I would suspect any answer would depend so much on conditions (e.g. flooding or ebbing tide and strength, wind, likelihood of evening calm, temperatures, presence of other boats, moorings, light/clouds, etc.
Very good point, Ian, particularly about the presence of other boats. My home port is on a very heavily trafficked estuary (Clear Lake, Texas) with several dock-equipped bars. Unfortunately that means that even sailing in broad daylight is a real exercise in vigilance, regardless of any of the other factors you mentioned. The powerboaters are literally not watching where they're driving—one of them struck my family's dock in broad daylight with people standing on the dock, waving and shouting! Fortunately no one was seriously hurt, but it makes me think that even time of day makes no difference to that menace. But I suspect vigilance can help as much at night as it does during the day.
I have a better option for night sailing, besides the Express I also have friends with an array of boats of all kinds for nighttime adventures.
I did a ton of night sailing on Lake Somerville in college.
If you do go out, you are required to have a flashlight to illuminate your sail as needed.
I found, at least in Dallas when I used to night sail the C15 a lot, that the wind would often die at sunset, but that it would come back after dark.
For Australian's and from memory are no different from the International Regulations, so different countries may have more requirements, but a Laser being under 7 metres only needs to display a single white light and this light can just be a white hand held torch which is displayed when anyone approaches. We are to small to require port/starboard lights etc.
That's true also in the midwestern US. I just typically try to use all the safety gear instead of what you think you might need. To me, being dead (yet legal!) isnt all that grand
Oh which Express? I also sail on a friend's Express 34, Petite Helene, which is really a great boat. Very strong and very light for her size, sails great with a spinnaker.
The problem with using extra stuff, such as port and starboard lights, is that you confuse people who are in the know, and they may think that you are faster and more maneuverable than reality.
I used to have what was basically a flashlight with a clamp that you could attach to the front of the boat. Half of the lens was red, and the other half was green.
Quite frankly, I would get a bright, normal flash light. I would attach it to the mast so it illuminated the sail. This would be more visible, and it might give the powerboaters some idea of what kind of vessel they are about to mow down.
I used to have what was basically a flashlight with a clamp that you could attach to the front of the boat. Half of the lens was red, and the other half was green.