[RoaldLarsen]

A couple of thoughts about visibility at night:

1) The amount of available light on a clear moonless night is a couple of orders of magnitude greater than on a completely overcast night. The amount of available light on a clear night with a full moon is at least a couple of more orders of magnitude greater. It is possible to see a large ship at a few hundred metres in starlight, but not in overcast conditions, partly because of the starlight illuminating the target but also because the target will block out stars near the horizon and will therefore appear as a shadow. Too many people in various threads have treated the issue of moon / no moon as the only significant factor in whether things should be visible. Overcast / no overcast is also signifcant.

2) Lights on your own boat make it harder for you to see things far away, not easier, because they have a much greater effect on your pupil than on illuminating a target.