BoatU.S. - January/February 2010

the day my uncle explained his dripless paint brush invention, or the whopper I made up in kindergarten to avoid sitting next o Ida May Williston, or the clari- fication of the true reason I suc- ceeded, then failed at football, or the whispered words of encour- agement from my late mother. Far out at sea, there are no man-made land lights interfer- ing with the sky’s hit parade of heavenly diamonds. Newcomers to a night crossing always com- ment in awe on the profusion of stars to be seen on a clear night at sea. One night, some- where between Provincetown, Massachusetts, and Mt. Desert Island, Maine, my wife Melissa nd I pulled out Reed’s Nautical Almanac and found several pages that helped us identify Pollux and Capella. Later, toward dawn, the Old Farmer’s Almanac helped us identify rising Mars, then Venus, while meteors from the early
stages of the great Perseid show-
ers of early August flashed in
droves across the moonless sky.

When I’m not eavesdropping on the colorful VHF conversations between offshore fishermen — the radio is always on for safety reasons — or musing about life, Old Man Neptune’s creatures entertain. Seeing bioluminescence in your wake is a mesmerizing show. On one nearly calm night, as we sailed along, flashes came in odd streaks in the water, and there was a strange whooshing sound — the breathing of bottlenose dolphins playing tag with our boat! Every time their tails whisked through the water, they agitated millions of tiny dinoflagellates, which glowed their disapproval, showing up as streaks of diamond dust. First-time night sailors are impressed with how much they can see with just the light of the stars and moon to guide them.

Most deck objects, landmasses,
and even the horizon are easy to
see on clear nights.

By picking the right weather window and preparing your boat properly, a night crossing can give that indefinable feeling of detachment and autonomy, increasingly rare in a busier and more crowded world. And once found, you’ll come back to that special freedom again and again, as much to soothe your spirit as to increase your cruising range.

For 30 years, Ken Textor, author of two boating books, has been writing about and enjoying sail, power, and rowing. His articles have appeared in Cruising World, SAIL, Woodenboat, Northeast Boating, and other magazines.