HOW TO ENTER A HARBOUR AT NIGHT

Entering a harbour at night is a very different challenge to entering during the day. If you haven't carefully considered what you are looking for and when, it can be very confusing or even dangerous.

- Jon Mendez 

In addition to your normal safety equipment, the key points to think about before attempting a night entry are to check that your navigation lights are working, keep a small head torch close to hand for seeing what you are doing on the boat and a red light for chart checks that won't ruin your night vision like having two separate torches so you don't blind yourself with the wrong switch. Lastly, get a decent handheld spotlight in case you need to illuminate something or someone afloat.

The next step is to plan your approach so that you and your crew have a clear idea of what should happen when so they can play a crucial role as lookouts. The boat we used did not have a radar, which can be a real aid at night, especially on a bigger boat, but it's perfectly possible to manage without. In fact, while a night entry can be daunting at first, personally find it far simpler, as each individual buoy is lit with its own distinctive colour and pattern, making it much easier to identify than during the daytime, when they all look much the same either red, green or cardinals.

Here in Poole we have a huge harbour but that presents its own challenges as once through the main harbour entrance there are three possible channels with so many lights that you need to know exactly what you are looking for and how to identify it. The area is covered by IALA A’, which means the buoyage is identifiable by three key features: the colour and combination of colours on the buoy itself; the shape of their topmark; and, for night passages, the colour and flashing sequence of the light.

Starboard-hand markers all flash green, porthand markers red and cardinal marks white but the colour, flashing sequence and timing are all marked on the chart beneath each buoy.