Taking our boat out in ocean to spend the night?

Me? I would find a protected anchorage near the gulf and raft up. If you're actually in the gulf you probably should have someone on watch all night. Were you going to anchor of drift?

That does not seem very safe without anchoring, posting a look out, and standing watches. In short, I am afraid you would have to ruin the easy fun in order to ensure safety.
Best,
Maldwin

Do not just float,

Anchoring in the gulf sounds like a very uncomfortable night. Find a nice anchorage in the bay, anchor with your buddies, and have a good time without bobbing up and down all night.

rafting up at night in open waters?? you are kidding, right?

even on a calm night, open waters are never really calm so you won't be confortable and rafting up other boats is a recipe for damage. it only takes a single wake...

if you are going to anchor offshore in the gulf (it's not an ocean...) you are going to want to stay away for shipping lanes and high traffic areas and use more than a single just legal anchor light. Even when anchored in bays or cove, i usually leave a couple of extra lights on to make sure i am visible. all it takes is one stupid inexperienced jerk thinking running 20kts at night is safe to ruin your night...

knot a Jet - EIKEEEES – I say this tongue in cheek, but believe this analogy is not toooo far off. Dangers and un-comfort to anchoring three rafted boats at night in open waters is not un-similar to parking abreast three cars hooked to campers alongside the slow lane of an interstate hwy in dead of night; therein hoping that semi tractors as well as general drivers (those possibly coming from some tavern too) ALWAYS stay off the shoulder... not to mention the rush of wind from passing vehicles that “rocks” the three campers to interrupt sleep. I FULLY agree with what has already been stated here – anchor, raft and play in a protected water area – NOT in open water! Seeing as you are admittedly a new mariner, be careful to learn the ways of the sea/boating, so that you can always live another day. I know of NO experienced mariners that raft in open waters, especially simply for a kick, when calm and safe protected waters are readily available. Open waters are for travel to safe areas, fishing, cargo transport... etc. Protected areas are for anchoring/rafting/sleeping. Think Clearly! Then Party On!! Be careful as you get to understand the ways of the sea... NEVER underestimate sea-dangers that can too suddenly arise. Davey Jones loves to host boating soles that made a BIG mistake – LOL – My 2 cents, W.

I am from TX and spend quite a bit of time in the Gulf during overnight fishing trips. I would not recommend trying to raft up offshore. The Gulf is like a washing machine and you will encounter problems unless you are very lucky.


At the very least, you MUST keep someone on watch at all times. There is quite a bit of traffic within 15 miles and you will also have to worry about drifting into an O&G platform.

I was looking on the map and it looks like there are quite a few barrier islands that you could anchor up behind overnight. If you catch a light north wind around October it should be slick as glass. The biggest dangers in the Gulf at night are crew boats and unmarked/unlit stand pipes.

I'm not in the Gulf, but anchoring up or even going on a drift a couple of miles off shore is nothing unusual. Fishing and commercial boats do it all the time, as do people who just want a little privacy. As for getting hit, as long as you stay out of the shipping lanes people navigating at night are supposed to be watching. Of course the yahoos my be a little more likely to get you there, but they tend to find targets wherever. At least in the ocean there's more room for them to miss you than in a bay. The problem comes with rafting. Boats can do a lot of bouncing in the open sea from nature or a boat passing a couple of miles away. I've rafted many times in rough water, but that was with steel hulls. It wasn't fun. I'd suggest rafting during daylight, and then breaking apart in the evening. Maybe dink to one boat for a party, and then sleep apart. A watchkeeper is always a good idea. Quite frankly I can't sleep on an anchored boat without one, but I'm more concerned with the anchor coming free than someone hitting me. Be careful about having a lot of lights. Depending on the shoreline you could be mistaken for part of the background. That single anchor light is pretty distinctive and easy to gauge. Sailboats may have spreader lights shining down onto the deck, but be careful with lights shining out from the boat. Certainly do not have your nav lights on when anchored.
When you check the weather, check Dial-A-Buoy for current conditions at buoy #42012 and forecasts.

Glad to see that you are actually with a group that wants to use their boats. Too many sit tied up at the dock and never get used. If you plan your trips when you have a full moon the visibility is not a problem. The sunsets are really nice.

Why not go out for a nightime cruise/drift with your friends? 15 minutes from the beach @ 20 MPH would only put you 5 miles out...plenty close enough to still see the shoreline during the day and lights at night. Drift if you like as all will be up and watching and head in as the night wears on. Just be sure to have all necessary safety gear as nightime boating can be very, very different from daylight operations.

One caution about cruising at night, and especially coming back in from the ocean, the lights can get confusing. If you're in a populated area the lights on the entrance bouys can get obscured by the background lighting. Entering Ft. Lauderdale from the south can be a challenge the first time through as you have a ton of red brake lights showing from the cars on A1A, bright headlights from the opposing cars there, and all the lights from the stores and hotels. Best to mark a very safe waypoint on your GPS as you come out, and take your time coming in. Leaving a track is also a good idea, and don't forget to zoom in as you approach your points. I've seen more than a few boats end up on the wrong side of jetties at a lot of different inlets. The idea of picking a moonlit night is a good one. Much prettier anyway.

to expand on the above...

night boating is great! the sights, the feelings, etc..., it's not more difficult but you have to be extra careful as everything looks different.

1)- reduce speed! keep it around 8 to 9 kts, no running on plane at 20 kts. In doubt (coming in to jetties, a channel, etc... ) slow down even more

2)- your eye balls are still your primary instruments and you need to protect your night vision. Turn off all overhead lights, if the helm is near a cabin door, make sure the cabin lights are off before the door is opened by guests.

3)- your spot light is not a headlight. Leaving it on affects your nightvision and more important others'. blinding an oncoming boat is not only rude, it's dangerous. Spotlights are only needed and used to spot something like a marker or buoy.

4)- going out when the moon is near full is indeed a good time to start although in developed areas you will get a lot of reflected light. when possible, ride reflected beams on the water, as it will make it easy to spot obstacles (fishing pots, unlit markers, or idiots with no lights)

5)- don't ASSume others know what they're doing! dont' count on them seeing your lights and taking correct action. dont' assume everybody has proper running/anchor lights out there, whether dinghies, sailboats or go fasts...

6)- yes, put a waypoint leaving the inlet, but put it about 1/4 to 1/2 miles outside the jetty entrance. Avoid setting waypoing on or close to buoys. tracks aka breadcrumbs are a good helps to. Also, set a heading line on your plotter (line extrending from your boat icon representing where you're heading), it will help you remain oriented as spatial disorientation is often an issue at night for inexperienced boaters.

7)- if you're going to stop, drift, anchor, make sure you are out of the way. This means off channels and off the approach to channels. I'm not a fan of anchoring off the beach/shore as many boats runs at high speed parallel to the beach. drifting is ok i guess as you can get going quickly out of the way of Mr Reckless who's heading towards you in his quad mega outboard "offshore" at 60kts looking at the lights on the beach...

8)- make sure you have a good flashlight (pref. waterproof) with good batteries as well as all the basic safety gear incl., flares, VHF, etc... \

again, night time boating is very enjoyable, but take it seriously.

One other VERY important item that may not have been mentioned. Flotsam i.e. logs, tires, drift wood... etc, etc... Do not know light or dark in their travels - Be Careful to not hit items at night. It is defiantly more dangerous for this unfortunate occurrence to make problems at night! - Happy Boating!