It’s Getting Dark Earlier

In my opinion winter has arrived.  It’s not really winter until December 21, however, for me it’s winter when we move off daylight savings time back to standard time.  That’s the point it starts to get frustrating getting back to the dock before the sun sets!

So here’s a little trivia for you.  On Saturday November 11, 2014:

  • Sunset at the Golden Gate is 5:01 PM.  Legally, sunset is the point in time that the very top of the sun disappears below the horizon.  It’s the time international regulations require navigation lights to be turned on.
  • At 5:28PM, the sun will be 6 degrees below the horizon.  A point in time called civil twilight.  You can still see fairly well, however, it’s dark enough that planets and stars are beginning to be visible.  This is the point in time most States require you to turn on the headlights of your car.
  • At 5:58PM, the sun will be 12 degrees below the horizon and night officially begins.

As you can see, there is almost an hour of “twilight,” which begs the question, when does Tradewinds policy require you be secured at the dock, anchor, or on a mooring?  That’s easy.  When regulations require navigation lights Tradewinds requires you to be secured for the night.  One more small complication.  Sunset at the Golden Gate is 5:01.  In Marina Bay, we are east of the Golden Gate and there are hills between us and the setting sun.  Sunset here is about 10 minutes earlier.

I’m already tired of these short days!  Come on equinox!

Note from Matt: Don’t forget to leave time to fresh-water flush the head systems and clean the boat up while you still have some light. Many members have missed cleaning requirements because they tried to do it in the dark this time of year. You’ll know because of the email or phone call from Matt or Brandy on Monday morning! Our formula is that on average, you need 1 minute per foot of boat per day for cleanup (30 minutes for a 30 foot boat if you were out only one day, 60 minutes if you were out over night). Figure 20 minutes to visit  the pump-out and motor to the slip, on November 11, you should be motoring back into the marina by 4:10 at the latest.

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