NYCkayaker Lights... I'm going back to Kenya

[bonnie13 at earthlink.net]

My most recent addition to my various lights has been a "Seattle Sports Hydrostar Multi-Strobe". It almost does that. 

http://www.rutabaga.com/product.asp?pid=1010902

It works as a split red-green, 360 degree white or strobe.  I already have a Teklite split bow light, but it looked great for a white for the back deck - it's got a big suction-cup base, sits up a few inches over your back deck & the design actually sits the led's up inside a clear plastic dome. There's a little box to screen the red from the green & since I never intend to use it that way, the first thing I did was rip that out so nothing obscures the 360 degree shine. 

Finally used it the other day and of all my lights it's absolutely the most visible - but I want to come up with some sort of little baffle (maybe just a strategically placed piece of duct tape) to keep it from being quite so 360. 

I felt pretty visible, but it messed with my night vision when I looked back over my shoulder, which I do very regularly to see if there are boats approaching behind me. 

Lighting up the paddler unfortunately means light shining in the paddler's eyes - being able to see well yourself is also important for night paddling(see my earlier point about not assuming others will see you). 


-----Original Message-----
>From: "Gordon, Peter" <pgordon at exchange.tc.columbia.edu>
>Sent: May 20, 2008 1:48 PM
>To: nyckayaker <NYCkayaker at rockandwater.net>
>Subject: Re: NYCkayaker Lights... I'm going back to Kenya
>
>I wonder if lights might be more effective if, instead of pointing out as a miniscule pinpoint of light to other boats, rather that they pointed inward and lit up the paddler in the kayak.  This would be a very large surface area that would be  moving with every stroke of the paddle.  I once saw a similar design for a bicycle light that lit up the rider, but it never seemed to take hold.
> 
>Peter Gordon, Associate Professor
>525 W 120th St. Box 180
>Biobehavioral Sciences Department
>Teachers College, Columbia University
>New York, NY 10027
>Office Phone: (212) 678-8162
>FAX: (212) 678-8233
>Web Page: www.tc.edu/faculty/index.htm?facid=pg328
>
>________________________________
>
>From: nyckayaker-bounces at rockandwater.net on behalf of David Gottlieb
>Sent: Tue 5/20/2008 1:38 PM
>To: dragonsandy1 at yahoo.com; nyckayaker; bonnie13 at earthlink.net
>Subject: Re: NYCkayaker Lights... I'm going back to Kenya
>
>
>