THEN THERE WAS LIGHT
Motor Boat & Yachting UK|July 2024
Four-season boater, Gilbert Park, hunts down the perfect marine spotlight
THEN THERE WAS LIGHT

Using my boat all year round, I tend to see all kinds of conditions and on one particularly dark and windy February night, when I found myself coming up a buoyed channel, things got a bit awkward. I couldn't see a great deal but it won't be a problem, I thought.

I'll just stay away from the edges of the channel on my plotter and use the lights on the channel markers. Then all of a sudden, there was a bang as I hit a glancing blow on an unlit port marker! The marker was fine and there were only minor scrapes on my boat, but it was at this point that I realised I had to do something to make dark winter cruises that bit safer.

LIGHTING OPTIONS

There are plenty of alternatives available if you need extra visibility at night. They span everything from a pair of torches connected to the handrails with bicycle handlebar clips (about £20 all-in) to thermal and low-light cameras linked to your MFD for between £1,000 and £4,000. But could I really justify that kind of cost for night nav when it's generally something I try to avoid? Probably not, so I adopted the middle ground and looked at spotlights instead.

Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA MOTOR BOAT & YACHTING UKSe alt
Lofoten or Bust- Part 4- Grandezza owner Per Harrtoft heads back to Sweden after an epic 3500nm adventure deep into the Arctic Circle to visit the mythical Lofoten islands
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

Lofoten or Bust- Part 4- Grandezza owner Per Harrtoft heads back to Sweden after an epic 3500nm adventure deep into the Arctic Circle to visit the mythical Lofoten islands

After ten memorable days in the Lofoten Islands in the far north of Norway, we are on our way back south towards Sweden. We have already made it as far as Trondheim, a charming place even if it was raining so hard we had to cycle round the city centre clutching umbrellas. But now we are back on board Deamare, our Grandezza 40 Fly, eating up the miles at a steady 31 knots.

time-read
10 mins  |
October 2024
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YACHT TRANSPORT
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YACHT TRANSPORT

As the name suggests it's a means of having your boat moved professionally from one location to another. It might be as simple as hiring someone to tow your RIB a few miles down the road or as complex as shipping a superyacht halfway around the world.

time-read
8 mins  |
October 2024
HANDLE A SINGLE SHAFTDRIVE BOAT PART 1
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

HANDLE A SINGLE SHAFTDRIVE BOAT PART 1

Single shaftdrive boats are relatively rare these days but the reduced costs of buying, servicing and fuelling such a simple but reliable drivetrain does mean they are making a bit of a comeback.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
COCKWELLS MOTOR LAUNCH
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

COCKWELLS MOTOR LAUNCH

There can be very few boats that have appeared three times at the Southampton Boat Show and been sold off the stand each time.

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2024
INSTALLING AN AUTOPILOT
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

INSTALLING AN AUTOPILOT

Rick Channon makes solo boating simple with a Raymarine Evolution Autopilot

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024
GOOD AS NEW
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

GOOD AS NEW

Why fit a brand new engine when Volvo Penta's remanufacturing service can rebuild you an old one to the same standard for a fraction of the price?

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024
BENETEAU SWIFT TRAWLER 54
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

BENETEAU SWIFT TRAWLER 54

Alex Smith heads to France's Beneteau HQ for a UK exclusive on what might just be the best Swift Trawler yet

time-read
8 mins  |
October 2024
ΧΟ EXPLR 44
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

ΧΟ EXPLR 44

Can XO's all-new aluminium flagship really make it big in the Med?

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
BUYING OUR FIRST CLASSIC
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

BUYING OUR FIRST CLASSIC

Instead of whiling away their retirement playing bowls, Rob and Shona Adams decided to invest their time and money in a classic Silver gentleman's yacht. Would the gamble pay off?

time-read
9 mins  |
October 2024
PRINCESS S65
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

PRINCESS S65

Torn between the V and F Class flagships? The new S65 might be the boat you've been waiting for...

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024