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Doug Cameron's avatar

Night sailing is so different with a full moon versus a new moon. The full moon lets you see shores and crashing waves.

The new moon brings the stars into play. I hate looking at the GPS, and the new moon allows me to guide by stars — though I do have to check the compass and select a new star fairly often.

Night sailing can also be frightening when tides are pulling you out of a pass and unseen waves are crashing.

Here’s to night sailing!

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drowden's avatar

Beautiful writing. Definitely more poetry than prose

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Nick Walford-Smith's avatar

Agreed. Such beautiful prose poetry seems to sharpen the focus and rivet the attention, drawing the reader right into the scene.

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Augustus Paul Tarditi's avatar

Love night sailing

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Drew Britten's avatar

Such beautiful experiences, and the story told by a master.

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Angela Treat Lyon's avatar

So beautiful! I loved the hand explanations (never knew where 'offhand' came from!), and the breath of the barnacles - I've experienced that, sailing silently under the moon on silver waters, and it's utter magic - thousands of critters gently sighing, "Rocks here! Take heed! Take heed!" Thanks for a great post.

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David Wimberley's avatar

Ralph Ellison famously said in seriousness he learned to shoot by reading Hemingway. Looks like we're learning to night sail reading Zeiger and Wagner, and it's enjoyable like reading Hem.

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Chip Chambers's avatar

Pure poetry! Beautiful! Thank you.

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George Brindle's avatar

Rowing seventy48 though the night was a beautiful experience.

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Jon Michael Ferguson's avatar

Loved it. Spent many a night at sea and this captures it.

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Bob Triggs's avatar

I'm looking forward to seeing this one!

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Ida Little's avatar

For those of us who know the experience, this writing brings it all back and more.

I’ve been reading this on my porch overlooking a tidal pond with my mind now taking me back to a Gulf Stream crossing at night trailing a long glowing wake.

Beautiful. A gift to us all.

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Shawn Payment's avatar

The Moon is much more valuable than the Sun because it shines at night when it’s dark. The Sun only shines during the day when it’s already light out.

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Harold (Phil) Truitt's avatar

My introduction to sailing at night came on my first real cruise and I have always enjoyed it when planned and prepared for. It can be frightening if it happens unplanned without needed knowledge, charts or means of checking for hazards as can be true of many of our adventures. Our author(s) here has added a few things that did not come to hand sailing deep water off the California coast but which has opened a new panorama of possibilities for sailing in my new home grounds in eastern North Carolina! With our sport, one will get the most joy adapting information gleaned from others if we can continue to hear from them! Thanks so much for these simple but profound nuances which I will now seek to replicate given the chance!

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Rob Kunzig 57's avatar

Hoping for 60 miles due North, Cape Charles to Chincoteague - at night - of course no Atlantic storms and a quarter moon should make it perfect. Need a first mate.

With seasonal SW winds, a broad reach for ten hours could be heavenly!

Dark as Dark is should give us stars rarely seen in the East as there will be no man lights for 8 miles to our port, other than the first few hours with Virginia Beach luminating our wake

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Bob Owen's avatar

Wonderful evocative writing. With lots of practical knowledge too. Beautifully done, Thanks.

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Christine's avatar

One of my next sailing challenges I have set for myself is to learn to sail at night.

This book sounds great too. I have run out of sailing books to read.

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