[paulk]

Sailnet''s current Homepage poll shows some results that I hope changes with this post and discussion. Upon seeing lights at night in reduced visibility, 52% of 92 respondents say the first thing to do is to look for (the other boat''s) running lights. This ignores the fact that another boat''s lights may be obscured or difficult to find, causing you to lose time that might be needed to avoid a collision. Floodlights on a fishing boat may drown out the little bulb mounted next to the port bridge door. If you''ve sighted a masthead light, the running lights may be below the horizon. A tanker''s running lights may be 800'' from where their bow hits you. If you have determined that there is another boat out there , the first thing to do is to TAKE A BEARING. You can then take more bearings at short intervals to tell if your paths are converging or not. If your paths are not converging, then they''re going to miss you and their running lights don''t matter. If your paths ARE converging, you can prepare for evasive maneuvers and THEN look for the running lights to give you a better idea of what to do. This is NOT a chicken or egg situation.
You could end up with broken eggs playing chicken with another boat.