When travelling by boat on the sea, it is important to have the best possible visibility conditions. Otherwise, there is a risk of various problems, including accidents of all kinds. Secondly, there are elements beyond our control that can affect the visibility available to us in general.
Night-time visibility concerns
As you might expect, visibility will be at its lowest at night. When night falls, it is difficult to see other boats, even if they use navigation lights. Moreover, the role of these lights is not so much to make them fully visible. Instead, they will mainly serve to increase their visibility as much as possible.
Even if all boats use boat navigation lights, this does not make for optimal sailing conditions. Visibility is still limited even with these lights, so great care must be taken. Visibility is even more limited if there is a lot of cloud.
The presence of fog
Fog is also an element that affects your ability to move on the water. It can be of varying thickness, depending on the weather conditions at the time. Watching the weather forecast can help you determine how thick it will be.
The use of boat navigation light also helps, but only to a certain extent. Sometimes the fog is so thick that it is not advisable to travel at sea at that time. Even with strong lights, it will still be difficult to see through.
Rainy conditions
Rain can also affect the level of visibility you experience once you are on the water. In particular, it can bring with it the additional visibility concern of thunder. Indeed, boats will not simply indicate their presence with the use of boat navigation lights.
Sound is also one of the ways in which a boat specifies that it is in the vicinity. With too much thunder there is a risk that the foghorns used by the boats will not be heard properly. Also, excessive rain may be a good reason not to leave the mooring deck.
Steps to take
Before going to the open sea, it is always essential to find out what conditions you will be facing. You can do this by checking the weather channel. This way, if the conditions are not conducive to good visibility, you can avoid the worry.
If you are caught short or really have to be at sea, use your boat navigation light models. If it rains, blow your foghorn frequently to avoid collisions. Finally, make sure you avoid going too fast. This could cause you to lose control of your boat, and increase the risk of collision.