Boating safety is a team effort; boaters should be cognizant of the laws, rules, and regulations of the lake to ensure the safety of all…
Boating at Night on Lake Havasu
Nighttime Navigation: Safe Boating After Sundown
Boating on Lake Havasu is incredibly popular, both during the day and at night. If you’re out on the water after dark, there are a few more things that you need to be aware of.
But there’s no reason why boating after sundown can’t be safe and super fun. To make sure that it is, follow our helpful advice.
Amy Shea, Guest Writer
Editor's Note: No partnership, affiliation, recommendation or endorsement is implied with reference to any business, organization or product referenced herein.
Under Arizona law (A.R.S. §5-333), all watercraft from sunset to sunrise shall display navigation lights: bright white on the aft (top) and a combination light at the bow (front) of the boat, green to starboard (right) and red to port (left).
Slow Down
At night you need to lower your driving speed from your daytime levels. There’s an old saying, “Be a pro. Go slow” – and this is a nautical tip that you should definitely take. With reduced visibility, distances are harder to judge, and obstacles are often unseen.
Temperature changes can also create distortion, so our first piece of advice is simply to go slowly and carefully. And unless there’s the light of a full moon to help you on your way and you know for sure that there is no other traffic, resist all urges to plane on the water.
Get the Right Lights
Helpful as a full moon is, there are lots of lighting devices that can provide the assistance you need. Be sure to carry a powerful flashlight and headlamps, such as any of Petzl’s high-quality models, to help everyone see what they’re doing as they move around.
Of course, you also need to make sure that the interior and exterior lighting on your boat is up to standard. First and foremost, make sure you have LED marine floodlights and that they are in good working order. Black Oak LED light bars offer varying degrees of illumination and can make your boating experience so much smoother.
The LED lights can be run for longer with no fear of draining your battery, and their engineered optics produce wide, even lighting. Visibility goes up and eyestrain goes down. You’ll also need deck and trailer lights.
Know the Lighthouse and Coast Guard Lights
Lake Havasu’s gorgeous lighthouses – 28 at last count – are famous around the world, and rightly so! They’ve become a major attraction in their own right, but don’t forget that their original point was to help boaters navigate the waters – and it’s something they still do well.
Familiarize yourself with the signals that the lighthouses use before boating in the dark and do the same thing with the U.S. Coast Guard light display standards. That way, you’ll know what the other vessels on the water are and what they’re doing – both important for staying safe.
Appoint a Designated Driver
A lot of people enjoy having a drink or two while they’re out on the water, especially if they’re staying for so long after sunset. Make sure that you enjoy yourself responsibly and appoint a designated driver to get everyone back to shore in one piece.
The driver needs to be paying attention to a lot of different things and shouldn’t be distracted even for a moment. While we’re at it, make sure that you get on and off your boat carefully – whether you’ve had anything to drink or not. Go slowly and ensure adequate lighting.
Share Lookout Duties
As we’ve already mentioned, drivers need to be especially vigilant at night. Expecting one person to be able to tackle every task is unreasonable, not to mention potentially dangerous. Get an extra pair of eyes on the job and ask one of your crew to conduct 360-degree horizon scans regularly.
Trust Your Navigation Instruments
This might sound a little strange if you haven’t been out at night yet but boating after sundown can make people anxious enough to start distrusting the instruments they’ve used with no trouble during the day. If your chart plotter is up to date and you’re familiar with it, you should be fine.
Chartplotters are important for showing where fixed objects like buoys are, and these days most Global Positioning System (GPS) devices are integrated with boating chart plotters. The Garmin GPSMAP 78sc is a perfect example.
Chartplotters are great for fixed items, but they won’t show you where other boaters, floating lumber and other moving objects are. For that reason, you should also consider the Night Owl Lightweight Night Vision Monocular or another night vision scope.
A good marine radar, such as the options available from Furuno, is also important. And of course, taking an old-fashioned compass is not a bad idea. Build in redundancy, so that if one option fails you can use another. Just make sure you have backup headlamps to read them!
Be Prepared
This is really the most basic advice we have, but it’s also one of the most important and deserves its own mention. Do all the preparation work before you boat at nighttime, and don’t skimp on it. Check your instruments, know the light signals, and have drivers and lookouts appointed.
And of course, be sure that you have all the other equipment you might need on your vessel. That includes the right lights in working order and a well-stocked first aid kit. Everyone should wear a well-fitting personal floatation device (PFD) or life preserver from the second they’re onboard.
In fact, it’s not a bad idea to put your floatation device on before you even climb onto the boat, and only take it off once you’ve disembarked. This is especially recommended for children who can easily fall into the water.
Finally, as with any kind of outdoor or water activity, it’s great if you have someone in your crew who is trained in first aid, in addition to your fully equipped kit. There’s a good chance they won’t need to break out their skills but having them there can give you great peace of mind.
There is a lot to focus on and be ready for when you go out on Lake Havasu (or any body of water, for that matter) at night, but it is definitely worth it. Once you’re cruising on the smooth surface, you’ll know exactly what we mean. And if you’re properly prepared, you’ll get to enjoy yourself completely.
Author Bio: Amy is an avid outdoor enthusiast and freelance writer. When she’s not typing away on her trusty laptop, you can find her on the water - taking in the sun and enjoying all that nature has to offer.
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