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This month's handy tip...

Seeing in the dark

We never had no trouble with night vision back on the old smack until Uncle Albert bought one of them new-fangled pressure lanterns and hung it in the cuddy. Shone out like the sun, she did, and if you went below after he'd given her a good pump, you might as well have worn eye patches when you came back out on deck. Couldn't see a dickie-bird for five minutes, you couldn't. I expect it's even worse for you lads that has to sail around with electrickery. My grandson says them 15-watt bulbs make Uncle's Tilley lamp look like a black hole. 

Well, pity for you, sez I, cos you won't have had the benefit of Uncle Albert tellin' you how to handle it. I'll help you out though. If you must use bright lights in the cabin, here's what you do: 

a few minutes before you comes out on deck at night, shut one eye and keep it shut. That way, it'll get used to the darkness behind your eyelids, see? Then when you steps out the hatch you can open it and it'll think it's never been below. The other one won't be worth much for a while, but it'll catch up in the end. 

Try it. Works a treat!!    

Blowing a gale from the west'ard, lads. Hang on for better weather...

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Spike Marlin and his sketches are © Tom Cunliffe 2001

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