OCSC's "Night Sailing" Course

If you haven't sailed at night you're missing half the beauty of San Francisco Bay. This class is designed to introduce you to night sailing and to help you learn to navigate the Bay safely in the dark. OCSC members who are certified to Basic Cruising or above, upon completion of Night Sailing, are allowed to sail at night during their charters.

Topics Covered:

• Protecting night vision
• Steering by compass at night
• Properly interpreting flash characteristics of navigation aids
• Differentiating navigation aids from shoreside background light
• Properly identifying ships, tugs and tows, other sailboats and powerboats by their light characteristics
• Applying collision course recognition skills to night time visual clues
• Nighttime deck safety protocols
• Nighttime crew overboard recovery maneuver demonstrations
• Three bearing fixes at night

Successful completion prepares you to:

• Sail boats at night with confidence.
• Charter OCSC boats after dark.

Good to know:

• This course is offered from November - March, 6-10 pm and April - October, 7 - 11 pm, because of daylight savings. Dress warmly! In the winter or when the fog rolls in, the Bay can get very chilly.