Pack this sailing gear for 'hands-free' lighting

by Captain John Jamieson on 5 Sep 2014 Pack a sailing seabag and you'll want to carry those essential items for sea. Here's one handy piece of sailing gear that will free your hands, illuminate a chart at night, help you reef a sail on a starless night, or find a tool below in total darkness. Pass this one along to your sailing crew--wherever you sail or cruise!

Imagine that you are anchored in a crowded cove one dark and starless night. You awake from your slumber. No particular reason--just a subtle 'tell' that seemed not quite right. You pull on a sweater and peak out of the starboard opening-port to find the bright white light of your drag bearing. Something's wrong! You see no light.

You dash up the companionway ladder and peer into the dark. You're dragging anchor! You veer scope, but still feel the anchor rode vibrate and shudder--a sure sign that you are still dragging.

Time to start the engine. You open the engine hatch and feel for the raw-water seacock. Fumble around and waste precious seconds in the darkness. Still can't find it! You search for a flashlight, find one and flick the switch. No light comes on. And then, the flashlight drops out of your hands into the engine compartment.

You rush over to the power panel and flip the switch for the deck lights. Nothing doing. Dead battery? Broken or corroded bulb? Blown panel fuse? Now you will need to raise sail--and without light to help.

This sea story could become a reality without a backup plan in place. You need a light that's tough, reliable and works in any weather on its own 'power pack'. Enter the headband light. I believe these sailing tools top the list of 'most essentials'. They are lightweight, water resistant and easy to pack in a sea bag, purse, or backpack. They come with an independent power source (i.e. three AAA batteries), free up both hands to work, and are available with a red night light to help you preserve precious night-vision.

The better lights have a toggle switch so that you can move from bright white light to bright red light. My headband light has an adjustable lens swivel. This allows you to focus your headband light up or down. Use it in the down position to glance at a chart, check your bilge, engine or power panel, read a paperback after dark, or make a pot of tea or coffee without waking the 'off watch'.

Elevate the lens swivel back to the vertical position. Shift the toggle to white light to illuminate your sails to warn others of your position. Or, to trim your sails on the darkest, starless night at sea.

Energizer claims that the white light will provide 50 hours of run time; the single red light gives you triple that--about 150 hours. I have had to replace the batteries once in the past two years. Find headband lights at big discount stores in the camping section (try Kmart or Wal-Mart). Or, you can order a high quality headband light online at Amazon.com or Energizer.com.

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Pack sailing gear 'essentials' like the headband light to give you the edge on safety and peace-of-mind. Sail or cruise with more confidence--wherever in the world you choose to go sailing!

John Jamieson (Captain John) with 25+ years of experience shows you the no-nonsense cruising skills you need for safer sailing worldwide. Visit his website Skipper Tips. Sign up for the Free, highly popular weekly 'Captain John's Sailing Tip-of-the-Week'. Discover how you can gain instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, and 19+ free e-Books!