Magic Lighted

Magic Lighted

You're underway on a wet, windy night, straining through the binoculars to sight an entrance buoy 4 miles away. Your chart navigation indicates that you should have it in site right now. But, four-foot beam seas cause your small cruising sailboat to pitch and roll. And you and the crew are tired and just want to get into the harbor.

There it is! You sight an intermittent blip, then another a few seconds later. Well, not quite the right interval, but it seems close enough-or is it?

Basic Light Periods 101

Look at the abbreviation next to a light or lighted buoy. The period shows a flashing characteristic followed by the number of seconds in the light period. For example, you may see these light periods: Fl 4s (flashing 4 second), Iso 6s (isophase--or equal interval--periods of light and dark), Gp Fl (2) 20s (group flashing--in groups of 2, every 20 seconds). There are other types of light periods, but get familiar with these common ones right now.

Period equals the total time of light and darkness. So, a light or lighted buoy that has a 4 second period shows a blink of light followed by a long interval of darkness. If you add the interval of light to the interval of darkness, they will equal 4 seconds. The Coast Guard sets navaid intervals to an accuracy of 0.1 seconds or less. Follow the next section to learn how you can time any aid to navigation with super accurate results.

Three Steps to Time any Lighted Navigation Aid (Navaid)

Use a watch or stopwatch to count from the first flash in the pattern to the first flash in the next repetition of the pattern. For instance, when sighting a buoy that flashed every 4 seconds, you would time from one flash to the next. Your watch should read 4 seconds.

To time aids marked as Iso (isophase), look at the period in seconds and divide it in half. For example, an Iso 6s light would show 3 seconds of light followed by 3 seconds of dark. Start your watch the moment the light comes on until the moment it shuts off, and you should read 3 seconds.

To time navaids with groups of flashes, you start the watch when you see the first flash of the group and stop it when you again see the first flash of the group.

For example, if the listed pattern is Gp Fl (2) 20s, you will expect to measure an elapsed time of 20 seconds from the start of one pattern repetition to the start of the next. If the time you measure is 15 seconds, either you've measured wrong or this is not the light you thought it was.

Boats and buoys pitch and roll in heavy weather, making positive identification tough. Err on the side of safety. Slow down and get closer. Time light periods three times in a row to verify your landfall or to transit unfamiliar waters. Follow the steps below for a safe passage in these conditions.

1. Raise your height of eye so that you can see the light more consistently and at a greater distance when a sea is running.

2. Slow your approach; get closer so that you can see the aid's distinct light pattern.

3. Time the light period three times in a row. For example, if a navaid flashes every 4 seconds, verify three successive 4-second intervals.

Captain John's Sailing Tip

Realize that some navaids do not use periods as identification. Sea buoys often carry a Mo(A) period (flashing the morse code letter "A", or a short flash followed by a long flash). You don't time this aid. Mo(A) buoys flash this distinct characteristic again and again. The same goes for quick flashing navaids--abbreviated Q on your nautical chart--which blink about once every second throughout the night. Use this little-known chart navigation secret to elevate your sailing navigation skills. This will give you the confidence you need to make landfall anywhere in the world--wherever you choose to cruise!

Captain John teaches sailing skippers the skills they need to learn to sail like a pro! Get his popular free report "Ten Top Boat Safety Checks for Cruising Boat Skippers" at Learn to Sail at Skippertips.com.

John offers a free weekly sailing tips newsletter. Join his site to learn hundreds of little-known sailing tips and techniques with articles, videos, and live sailing forums at Learn to Sail at Skippertips.com.

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