Cruising Sailors Forum Archive
Approximately, distance to horizon . . .
In Response To: Good point on elevation. IIRC the horizon is about what, three plus miles at sea level or was..... ()
if we're talking height in feet and distance in nautical miles
distance = square root of height
so for that light to be seen at a distance of 10 miles, it needs to be 100 feet up . . . or if it's at sea level (because you are swimming with it) the person seeing you needs to be 100 feet up.
The permutations are unlimited . . . but height is of the essence (and sharp eyesight).
