Hingham Bound: Alien Lights in the Night

Montauk Point to Block Island Rhode Island.

Note: You may want to read the previous article "On Golden (Blue) Pond" for context.

We had been on the "Atlantic City to Block Island shortcut" since 5:25 AM on Sunday morning and had covered 168 NM. Except for a dry cold frontal passage at around 2:00 AM Monday, where we saw a sudden wind increase from WNW winds at 15 to NW at 25 to 30 and a slight increase in wave heights (2 to 3 foot rollers of the starboard beam to 3 to 4 footer with whitecaps), we had been experiencing a pretty comfortable ride. That continued all the way to the Cape Cod Canal. So, this is not a weather story.

Explanatory Note: The shortcut is an open water straight line from Atlantic City to Block Island that eliminates the dog leg caused by running the Jersey shore north to Sandy Hook and then turning east to run along the south coast of Long Island. Upside: It cuts off about two hours of travel time. Downside: It put us further out into the North Atlantic thus exposing us to the potential for bigger seas should the weather change and further from shore should an emergency arise. One has to play the Weather Game to handicap the shortcut.

Now it's 1:48 AM and we are abreast of Montauk Point Light on the eastern most point of Long Island. Block Island Rhode Island is the next major landmark about 10 NM further east. I'm on watch. Wylie and Tom sleeping (I hope). I notice ahead some odd yellow lights ahead and assume they are a tow. They appear from my position to be headed further east and I do not have an AIS return or a target on radar. Hence no real concern.

Explanatory Note: Tows typically have AIS (i.e., Automatic Identification System) transponders which enables all other vessels with an AIS receiver to positively identify them. AIS is a satellite based collision avoidance tool. We can both transmit and receive AIS information. With AIS we can see a wealth of information including vessel name, length, type, bearing and distance from Guided Discovery, the vessel's speed and course, etc.

Continuing east the lights continue to be ahead of us. I see a series of five banks of yellow horizontal lights. The first bank, which I assume is the stern of the barge, and the last bank, which I assume is the front, are brighter than banks in the center. I cannot see the classic running lights of the tow but I was not thinking about that at the time (later I realize this was an error on my part).  What concerned me was that the lights were growing bigger and remaining in the same place on the windshield. We are on a collision course with whatever is ahead.

Meanwhile, I'm pondering whether to wake up Tom or Wylie or both but decide not to. I reason if I wake them and ask what do you think those lights are that they will be as puzzled as I. Hence, I let them sleep.

Perhaps the Coast Guard can help and I call them of VHF. I describe what I'm seeing and give my course position in latitude and longitude. They were unable to help. I continue on my course (063 degrees) as the targets continue to get bigger in the windshield.

Explanatory Note: My philosophy is to hold course and speed until I have hard data to dictate a deviation. Over the years I've noted that my crew members have a tendency to want to either slow down, change course or stop when they are unsure of what's ahead. You can waste a lot of time and energy deviating without facts. Hence, unless it's an emergency, the SOP is no deviations without consulting with with me.

Finally, at 3:00 AM off Block Island Light, the objects appear on radar as a line of five targets. Shortly thereafter a tower appears on night vision. That indicates we are within one mile the tower. I call the Coast Guard and report sighting the tower and they confirmed that it was a 5 tower wind farm off the south coast of Block Island. I make a slight deviation to port (see 3rd photo below) As I start passing the towers I wake Tom up - "Tom! Wake up! You have to see this!"

Wind turbine tower on night vision.
Photo by Tom Frakie - Thank you Tom!

The line of wind tower targets falls behind as we proceed east 

Tom goes into action with his camera Nikon camera but has limited success. The two photos above are all he was able to captures as we passed the towers. The photo below shows our deviation and the waypoints I added to mark the location for future trips.

Waypoints marking the Block Island wind farm boundary

Aftermath. I learned a few lessons and pondered a question; Why did the Coast Guard first say the had no idea what I was talking about and then said with absolute clarity, "that is a wind farm off the south coast of Block Island?"

Lessons learned:

1. Read the Notices to Mariners. Had I read this Coast Guard publication I would have been aware of the new windfarm.
2. Look for running lights. All vessels have them and their configuration tell what type of vessel you are seeing. 
3. Keep the Rules of the Road book close at hand. It has illustrations of each running light configuration.

Conversation with the Coast Guard: I called the Coast Guard on VHF and asked that someone in charge call me on my cell phone. Immediately I received a call from Petty Officer Stokes from the Southeast New England Unit. I posed the question to Petty Officer Stokes. He explained that VHF coverage overlaps Coast Guard areas of responsibility and that my first call was received by the New Haven Unit. He further explained that since it was not their area of responsibility they were not aware of the wind farm. I pointed out that since VHF coverage overlaps any unit that can respond to my call ought to be able to provide correct and timely information. Petty Officer Stokes acknowledged that I had a valid point. He promised to take action.

Tom came on watch officially and I stayed on for awhile. Together we watched the sun come up.

"Hours of boredom punctuated by periods of concern (and sometimes stark terror)." Tonight it was just concern.

Written by Les.