When sailing near a lighthouse, there are a few key aspects that you must keep in mind in order to protect yourself against potential dangers that could arise. These will enable you to make smart decisions and prevent unnecessary hazards from emerging.
Lighthouses are an integral component of maritime infrastructure. Although no longer used for navigation purposes, lighthouses still play an important role in marine safety.
Floating aids
When approaching a lighthouse, there is important information you should be aware of to help guide safe navigation of the waters surrounding it.
One of the key components to keep an eye out for when approaching a lighthouse is floating aids, as these will assist in safely navigating through the waters and prevent you from becoming disoriented in them.
Buoys and day beacons are two essential floating aids that should be observed when visiting a lighthouse. Their purpose is to mark out boundaries in the water as well as indicate potential dangers or hazards.
These aids come in various shapes and sizes, but typically feature red, green or blue colors with identifiable numbers on them for easy identification.
As you travel upstream, the number of buoys increases exponentially. Red aids will usually appear on the right-hand side and be evenly spaced; green ones will appear on your vessel’s left-hand side and might feature different numbers altogether.
These aids are an excellent way to remain safe when venturing out onto unfamiliar waters in darkness, and also serve as an efficient means of navigation.
There is a wide variety of floating aids, each designed for specific types of water sports or general usage. Some can help prevent accidents while others simply provide support in emergencies.
Floating aids may be composed of foam, fabric or any combination thereof. They typically feature a tightening strap or belt to prevent them from being swept away by waves; and are often designed with mobility in mind so paddlers can move about while wearing them.
As well as these features, they typically incorporate several safety and rescue elements, such as pockets for storing equipment and various other amenities.
Floating aids are not only great ways to stay safe in the sea, but they can also be an invaluable way to unwind and relax. By helping reduce both your stress levels and cortisol production in response to stressful situations, they can have an immediate positive effect on sleep habits by increasing melatonin production in your body and leading to healthier melatonin production rates.
Flashing
Lighthouses are iconic landmarks and integral components of maritime navigation, marking areas of safety. However, when approaching one for navigation purposes what information should I prioritise?
Lighthouses should be assessed based on several key considerations; most obviously being their luminosity output but other interesting features should also be kept in mind.
Lighthouses are most famously recognized by their lights. While their sizes and types may differ depending on their purpose, most lighthouse lights tend to be bright white lights with adjustable intensity settings that provide navigational aids such as water depth or distance from two vessels.
Lighthouse lights are typically placed high up on the roof because their illumination depends on where the sun sits in the sky.
As well as producing light output, one of the primary functions of lights is warning mariners of danger through flashing – producing multiple bursts of illumination in succession.
While this may be beneficial, it can be more challenging than expected. It can be hard to know whether one flash is enough. Therefore, having a backup plan should always be considered.
Install a second light if the first one fails; use a light sensor which turns lights on when it detects light in an area; or add both options together and see which works better for you.
Make sure your flashlight comes equipped with strobe function as well. This feature is often seen on boats but can come in handy at home as well. LED strobe lights or DIY kits may be purchased, or just make one yourself; in either case make sure the bulb you use meets local regulations for usage.
Height
Lighthouses are essential elements in navigation, alerting ships of potential danger and marking areas where there is safe harbor. In addition, lighthouses add history, culture and heritage to an area.
Lighthouses can be seen from many miles out at sea depending on their location. Their visibility is measured using two metrics: fist (in nautical miles), which measures how far away their light can be seen from land; and candlepower, which indicates brightness.
Lighthouses may include other devices in addition to lights such as fog signals or audible devices that alert mariners of an approaching danger, powered either by gas or electricity and operating alongside the light itself.
Modern lighthouses typically use alternative fuel sources like solar panels and batteries, but still require regular maintenance from a keeper in order to operate correctly. Today’s lighthouses typically consist of single light mounted on steel towers powered by these technologies.
There are various kinds of lighthouses, each built from different materials – including wood, stone, brick, reinforced concrete, iron and steel. Some even sport distinctive stripes or spiral patterns to help mark its location on a map.
Lighthouses typically take the shape of square, round, conical or rectangular towers; however, some models can also be octagonal. Their height ranges between 10m (33ft) to 63m (208ft).
Beach forts are generally constructed near shorelines or shorelines of bodies of water; some can even be placed offshore or at night. Constructed out of wood, stone, iron or steel materials designed to withstand environmental conditions of their location.
Lighthouses were traditionally constructed on remote rocky outcrops or reefs, creating major hazards for shipping. Engineers of the late 1700s worked to improve these structures’ safety through novel construction techniques.
An innovative technique used a hydraulic lime mortar between granite blocks secured with dovetail joints and marble dowels for stability and dissipating wind forces was one of the keys to lighthouse success. A tapered profile also helped ensure stability.
Occulting
As you approach a lighthouse, there are certain things you must keep in mind to remain safe – such as its height and characteristics of lighting systems.
Lights are used for navigation and can be an invaluable aid for sailors. They show where a ship is anchored and warn of potential danger.
Lighthouses utilize many different kinds of lights, such as flashing and occulting ones.
Occulting lights provide the opposite experience from flashing ones; these display rhythmic patterns of light and darkness with each period lasting longer than its predecessors.
They can range from single occulting lights that exhibit only brief periods of darkness to multiple lights occulting at regular intervals (abbreviated “Oc”), with 3 lights (Oc3) or 2+1 being repeated periodically (abbreviated “Oc(2+1).
Fixed lighting can also serve to obscure our view. These oil-burning devices tend to cast their light from within.
RYA Training Chart 3 describes fixed lights as being described by “Gp Oc(3) W 10s 15m 10M”, which stands for 56 metres above chart datum. This means the light source lies 56 metres above high water, is white in hue and has a range of up to 10 nautical miles.
If you are uncertain of the meaning of any particular light characteristic, it may be useful to refer to its chart. This will provide details such as height, frequency of blinks “off”, and distance that it can be seen under normal visibility conditions.
Consider also noting the hue of light – which varies according to season and location. In winter it could be dark blue or yellow in hue while during the summer it might have lighter tones.
Occulting a star can be an amazing sight and is one of the more captivating aspects of astronomy. However, to witness this spectacle correctly during a lunar graze it must take place during that specific period.
Watch an occultation using a small telescope, with best results seen before full Moon when the Moon is waxing; when this occurs, its left-hand edge will cover a star that seems to flicker and fade as it nears the lunar disc.
