A lot of people prefer to take their boats out after the sun is set. There are multiple reasons for that. One, nighttime is very efficient for fishing – the fish comes on the surface of the water due to low temperature. Two, late-night boat parties are so much more fun than daytime parties. Three, maybe you just want to have a peaceful and calming experience in the middle of the ocean under the starry night.
Whatever your reason for taking the boat out at night is, one thing is for sure: you have to be more cautious about your safety. There is no sun to provide you all the light you need, and with the dark comes complications. Secondly, nature is unpredictable, and the ocean can get rough, so preparations are necessary. And more problematic situations can arise, so it’s better to prepare for them or prevent them if we can.
Below are some tips that will definitely help you spend a good and problem-free time at night in the middle of the ocean on your boat. Would you like to own a boat in the future? Find beneteau antares for sale near you.
Let’s get to it.
- Keep the Lights On
As stated above, when the sun sets, there is no light in the ocean, because moonlight isn’t enough for things to be seen clearly. Thus, you should have additional lights on your boat.
You can have flashlights or headlamps with you when you climb aboard. But flashlights are usually for emergencies, and they always occupy at least one of your hands, while headlamps aren’t comfortable if you are trying to relax on your boat. That leaves us with giant light bulbs to illuminate our boat.
However, having that kind of light on the boat can be problematic. You cannot have proper electric bulbs and everything, because then you are risking an electrical shock.
So, the best and only sane solution is to get LED lights. LED lights are small; they don’t take much space, and still manage to lighten up the whole boat. Moreover, they don’t need high-voltage power to function.
And if you are worried about the water, you can have marine LED strip lights that go around the bottom edges of your boat and are submersible in the water. These lights not only lighten up your whole boat, but they also make the waters around you visible, while you also become visible to the boats nearby.
- Be Prepared for the Sea
Nature is unpredictable – but thanks to the latest technology advancements, weather can be predicted now. During the bad, stormy weather, the best place to be is inside your living room, curled up in a blanket with a mug of coffee. And literally, the worst place to be at that time is in the middle of the ocean.
If you are planning a night out in the sea, always be prepared for the weather. The first step is to check weather predictions on the internet and make sure that it is safe to take the boat out. The second step is to plan for rain and wind anyways, because you never know what will happen, especially if you are going in the monsoon season. Once you get the hint of bad weather, it is best to turn the boat around and take it back to the docks.
- Always Have Floating Devices
Safety gear is very important for every person on the boat. You might be the most experienced person on the boat, but you still need a life jacket. You might think that you are not going to be near the railing, why wear a life jacket? Well, things can escalate more quickly than you can imagine.
Make sure there are enough tubes on your boat. And if you are having a lot of people around, make sure everybody has a life jacket.
- Keep Safety Gear on the Boat
Safety gear is simply one of those things that you cannot risk not having on the boat, especially when there are more than a couple of people on the boat.
Safety gear includes everything that you think you might need if something is about to go wrong. A typical list of safety gear is a first aid kit, a cellphone, a radio (if there isn’t one installed on the boat), a flashlight or a headlamp – and extra batteries for everything electronic, a pocket knife, water (for drinking and other purposes), a blanket, and boots that wouldn’t slip.
Another thing to make sure of as a safety precaution is to not leave anything potentially harmful lying around on the boat if you are going to have people around. It takes up unnecessary deck space and it can fool anyone into thinking that it is there for them to use, which can lead to more problems.
- An Insect Repellant Is a Must-Have
The ocean is home to some dangerous and creepy animals, which include insects and bugs that bite and bother. These bugs come out at night – they start coming out when the sun sets, and don’t leave the surface until 3 to 4 hours.
You don’t want bugs to bother you or cause you allergies and infections. Therefore, one of the most important things is to have on the boat during nighttime is a bug repellant.
- An Anchor
If you are going to spend hours and hours on your boat at night – for instance, if you are having a party – then you will be glad to have an anchor on the boat.
An anchor stops the boat from moving all around the water due to the wind and pressure. If you are having a party with loud music and indulged people, it might be hard to track where the boat is going (if it is a private boat and there is no professional captain). Thus, having an anchor will keep your boat stable.
The process of anchoring gets a bit trickier in the nighttime, so it would be good to practice it during daylight.
