A night at anchor on Gammara, for two who want the sky

The boat spends the night at anchor. The bay is chosen on the day itself, by the captain, with the weather in hand. The sample route lists stops day by day, but nobody picks a night's anchorage until the sea, the wind and the tide have been read.

So this page names no bay. One named for July would be a broken promise by August, and the captain would be right to ignore it. What does not change is easier to describe: the chain is out, the hull is still, the upper deck belongs to the two of you.

Weather proposes; the captain disposes. If a stop is dropped, an anchorage moves or two days trade places, you will hear the reason, and the plan stays in writing.

For stars, the moon matters more than the month. Near new moon the night is as dark as it gets, and the Milky Way stands clear against the black. Near full moon there is light enough to cast shadows on the deck, and the fainter stars are gone.

Moonrise slips by about 50 minutes each night. In the days after full moon, then, the early evening is dark and a bright moon comes up late. In the days before new moon, it is the second half of the night that stays dark. You will not find moon dates typed here, because they change every year; send us yours and we will tell you the phase.

A honeymoon in the week of a new moon suits stargazing best. Sail across a full moon and you still have the sunsets, the sunrises and the sea. The moon is one thing to weigh. It is no reason to give up a date that means something to you.

Sky note. New moon nights are the darkest. After a full moon the moon rises later each evening, so the early hours stay dark. Ask us for the phase on your dates.

Pack a red torch. Under red light your eyes hold on to the dark they have slowly earned; white light throws it all away and costs you many minutes of sight. Any small headtorch with a red mode will do.

The manners are simple. Beam low, never in anyone's face. Off when you lie back. A word of warning before you switch it on beside someone already gazing up. And no sweeping it over the water.

Phones face down, or in a pocket: a lit screen outshines everything else on a deck at night. For photographs of the sky, see the photography page on what a camera needs. It begins with a tripod, which you bring.

Move slowly. There are steps and ropes on a dark deck. Keep a hand on the rail, and find out from the crew where the deck edge is before the lights go down.