Gear Question - Night sailing - illuminating telltales

b393capt

b393capt

Anarchist
664
37
Long Island Sound
With all the cool LED technology has anyone found a good flashlight to strap and point at our jib and main telltales for night sailing?  

Seems it's impossible to get the tired crew to refrain from hitting the helmsmen in the face every so often when using handheld lights

 
R

random

Super Anarchist
6,057
366
We were off the east coast many years ago and decided to see what the main was doing.  Pitch black night. 

Got the torch out and had a look for a few seconds.  Shortly after we had three fishing boats converge on us thinking we had let off a flare.

 
markvannote

markvannote

Member
376
27
Newport, RI
I know it’s a bit spendy but glowfast draft stripes are a game changer offshore at night. I have done some good amount of miles and cannot remember the last time I asked for a torch while steering when they are on the sails. Yes, trimmers have to use a torch when doing finite sail trim but illuminated telltales will not change that. 

 
R

random

Super Anarchist
6,057
366
markvannote said:
I know it’s a bit spendy but glowfast draft stripes are a game changer offshore at night. I have done some good amount of miles and cannot remember the last time I asked for a torch while steering when they are on the sails. Yes, trimmers have to use a torch when doing finite sail trim but illuminated telltales will not change that. 
Click to expand...
What a coinkidink.  A thread started just for Glowfast?  Great teamwork guys!

 
LionessRacing

LionessRacing

Super Anarchist
4,365
598
Myrtle Beach,
I've bought UV paint & tape, and used with a "Kitty Pee" UV flashlight.

Have not yet run wires for the permanent LED mounts, was envisioning from a "steaming" light on mast and aft side of spreaders for main.  

if you have downward component, can also mark deck  for fittings & handholds

 
inneedofadvice

inneedofadvice

Super Anarchist
1,547
235
Sarnia
I put white yarn tell tails on just below the standard ones and taped uv flashlights to the spreaders on both sides aimed at them. Left one on all night depending which tack we were on.  Other than replacing the batteries every day, it was a pretty good $30 solution. I don't do enough night racing to permanently wire something in but I definitely would if I did. 

When deciding on which yarn I took the uv light with me to the store and experimented. White was by far the most visible.

 
Jubblies

Jubblies

Member
170
79
Toledo, OH
Maybe not such a complex solution, but we just use LED torches, dial the focus down to just the telltales,  and mount them to the stanchions with clips like this...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076H2XZ3T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just before a tack, the furthest forward crew on the rail turns the torch off, the new one on, and re-focuses if needed, and during the tack the middle crew keeps a handheld torch on the telltales.

We only do one or two night races a year, so it's hard to justify the big expense of a more complex solution. 

 I also started using these torches this year...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ECVB6P0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Really nice package, comes with a case, lithium battery rechargeable, charger,  AAA battery adapter and the bonus is that it's as bright as advertised!

 
R

Rhumb Runner

New member
25
3
San Diego, CA
For my first overnight distance race on my J/29, the Newport to San Diego (hopefully Ensenada next year). I found a 4 pack of focusable Red LED Flashlights that ran off of a single AA Battery and used bicycle handlebar mounts to hold them to the stanchion closest to the shrouds. With the genoa was able to zoom it down to just the telltale window and with the chute zoom out to pretty much the full luff. Made keeping us on point through the night easy. Due to gybes and such we traded off between the ones we set up on each side. Surprisingly the single AA batteries in those lights held up all night long. The lights were supposedly waterproof but didn’t get to put that to the test. Spent less than $40 on everything from Amazon and don’t think I will be changing anything for next years race. 

Have to admit though I hadn’t thought about the UV lights. While I can see it working well on a genoa being able to light up the whole luff of the chute was I feel was one of the reasons we were the first to finish in our section despite racing against some much bigger/faster boats. 

Hope our experience helps...

 
tp#12

tp#12

Member
170
72
On the water
markvannote said:
I know it’s a bit spendy but glowfast draft stripes are a game changer offshore at night. I have done some good amount of miles and cannot remember the last time I asked for a torch while steering when they are on the sails. Yes, trimmers have to use a torch when doing finite sail trim but illuminated telltales will not change that.
Click to expand...
Pro tip! Thanks.
 
George Dewey

George Dewey

Super Anarchist
2,122
132
Charleston, SC
I have not been impressed with the Glowfast. First, they peeled off. That sailmakers who installed them insist they cleaned the sails first. Second, they didn't last too long. Worse, if you do a nighttime headsail change they are not going to work because the new sail has not been charged.

I believe there is draft tripe material with tritium, but I have not been able to find it.
 
M

mckenzie.keith

Aspiring Anarchist
1,015
333
Santa Cruz
Bernard Moitessier recommended black yarn. Apparently, counter-intuitively, black yarn is more visible at night than white. This kind of makes sense because the black yarn will be darker than the night sky (if there is any moon or stars at all). But a white tell-tale is about the same luminance as the sky, so harder to see at night.
 
H

Haligonian Winterr

Super Anarchist
1,503
66
Halifax, NS
George Dewey said:
I have not been impressed with the Glowfast. First, they peeled off. That sailmakers who installed them insist they cleaned the sails first. Second, they didn't last too long. Worse, if you do a nighttime headsail change they are not going to work because the new sail has not been charged.

I believe there is draft tripe material with tritium, but I have not been able to find it.
Click to expand...
Glowfast adhesive is unfortunately not very good. Apparently when North puts them on they put 3M double sided tape down before.

As per charging I've had good luck with them being charged by a regular trimming torch (Exposure brand) after they've gone up, and you've checked the trim a few times.
 
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