Overnight passages
Watch rotations, nav lights, and the long dark between buoys.
The long dark between buoys
An overnight passage is a day hop with the lights turned off. Same water, same boat, but everything is slower and everything matters more.
watch 2-4 hour rotations lights red, green, white — learn them cold night vision no white light on deck sleep off-watch crew below, always
Watches are sacred
Two on, two off, or four on, four off — pick a rotation and hold it. The off-watch crew's sleep is not a luxury; it's the safety system.
Sound carries at night
With your eyes limited, your ears open up. You'll hear a distant engine, a buoy bell, the change of the wind before the instruments report it. Trust the listening.