Friday, July 31, 2009

Boating Friday--Meet the Range Light

Get yourself a short tower (with or without Ospreys nesting on the top):




Now, get yourself a tall tower:




Top them off with bright lights, then position them carefully, so the tall one shines over the short one (see below, except we're a bit too close for it to look right). You now have yourself a range light! Congratulations!! You can now safely navigate in the center of a channel by lining up the lights. If you get off course, just steer whichever direction will line up the lights again.



Happy sailing! May the waves be small and open water wide.

17 comments:

Jinksy said...

What a lovely example of 'follow the light'! :)

Anonymous said...

Cool!

the walking man said...

...and the wind always in your sails.

Shadow said...

what a lovely wish, thank you!

Meghan said...

I went sailing once...not a great experience for some reason. Should try it again...

Chris Eldin said...

Fun post! The water looks so clean and blue. Very pretty!

Anonymous said...

Jinksy, that's a great point! These are definitely the kind of lights you want to follow.

Aggie, I've always liked range lights. I don't know why.

Walking Man, good for making way.

Shadow, you're very welcome!

Meghan, oh yes, I recommend it! (But not if you get seasick.)

Chris, it's the upper Chesapeake Bay. Maybe not terribly far for you?

Vesper said...

Ah, sailing... a metaphor of life and pure pleasure in itself...

Have a nice weekend! :-)

Karen said...

Reminds me of one of my favorite poems that also uses a sea metaphor - Tennyson's "Crossing of the Bar":

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea...

Have a great weekend. Safe sailing.

Aniket Thakkar said...

I always wanted to be a pirate.

Booze, parrots, babes... they've got all. And they don't even have to take bath daily. Awesome.

Margaret said...

Ohh, how I'd love to go sailing! I love being near water and waves.

JR's Thumbprints said...

I've always found tacking most difficult when trying to get to the light.

Catherine Vibert said...

I love sailing as long as it does not involve the smell of diesel. Doesn't sit well with the tum. But I love kayaking MORE!

Catherine Vibert said...

BTW: Have a lovely weekend on those easy going waves. Take in summer while you can.

Bebo said...

Hmmm wishing I had some range lights to help me navigate some submerged obstacles right now...

I love sailing! Haven't been in far too long. Think I need to find the water again.

Sarah Hina said...

I like the range light! And it's gotta be easier than going by the stars. ;)

Beautiful photos from a lovely summer day. Thank you for sharing! :)

Anonymous said...

Vesper, then, by all means, I wish you smooth sailing. :)

Karen, I love those lines! Thank you!!

Aniket, you have me nearly sold. Nearly. ;)

Margaret, the water is such a primal thing. Maybe we never quite forget the amniotic fluid.

JR, I guess my prayer was a bit misleading. We're actually powerboaters. I would like to try sailing someday, though.

Catvibe, I agree. Diesel is noxious. Luckily with gasoline engines, the fumes are minimal. (Thanks for the photo comments!)

Bebo, striking those submerged objects is always a terrible shock. I hope you're not taking on water.

Sarah, it was a pleasure to share. :) And yes, range lights do make it rather straigh-forward. ;)