Quote:
Originally Posted by Nauset
Those flashlight based running lights are great. We have a set with suction cups and they work good for small boats that don't have lights. We have also used them on the sunfish to sail at night. It's a lot of fun. I never thought of using them as a backup for the bigger boat. Great idea!
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Of all the boats NOT to use portable navlights on, it's the Sunfish at night! It may be the world's most popular boat, but most boaters stop canoing after just one capsize.
On a Sunfish, capsizes (and rightings) can happen 3-4 times per outing and think nothing of it. At night, with no opportunities to watch for the approach of sudden gusts or wakes, a capsized Sunfish will have *zero* lights showing until righted. And maybe not then!
Getting the Sunfish upright, with a suddenly wet and heavier sail, and lines afloat or coiling around you in the water, can be a challenge even in bright sun!
Night sailing by Sunfish is a Winni practice to discourage, definitely.