{"id":25231,"date":"2016-04-21T00:19:50","date_gmt":"2016-04-21T00:19:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bwsailing.com\/cc\/?p=25231"},"modified":"2016-04-21T15:56:04","modified_gmt":"2016-04-21T15:56:04","slug":"pack-this-sea-tested-light-for-sailing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bwsailing.com\/cc\/2016\/04\/pack-this-sea-tested-light-for-sailing\/","title":{"rendered":"Pack this Sea-Tested Light for Sailing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another valuable tip from Captain John of skippertips.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Pack a sailing seabag and you’ll want to carry those essential items for sea. Here’s one handy piece of sailing gear that will free your hands, illuminate a chart at night, help you reef a sail on a starless night, or find a tool below in total darkness. Pass this one along to your sailing crew–wherever you sail or cruise!<\/p>\n

Imagine that you are anchored in a crowded cove one dark and starless night. You awake from your slumber. No particular reason–just a subtle “tell<\/i>” that seemed not quite right. You pull on a sweater and peak out of the starboard opening port to find the bright white light of your drag bearing. Something’s wrong! You see no light.<\/p>\n

You dash up the companionway ladder and peer into the dark. You’re dragging anchor! You veer scope, but still feel the anchor rode vibrate and shudder–a sure sign that you are still dragging.<\/p>\n

Time to start the engine. You open the engine hatch and feel for the raw-water seacock. Fumble around and waste precious seconds in the darkness. Still can’t find it! You search for a flashlight, find one and flick the switch. No light comes on. And then, the flashlight drops out of your hands into the engine compartment.<\/p>\n

You rush over to the power panel and flip the switch for the deck lights. Nothing doing. Dead battery? Broken or corroded bulb? Blown panel fuse? Now you will need to raise sail–and without light to help.<\/p>\n

This sea story could become a reality without a backup plan in place. You need a light that’s tough, reliable and works in any weather on its own “power pack”. Enter the headband light.<\/p>\n

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The headband light has three bulbs (top left panel) and a toggle switch for white or red light (bottom left panel). Pry off the back cover to access the battery compartment (top center panel). Use three AAA batteries (bottom center panel). Toggle to the two-bulb white lights to light up a sail (top right panel) or center-bulb red light to retain night vision (bottom right panel). Read more below.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

I believe these sailing tools top the list of “must pack” personal sailing gear. They are lightweight, water resistant and easy to carry in a sea bag, purse, or backpack. They come with an independent power source (i.e. three AAA batteries), free up both hands to work, and are available with a red night light to help you preserve precious night-vision.<\/p>\n

The better lights have a toggle switch so that you can move from bright white light to bright red light. My headband light has an adjustable lens swivel. This allows you to focus the light up or down to check a chart, inspect the bilges, or make a “cuppa” without waking the “off watch” after dark. Shift the toggle to white light to illuminate your sails to check the trim or warn others of your position.<\/p>\n

Energizer claims that their latest HD+ headlamps give you 6 hours of run time, shine a focused beam up to 80 meters and provide 250 lumens of high-intensity light. Find headband lights at big discount stores like Walmart or Kmart in the camping section (see “Sources of Supply<\/i><\/b> below). Visit the Energizer site to find out more about the latest HD+ models that can be toggled to the red light mode.<\/p>\n

Sources of Supply and Information<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n