Traveling on a canal at night?

[Tam & Di]

I recently experienced my first dark cruise! It was brilliant! I did feel the need for more forward light though. If I were to do it again, I would need to think about a better system than one wide light-beam foglight.

 

I've only clicked on this particular post as it was convenient, but we boated extensively at night, predominantly with pairs of commercial craft. I seldom used a light at all - I don't find one necessary when I go for a walk in the dark either. On really moonless/starless nights there is still generally enough vision once your eyes are adjusted to steer by the tops of the trees on each side (necessary for low-lying mists too). For tunnels my headlight was set to point at the side of the tunnel to my right, just ahead of the boat. This was OK if it really was too dark as well.

 

On the Thames we carried appropriate navigation lights, which as far as the butty was concerned was simply one all-round white light.

Edited January 19, 2013 by Tam & Di

[Neil TNC]

Over the years I have done quite a lot of night boating. I find the worst places are where there is a lot of light pollution, especially from close by sodium street lights, the spot lamp does not help much in this situation. When out in the country I find there is almost always enough moonlight to travel without the spot lamp on, which is what I prefer, even for lining up with bridge holes /locks. I have the nav lamps on only as a way of stating the boats presence.

[nebulae]

I agree that generaly,you dont need a light to cruise narrow canals at night,unless you meet another boat coming the other way,also without lights? Some bridges with a white painted arch(S.U.)help. In my opinion,single handed lock working at night is definately not a good idea. In the days before boats had engines,24hour working was common on some canals,so it is not a novel idea. I have colreg complient lights for my n.b.I cant figure out any way to fix them permanently without them getting knocked off,so they are mounted on on removeable masts.Fine on rivers and commercial waterways,no good on narrow canals.I have an old copy of the B.W. Boaters Handbook.I have read the bit covering travelling at night, several times.I am still not sure but the impression I get,is that navigation lights should be shown.From memory,colregs allow some flexibility ie a masthead light is impractical on a n.b.unless you have a moveable mast?

[Kyloe]

These are some really surprising answers! Thanks for all the posts guys. I thought at very least, to cruise at night you'd need a million billion lights, and some kinda aircraft grade radar affair going on. And spotters! Dont want to crash into any icebergs. But this sounds fantastic. I think I'd still get some red and green lights on ether side. Heck, I'd fit some indicators for the hell of it. But fog light does sound like a must. I can think of a few that'd work well for flooding to ether side so to catch the banks. And cruising in moonlight sounds amazing!

 

Ba jazz,

 

- Foxy

 

And also, I guess if I want to do this, sports exhausts and tuning to 14,000 RPM is out of the question.

 

 

Just wondering how easy it would be to convert a car headlight to N/B use, then you'd have main beam and dipped beam to avoid dazzling oncoming vessels

[RLWP]

Just wondering how easy it would be to convert a car headlight to N/B use, then you'd have main beam and dipped beam to avoid dazzling oncoming vessels

 

An old fashioned 7" one would be dead easy.

 

Richard

[ditchcrawler]

Just wondering how easy it would be to convert a car headlight to N/B use, then you'd have main beam and dipped beam to avoid dazzling oncoming vessels

Some people have mounted 2CV headlight up side down so the dip goes up in the air and lots of hire companies use to mount a car headlamp on the front bulkhead at about head height as you stood in the well deck, but I don't know if they used both filaments.

[bottle]

Just wondering how easy it would be to convert a car headlight to N/B use, then you'd have main beam and dipped beam to avoid dazzling oncoming vessels

 

 

An old fashioned 7" one would be dead easy.

 

Richard

 

It would need to be a 'continental' one or it would dip the wrong way.

 

or as ditchcrawler says mount it upside down but that would tend to light the trees and not the bank, good in a tunnel though (possibly).

[mrsmelly]

I recently experienced my first dark cruise! It was brilliant! I did feel the need for more forward light though. If I were to do it again, I would need to think about a better system than one wide light-beam foglight. (Better system for me, and any on-coming boats!)

 

I cruise in the dark many many times during the year. I was out night before last between 8 and 11 pm. We use only nav lights. Lights are fitted to boats for that boat to be seen not like headlamps on cars. I am on ocasion dazzled by oncoming narrowboats with their tunnel light shing at me on the river which is pretty crap. I dont dazzle them but they think its ok to dazzle me. Lights of that nature are not needed for night cruising it is always possible to see enough

 

Tim

[steven wilkinson]

When I was out in the dark without lights, I couldn't tell which way the canal went through bridges. I wasnt sure if the shadows ahead were boats, bushes or buildings! I would definitley like to be able to see where I was going! The more light upfront the better for me! (Obviously to be contollable for approaching boats )

[mrsmelly]

When I was out in the dark without lights, I couldn't tell which way the canal went through bridges. I wasnt sure if the shadows ahead were boats, bushes or buildings! I would definitley like to be able to see where I was going! The more light upfront the better for me! (Obviously to be contollable for approaching boats )

 

Hi Steve

 

Then may i make a polite suggestion in that if you cannot read the route you do not come on the Trent and dazzle me please especialy approaching a bridge as I would hate to fly swat you with my daily drive as it might not go down too well with the MAIB or indeed my passengers

 

Tim

[Phil Ambrose]

Are the rules different for NB and WB re the red and green lights ? And maybe a good headlamp with a flat beam , so not to dazzle people ??

 

The port light is always red no matter what vessel is carrying light, also applies to aircraft. That way when you see lights coming towards you you know where you should be on the cut/river, nobody has mentioned stern lights, these stop you getting rammed up the rear. R.Y.A hand books and CEVNI handbooks spell out comprehensively what lights should be carried and where they should be placed. Having said that Nav lights are of far more use on a river than on the cut.

 

Phil

[steven wilkinson]

I do not intend to dazzle anyone! Big or little

 

When I couldn't read the route ahead in the dark I quickly realised I needed to stop and get some light sorted!

[mrsmelly]

The port light is always red no matter what vessel is carrying light, also applies to aircraft. That way when you see lights coming towards you you know where you should be on the cut/river, nobody has mentioned stern lights, these stop you getting rammed up the rear. R.Y.A hand books and CEVNI handbooks spell out comprehensively what lights should be carried and where they should be placed. Having said that Nav lights are of far more use on a river than on the cut.

 

Phil

 

Well put Phil. just one point though in that as of yet CEVNI is strictly regs for foreign waters in a place known as Europe we who are licensed by The MCA are not questioned whatsoever on European legislation as we are still recognised as being British !! Yay and use proper British regs appertaining to Ea.BW port of Goole/Hull and COLREGS etc, aint it nice still not to be European.

 

Tim

[Ange]

So what's the difference between a tunnel light and a 'proper navigation light' (where canals are concerned)?

 

Well our tunnel light is a pathetic wimpy effort at just serves to let someone else in a tunnel know we're there. Maybe there are tunnel lights that illuminate your surroundings but ours isn't one of them. When we enter a tunnel I turn on all the lights in the front cabin and open the curtains so that Dave can see where the walls are.

 

This thread has made me wonder what we do need. We're not planning on night cruising any rivers, so we don't need nav lights, but we do need to see where we're going, but I don't want to dazzle anyone. Saying that, on a canal we're unlikely to meet oncoming traffic after dark so maybe a nice bright light to show the way is what we need.

 

Or maybe just cruise at night when there's a full moon.

[Naughty Cal]

As others have pointed out you really don't need lights as you would in a car. We use our navigation lights so that we can be seen by others and then rely on night vision to see where we are going. All you need to do is stick to the shiny bit in front.

 

Being dazzled by lights more suited to the roads does temporarily affect ones night vision and is a danger to everyone. Marker lights are all you should need.

[luctor et emergo]

Don't worry about blinding the oncoming boat. There are surprisingly few boats moving on the canal. On the very odd occassion that you DO meet another boat, he has likely just as blinding a head light as you..

 

I'm glad that people feel confident that their night vision, and the moon light, are going too show them the way. For me, I prefer to have a light to show me where the front of my 68 foot boat is heading.

 

I particularly like how the idea of traveling by moonlight is trotted out as a common standard. 'You don't need lights..'

absolute bollocks. I don't need lights most nights when I drive my truck, because I have very good eyesight, and nit vision. That doesn't mean that I tell other people that they don't need their headlights... :banghead:

[steven wilkinson]

I have only cruised at night the once, so I can't say I have loads of experience. But I think its was dangerous for me to drive in complete darkeness! The 'shiney bit' vanished when it got cloudy, and in a cutting, or under trees the whole scene just got black!

 

The complete blackness ahead of me persuaded me that I needed to find the light switch!

 

From my very (very) limited experience, I want light - and lots of it! I like to see where I am going!

 

(and - light I can switch off if I were to encounter an oncoming boat! )

[Kyloe]

Don't worry about blinding the oncoming boat. There are surprisingly few boats moving on the canal. On the very odd occassion that you DO meet another boat, he has likely just as blinding a head light as you..

 

I'm glad that people feel confident that their night vision, and the moon light, are going too show them the way. For me, I prefer to have a light to show me where the front of my 68 foot boat is heading.

 

I particularly like how the idea of traveling by moonlight is trotted out as a common standard. 'You don't need lights..'

absolute bollocks. I don't need lights most nights when I drive my truck, because I have very good eyesight, and nit vision. That doesn't mean that I tell other people that they don't need their headlights... :banghead:

 

Once hit a floating log whilst doing a moonlight no lights cruise, was down below at the the time and o/h was steering, thought she had rammed the bank

Now if I move at night I wish to see not only the banks either side but also anything that's floating.

[mrsmelly]

Once hit a floating log whilst doing a moonlight no lights cruise, was down below at the the time and o/h was steering, thought she had rammed the bank

Now if I move at night I wish to see not only the banks either side but also anything that's floating.

 

Hi

 

Yes i do think we need to make a distinction here between rivers and commercial waterways, and ditches used by the likes of narrowboats. Navigation lights as required by law do NOT have any form of headlamp incorporated within them because they are there purely for other users to see your boats position in relation to theirs. When I cruised my seventy foot n/b on the inland ditch system I didnt use my TUNNEL light I found it easier and safer to navigate without one but some people seem to need them for one reason or another and if the dazzle on the ditch system it realy isnt going to do much harm except to pee people off. Just as an addendum though if you go on a commercial river or canal system then please comply with correct lighting and no tunnel/headlamp for your and everyone elses safety. If you dazzle a 600 ton aggregate barge on skew bridge in Knottingley for instance or indeed me approaching say wilford bridge on a bend then the circumstances will likely be far worse than you can envisage, that why we have a nav light system in operation.

 

Tim

[matty40s]

Moving boats at this time of year means I have no choice other than do some night cruising to keep to schedule. On a recent trip from Audlem via the Middlewich/T&M to Northamptonshire, I did around 20 hours in the dark. I find a good head torch is the most important tool, followed by a low level light led at the rear so I can see the deck and bank when stepping on and off.

most of the time there is sufficient natural light to steer by, the only time I struggle is in built up areas when security lights are shining directly at me next to the canal. I shoot these out.

Only joking.

I also tend to set off before dawn, this allows me to see the magnificent sunrises as they happen, and cruising at both ends of the day means there are virtually no other boats moving allowing swifter passage.

[howardang]

Navigation lights are not intended as devices to light the way. They are displayed purely to show other vessels the aspect of an approaching boat to aid collision avoidance. In more serious waters the configuration can also show what type of vessel is approaching but this by and large doesn’t apply on most of the waterways which are discussed here but they can be seen on the commercial waterways and estuaries so for those who are planning to venture further afield it is worth familiarising yourself with some of the more common ones.

 

As far as the use of tunnel lights at night, I personally would try and avoid this if possible so that you don’t spoil your night vision. If needed for safety, never use a tunnel light or searchlight in such a way as to blind an approaching boat, although on the majority of leisure waterways it is unlikely that you will meet one. Boating at night can be great but needs extra care at locks, bridges etc and it should go without saying that you need to pay extra consideration to moored boats and keep the noise and speed down when passing moorings.

 

Cheers

 

Howard

[Kyloe]

Hi

 

Yes i do think we need to make a distinction here between rivers and commercial waterways, and ditches used by the likes of narrowboats. Navigation lights as required by law do NOT have any form of headlamp incorporated within them because they are there purely for other users to see your boats position in relation to theirs. When I cruised my seventy foot n/b on the inland ditch system I didnt use my TUNNEL light I found it easier and safer to navigate without one but some people seem to need them for one reason or another and if the dazzle on the ditch system it realy isnt going to do much harm except to pee people off. Just as an addendum though if you go on a commercial river or canal system then please comply with correct lighting and no tunnel/headlamp for your and everyone elses safety. If you dazzle a 600 ton aggregate barge on skew bridge in Knottingley for instance or indeed me approaching say wilford bridge on a bend then the circumstances will likely be far worse than you can envisage, that why we have a nav light system in operation.

 

Tim

 

I don't understand why we need to make a distinction, one can find floating debris on both canals and rivers

[mrsmelly]

I don't understand why we need to make a distinction, one can find floating debris on both canals and rivers

 

Yes floating debri can be found anywhere. The distinction is that tunnel lights can and do dazzle oncoming boats and quite simply they are decidedly NOT navigation lights. If you dazzle an oncoming narrowboat at 2mph on a narrow canal or say the K and A which is still tiny then yo may suffer a dent from a glancing blow of another small boat. If you dazzle the steerer/skipper of a serious sized commercial vessel on a bigger waterway then you may well be sunk. If you are hit by a 600 ton laden aggregate barge in your narrowboat it will be akin to you stamping on a coke tin. The other full time skipper I work with bought a narrowboat that had suffered a heavy ( glancing ) blow by such a barge on the Trent and it sunk within seconds and was sold to him as salvage. Serious commercial waterways canals/rivers must be treated with respect and proper nav lights, they are decidedly not the same as little canals like the GU etc.

 

Tim

[ditchcrawler]

As others have pointed out you really don't need lights as you would in a car. We use our navigation lights so that we can be seen by others and then rely on night vision to see where we are going. All you need to do is stick to the shiny bit in front.

 

Being dazzled by lights more suited to the roads does temporarily affect ones night vision and is a danger to everyone. Marker lights are all you should need.

I think this is very important on the waters you travel on. You definitely wont be popular cruising around at night with a headlight on busy waters like the tidal Thames, lower Trent etc. on the North Oxford it is very unlikely you would meet anyone if you did it 4 night every week.

[Speedwheel]

I don't understand why we need to make a distinction, one can find floating debris on both canals and rivers

 

As far as I'm aware, on some rivers headlights are not allowed. I certainly know of someone who got a bollocking for having a headlight on while on the lower Thames.