red light can make it difficult to see colors.

The waning moon requires more discipline and endurance as the nights get darker. Modern cockpits can suffer from the brightness of instrument screens. Don't be afraid to cover up the electronics and assign one of the crew members to keep an eye on it when the others have to get used to the darkness.

Teach the crew to use their peripheral vision when looking at the horizon, as it is much more sensitive. Once the periphery catches something, the eye can focus on what it was blind to. It takes practice to focus above the horizon. But when you understand what's what, it will become a real revelation. If you can't see anything at all, then use binoculars.

There is nothing more destructive than a smoker lighting a cigarette. A sudden bright light will divert attention from the really important moment. Ban smoking at critical times, and at other times ask them to disguise the lighter and warn the crew before turning it on. The smoker should face the stern and puff behind the raised collar and hood.

perspective

Darkness can change perspective, so you need to be extra careful when judging distance. I can't offer any simple advice here, other than spending extra time looking at landmarks and using spatial awareness, binoculars, instruments, and radar to correct for any anomalies.

From my own experience, I have seen that on a very dark night, a lonely navigation buoy, around which there is nothing that could give a perspective, can slip through, it would seem, from afar and be right under your nose. While training for the British Steel Challenge I was off watch when we ran into the large navigation buoy Trinity House which I had set up as a turning point. I did not hear the collision because of the stormy night and fatigue. It was already dawn when a very embarrassed friend woke me up with the news.

To be honest, I thought it wasn't all that bad. But that was until the moment I looked at the nose. I was shocked at the size of the dent. It was simply unbelievable that four enthusiastic sailors, led by a seasoned skipper with thousands of miles of miles travelled, including circumnavigation, could simply fly into such a large, well-lit buoy.

I interviewed them all individually, and they all swore that they were watching the buoy from afar. They were all sure of their location when he suddenly appeared under their noses. Since then, I have been experimenting under similar conditions to experience the same phenomena. On a very dark night, I always illuminate the buoy from afar with a searchlight, making sure the others turn away with their eyes closed. I've found that perspective distortion is a remarkably constant phenomenon, so be careful.

Seasickness

Remember that seasickness worsens in the dark, so be careful. Especially with those who are subject to it. Give them pills for motion sickness or even remove them from the night watch. Such a person will be useless on duty and require care.

Darkness disturbs the sense of balance, so be especially vigilant when fastening your belts. This is especially important as decks are often slippery with condensation at night.

Before any deck work, have a team chat to discuss the procedures and who will do what. A fun training exercise I used with great success at the British Steel Challenge involved having the team blindfolded on a quiet day to reef and even set up a spinnaker.

Night swimming equipment

It is important to have binoculars with wide lenses to let in as much light as possible. I found that image stabilization is more effective at night. In addition, there are thermal imaging and infrared sights. My wife Tracy's dream would be a FLIR thermal scope. I haven't used more exotic sights on a boat yet, but I know from the military how wonderful they can be.

AIS is great because it shows heading, speed and risk of collision with vessels adorned with so many working lights that they extinguish navigational lights. Radar is also a great help to see in the dark. But again, it can interfere with dark adaptation.

Do not forget that the "opposition" (ed. note - the crew of the oncoming vessel) also suffers from the same problems. Be ready to help them by pointing the searchlight at the sails. In the worst case, you can point it straight at the ship's bridge, or light a white hand-held flare to avoid a collision.

Night sailing with a small crew

I wouldn't assume that night sailings should be avoided as they are quite safe and can provide the best experience. However, I would make an allowance if you are going with a small or inexperienced team. If the risk appears to be elevated, conduct a proper risk assessment, which should include the possibility of splitting the trip into day trips. Of course, if possible.

Personally, I don't mind if one of the watchmen takes a nap in the cockpit, provided that he is backed up by a friend. The reality is that two exhausted people are no more effective than one who takes a nap while the ship is running. 

Beware of fishing trawlers

We've all encountered a trawler that seems to be constantly on a head-on collision course with you. In fact, they are focused on catching fish and are completely distracted from the duties of an observer.

This scenario is always exacerbated by the abundance of working lights that drown out their navigational lights. If there is a blessing, it is that their speed will be slow due to the resistance of the fish nets. This is where binoculars, radar and the constant use of a compass come to the rescue.

When passing in close proximity to a fishing boat, I always start the engine and leave it running just in case drastic action is required. Although fishermen rarely answer VHF calls, it's worth a try. Other vessels are much more responsive and helpful, especially when crossing a busy shipping lane. AIS helps a lot here: not only can they see you, but you can also determine the name of the ship to call on VHF. But it is better to avoid encounters with trawlers altogether.

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24.09.2022