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How to navigate at night

4K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  Doc Z 
#1 ·
So this year I thought I might try to fish at night. I have a small boat without radar....Navionics app on my phone as a chart plotter (pretty accurate). Besides a spotlight to locate landmarks, are there any other ways to make it safer? I usually fish north of the Albany port so ship traffic is really limited. Obstacle avoidance is obviously the biggest concern. Im sure some of you guys are already doing this...any tips or suggestions...any learning experiences to help shorten the curve? Thanks in advance!
 
#2 ·
If you stay in the downtown area the place is pretty well lit up by street and building lights. Just make sure you keep your navigation lights on (red green and white) when you are both moving and anchored. Also, if you go north of the I-90 bridge, go slowly and watch out for unlit boats anchored up. Last year I was coming back from the dam and some guy was anchored without lights right in front of one of the I90 bridge abutments, didn't see him til the last minute. Always use your navigation lights. And its pretty cool out there at night especially with a full moon.
 
#16 ·
I may be wrong, but I've been told that it is illegal to run at night with forward facing white lights like those you linked to, or even a spotlight off the bow. I know running the river at night can get hairy, especially during the early season when the snow melt pushes all the debris into the water. When I first started boating (the hudson and other bodies of water in general) i was given the following advice for running at night..."you can either go slow and get there tomorrow morning or you put the throttle to the wood, keep a sharp lookout and hope that any debris you cant see or avoid hitting isnt something that will destroy your motor or sink your boat". It definitely helps to pay attention to the water on your way out (is it full of floating debris from the spring melt or a full moon high tide that picks up all the shit from shore) and to know if there are certain areas that "collect" floating debris where you are boating (Where I am that would be the outer edges of peekskill bay, its always full of shit) so you know where you should slow down and pay attention. I personally feel that all the lights in the world wont help you see that 3/4 submerged piece of black 12x12 railroad tie that's just waiting to rip off your outdrive or shred your prop. Ive seen enough people hit them or "floating" tires in broad daylight to help form this opinion. Best of luck to all the maniacs like myself who run the river at night and take those risks.

PS...It might sound a little morbid, but give some serious thought as to where in the river in relation to the shore you are running your boat at night. I have a Triumph with an outboard, so while the potential for wrecking my motor exists, I dont have to worry about punching a hole in my hull or ripping off my lower unit and sinking my boat. If you are in the middle of the river and start taking on serious water the chances of someone showing up to fish you out (or actually locating you once they get to your last known location) before you become severely hypothermic are very low. That last tidbit is a lesson i took away from a scary situation in the early season a few years back when the river turned nasty and waves were crashing over my bow and I learned the hard way that the fuse to my bilge was blown. I stayed 100 yards from shore and putted in the whole way ready to ditch and swim to safety if I had to. Not the best way to finish a fishing trip
 
#6 ·
First off, running the river in the dark during the springtime is dangerous. With the high waters there are many logs, trees, telephone poles, etc that you simply can not see until it’s too late. That being said, I have done it, but just keep it in mind.

Some tips, keep all electronics and lights on your dash/console as dim as possible. Try to keep your night vision sharp. If I do get up on plane, I’ll go much slower than I would during the day.

Freddie: as far as nav/anchor lights go, you should not have your red/green nav lights on when anchored, only your white anchor light. To have your nav lights on while on the hook would be a violation of coast guard law and is sending the wrong message to other boaters. If underway, please make sure all of your lights work, I’ve had some scary situations with dopes on the water with no lights.

Full moons are your friend for running at night for sure, and I always feel much more comfortable cruising at night later on in the year when ‘most’ of the debris has cleared the river. Good luck and be safe!

Mike
 
#11 ·
I spend many nights on the Hudson....Radar is a godsend and saved our ass in the fog the other night. I recommend NEVER anchor or drift the channel at night where there is Tug Boat traffic.........their lights are very difficult to see at night against the shore lights and they will be right on top of you before you know it.......Distance at night is scewed. Make sure all your lights work and have spare bulbs. I have a spot light under my bow pulpit for night driving but I never go over 5-7 mph as there are tons of logs and debris that will ruin your night. Know the are of the river you fish....especially the common paths for the debris fields. Carry a spare battery......if you are running lights at night you do not want to kill your starting battery.
 
#12 ·
I never go over 5-7 mph as there are tons of logs and debris that will ruin your night.
Really good advice.

I've seen full tree trunks 2-3' radius floating just below the surface. And I've seen people running FT at night (without life vests on). I suppose the odds are in your favor, but if you have the bad luck of one of these in your path, you'll probably sink. People will fly out of your boat. Someone could die. In fact, that happened up near Poughkeepsie a few years back. They hit an old piling, everyone flew out of the boat and someone did die.

Wear a life vest at night. Make sure everyone on-board have one on.
 
#13 ·
I gotta laugh when you guys mention navigating on the Hudson at night.
Come on up and try out Lake Champlain sometime. You can easily get yourself lost out on that monster. If the wind comes up you can find yourself in huge waves and the sudden thunderstorms can be horrific just like they say.
On the other hand I can easily stay far away from everybody and have a nice long field of unobstructed vision across the broad water which you don’t down there. What you say about those shore lights ruining your vision and orientation is absolutely true. They will however let you see approaching large ships as they block the lights if you are looking.
Anchoring, I leave my running lights off when anchored. They do help others (retards and drunks included ) take note that you are sitting and not moving. We have. Lot of them up here and the bigger the boat the smaller the brain count on it. I always watch anybody coming my way carefully. If y ou see both green and read and it never goes onlyone or the other I flip my runners on and if he looks persistent I pull the anchor and start the motor. Just in case, you can always take off . I keep my handheld spot light handy too. If I continue seeing an idiot plowing right at me I give him a couple sweeps with the spotlight.
Try not to anchor or drift fish in the channel if theres traffic about. Its where they belong and usually are found (hopefully) so off to the side is usually better. A nice safe place to sit unperturbed is tied to or anchored next to a channel marker. Most aren’t lit on Champlain which makes them the biggest hazard on the lake but they show up on all chart plotters so the idiots will be staying away. Those puppy’s feel like 1/4” steel and whenI see the occasional dent on one I always wonder what it did to the boat. They are often located right at the edge of shoals which makes them a great place to fish anyways.
April./ May is high water too. That’s when the majority of those huge logs and trees float loose and haven’t waterlogged and sank. Just be aware they are out there. I have a great way to avoid such worries at night, I call it the PIDGEON. Theres always some idiot in a hurry so if you are going that way just follow him. Let the pidgeon clear the way. Stay righin the center of his track at a respectable distance. if something is there your pidgeon will find it first and you will see him stop or slow up. My pidgeon found a 30’ cruiser anchored 2 miles off Burlington harbor one night coming back from the 4th july fireworks. Total idiot completely blacked out absolutely dark. Only bumped him but the water flew and was visible to me 100 yards back.
All that said it is best to just make it up on plane and loaf along. Use a chart plotter on your cell phone. All I have and have ever needed is mine mounted on a flexible suction cup on the windshield where it’s not blocking my view. I cross reference between the depth finder values and what’s on the moving map.
Don’t venture too far your first couple times out at night. Things are totally different once its full dark and it takes a bit of getting used to. If your time allows try going out late in the evening and navigating your way home after dark. Also try a nice moonlit night till you get comfortable. Moonlight makes things a lot easier and gives you pretty good visibility.
Oh yea, most of your 360 degree white anchor lights get blocked out by your top , you or whatever is in front of it. Just be aware of that. When the bugs really get cranking you can make life more bearable by wearing a bug face net . I also rig a tall pole with a big solar walkway light for an anchor light. It keeps the bugs up where they belong....
 
#15 ·
Thanks for all the advice and comments. Most of what I can gather is to use common sense. Which is what I figured. I'm using far too small of a boat to venture far..it's the other idiots and floating debris that concern me the most. I've had a real close call with a jet ski not seeing me anchored because the low setting sun was in his eyes...can't see so go faster...bonehead?! I'm on the st lawrence usually every weekend from June on. The shoals will destroy anything and they're everywhere some marked, some not. Not an issue on the Hudson above Albany but there's no reason risk safety. I hope some of the lurkers are new to boating and are helped by all the advice. Thanks again
 
#17 ·
Yes...technically it is illegal to run at night with a bow light but everyone does it and no one is on the river at night to write you a ticket. I generally turn my bow light off if there is an oncoming boat so they can see my red/green marker lights.
 
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