What was that Al Pacino movie...scent of a woman?
Seriously though, they mentioned about taking on a sighted person in at least some ports and the Panama Canal. Again I haven't read it all, but I get the impression they don't intend to cruise NY harbor without help. As for their running lights burning out we've all seen it with every type of vessel with sighted crew. Nobody checks them every hour throughout the night (although we should). I'd expect them to be extra vigilant about their equipement though as most world cruisers are. Remember also that these people are "legally" blind. That's different from "totally" blind.