The be-all and end-all of a night trip is precise preparation. We need good knowledge of the area, thorough weather information, up-to-date manuals and charts, really complete safety equipment and - last but not least - a suitable boat. However, the "human factor" also plays an important role.
Let's start with knowledge of the area: Do we actually know the chosen area well enough during the day to be able to navigate it at night?
If the answer is "yes", we determine the route. What does the buoyage look like? On the Rhine, for example, the buoyage is changed from time to time by the Waterways and Shipping Directorate. Have we checked whether everything is still the same? - Then there is the question of which bridge passages we have to observe. And: Are exits and entrances to tributaries or harbours to be expected? Where are the local shallow water areas? Should we expect rush-hour traffic? Where can we moor safely in an emergency if the skipper becomes unsure or we are in distress?
If we can answer all this with "that's clear", we can move on to the next point, the weather. If the weather is stable, it is sufficient to consult the Internet or listen to the latest weather reports on the radio. The meteorological sunset should be determined, because to be on the safe side, we want to start our trip at dusk. If the weather situation is indifferent, specific weather advice is the right way to go, which you can obtain for your region from the weather advice centres of the German Weather Service.
We also need to know what the visibility will be like: Can we expect rain or even fog? And what are the phases of the moon, what is the coverage in the sky? If we are in a full moon phase, for example, it is hardly more difficult to drive at night than during the day, because the visibility is then really perfect - provided the clouds have not thickened. It is also important to find out about the direction and strength of the wind: When casting off at dusk, we can still orientate ourselves very well using flags and the movement of the trees. A mooring manoeuvre in complete darkness certainly has its pitfalls if we don't know the prevailing wind direction and strength and head for a berth completely uninformed. There is little you can do in the dark with feeling alone, and mooring becomes a game of chance.
Now that we have answered all the questions, let's move on to the next point, the charts and manuals. Up-to-date paper charts are still the best source of information for our route. Of course, there are now also usable chart plotters and GPS devices for inland waters, but they all have one disadvantage: they can stop working if the electrics play tricks on us. We're not saying this here to fill the pages with text, we've experienced it from time to time and know what we're talking about.
For this reason, we like to take the old but safe route, which means we need an up-to-date paper map of the area. You can take it home with you, work on it at your desk and enter and mark all the important navigational positions. And the manuals/harbour handbooks? Just imagine if the engine starts to stutter for some reason and the next harbour has to be visited immediately. Where to then so quickly?
We should also be prepared for this eventuality. So: check all the harbours one after the other and familiarise yourself with the conditions there. That's exactly what these informative books are for, which every ship should have on board anyway. But please don't take the one from the last but one owner, but the latest, most recent edition.
The next point is safety equipment. Life jackets for the entire crew are a must. It is essential to ensure that they are suitable in size and wearability for the respective crew members. Irrespective of the fact that the water temperature plays a role if you fall in, it is difficult or impossible to locate a person in the water at night. If there is also a strong current, they will quickly disappear from view and it will take some time before they can be found again, hopefully with a skilful man-overboard manoeuvre.
As safety equipment at night includes a searchlight anyway, or at least a powerful torch (don't forget spare batteries!), this must be used immediately for the search. A marker buoy with lighting is also very helpful and can be purchased from any boat chandlery for little money. In any case, it is particularly important to discuss such a situation with the crew before setting off, because it will be really serious if we find ourselves in this situation.
This applies not only to the person who has gone overboard and is in mortal danger. The skipper must also expect serious consequences if someone comes to harm. He is liable with all his assets if it is proven that he acted with gross negligence and that he was not instructed on this point. During the search, it is essential to warn shipping immediately by radio on the VHF channel assigned to this section and to ask for assistance.
At the same time, a crew member can inform the rescue services by mobile phone and pass on the position by current kilometres. You can quickly cancel such an emergency if your own search operation is successful. Once we are carefully prepared for these cases, we can move on to the next point - the boat.
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