Sailing under the stars can be an incredibly powerful and magical experience. We will discuss why sailors sail through the night as well as a few tactics they employ for enjoying a safe passage. Although we offer a Moonlight Cruise, giving our guests a taste of night sailing- the task of sailing through the night remains primarily in the realm of ocean sailing.

On inland coastal passages we have to contend with more ship traffic, channel markers, and navigational hazards, making it easier to just stop for the night at an anchorage or marina. Offshore, it is too deep to anchor, and most sailors are happy to continue making progress toward the destination.

So, let’s discuss a few tactics we employ when sailig at night:

WATCH ROTATION: Crew is typically divided into 2 or 3 segments, each rotating every few hours, sharing the responsibility of sailing the boat and keeping a lookout. Crew often end up sleeping in multiple shorter intervals.

SAFETY: There is a heightened sense of safety while sailing at night. Dealing with emergencies becomes more difficult in the absence of daylight, so mitigating risk becomes a priority. Most sailors will wear a harness and stay tethered to the boat anytime they are above decks at night. This is good practice. Vigilant monitoring of the AIS and radar is also good practice in order to safely avoid collision with other vessels. Lastly, many sailors will opt for a relatively conservative sail plan when sailing at night. Reefing early and sacrificing speed for a larger margin of error can be prudent, especially when short-handed at night.

RED TASK LIGHTING: We use cabin lighting and headlamps that have the option of broadcasting red, rather than white light in order to maintain our “night vision.” Red light does not dilate our pupils like white light, so there is less of an adjustment period for our eyes when we turn the light off and try to look out into the darkness.

To learn more about sailing at night and experience it first-hand, check out one of our Ocean Sailing trips.