How To Use A Range

Most of you have used or seen a range but for those who have not, here is a short course of what they look like and how to interpret them:

Here Is The Front Range Only, We Are Not Yet Aligned With The Course So The Rear Range Is Not Visible

Now You See Both Ranges, But We Are Left Of Course

Now We Are Aligned! Orange Stripes Line Up

Now We Are Right Of Course, Correcting!

These Ranges, as most, are lighted for night arrivals.  However, if there is fog you will not see the ranges, or the lights.  This happened to me back in 2009 arriving from Grand Marais, MN at 0330 in the morning in thick fog, rain, and wind.  Visibility was near zero and I never saw the middle marker buoy except on radar.  Both navigation systems were used, with radar overlay on the primary, to ensure a safe entry.  In that case there was also an unlighted anchored boat in the harbor, adding to the excitement! 

This harbor entrance and the associated reefs you saw in the pictures for this leg show clearly why the range is important to keep clear of obstacles.  Eagle Harbor also has a range which is even more critical due to the extremely tight tolerances of the entrance as you saw in those pictures.