Sailing in fog without radar

orion · Jun 23, 2011

First of all, I would be skeptical about crossing Block Island sound ina 26 foot sailboat. If it turns nasty there is no where to go. A 30 footer is much safer. As to the fog, do not go unless you have your own radar and gps. Too many things can go wrong if you have not made the trip before and can not see.

tommays · Jun 23, 2011

Well

Its race week right now which will not clear out till the weekend so its a pretty bad time to go as its packed and almost none of the boats racing have radar so it really depends on you skill and comfort level

My self and many people have made the trip in J24s and smaller boats without issue and i have done it on my 19' powerboat BUT i did pick the window pretty carefull

Rob19574 · Jun 23, 2011

Joe - I've done the trip many times in a sailboat and motor boat from LI. The fog is very common in the AM hours and seems to burn off by mid-day. Do you have the option of waiting it out near the coastline then making the cross around mid-day? This time of year with days so long you should have ample time to make it in by sunset.

- Rob

Alan · Jun 23, 2011

A 1 nm visibility is not a problem IF you keep a good watch. Use your fog horn as required. The really big issue is 'pea soup' fog where you can't see the bow of your own boat. If everyone followed the rules you could do this crossing safely but...
As for high speed power boaters I have more than a few times encountered this exact problem. Hearing their engines is no help if they suddenly appear out of the fog headed your way. You are at their mercy.
Radar reflectors are no insurance of being safe from big boats using radar.
As tommays points out it is 'race week' at Block and the place will be packed.

Kevin3447 · Jun 23, 2011

If you have a good stereo, check out this CD: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rdjansen6
One of the tracks is a fog horn, then two minutes of silence. Put it on Repeat Track, and you're all set.

CarlN · Jun 23, 2011

No problem (assuming you don't expect peace and quiet on Block Island)

With chartplotters, fog is just not the same. At times I actually miss the "thank god" feeling when the ghostly outline of a bell buoy finally appeasr off the bow. Block Island was always especially difficult in the fog due to the currents - even with careful use of Eldridge.

There's always a chance in early summer that the fog could really clamp down. If it does don't panic just remember:

Where is the ferry? He won't hit you but it's damn scary.

Don't head for the same buoy that everyone else uses. This is especially true for powerboats that just set their autopilot to a waypoint at a buoy and tune out. You have a chartplotter so stay away from everyone else.

Fog is heaviest on the windward side of piece of land and often disappears (scales up) on the leeward side.

If you have an extra (or could borrow one) hang a second radar reflectors at a slightly different angle. They don't give as even a return as you'd expect. Also, if you are heeled, level your radar reflector. Even 15 degrees can reduce some radar reflectors return by 50%.

Actually, some radar reflectors worked best when "cocked" rather than level. So when heeled just keep it at an angle that they say works well.

Carl

Joe · Jun 23, 2011

Carl's advice is excellent, and practical. Thanks for that.

I've been caught out in the fog a few times.... spooky... the hardest thing is depth perception... just like driving, you don't know how far you can see with out a reference.. say another cars tail lights. btw 1 nm is good visibility around this area in June.

What I've ended up doing is to sail, if possible, so I can hear what's going on. Most power boaters will adjust their speed to stay within the range of visibilty, but if you're motoring you can't hear the other guy. .

Blow the fog horn every minute and keep a good lookout. I keep a trumpet style fog horn on board because the air horn is so annoying, and I'd rather use that for emergencies. If you're entering a channel or a new body of water, a mooring basin for example, you're suppose to give single blast to alert other moving vessels.

shemandr · Jun 23, 2011

I've had the "Thank God" feeling and don't miss it that much.
One thing you can do for the trip from Stonington is to plot, on a chart, from 1GI, which is the buoy north of Gardiner's Island to the entrance to Great Salt Pond (R"2"). Power boats from LI will be on that line. So stay off that highway. Similarly, from Montauk and Watch Hill, which includes the Fast Ferry (Look at the ferry schedule to see when approximately they will be in the area). Boats from RI will go to 1BI or south of it so you don't need to worry about them until you approach the island. The Point Judith Ferry goes East of 1BI so it will be out of play.
The Block Island Race week boats are a wild card. When we race around BI very often we are short tacking the shore. But you should avoid the buoys which are often race marks and the shore; and remember that the racing boats are alert to other traffic out there.
When we raced there two weeks ago, a tug with a barge cut through the fleet north of 1BI. That has happened before. Avoid that area too. I've raced around the island at night and its stuff like that which keeps me from sleeping.
Enjoy the trip!

Stu Jackson · Jun 23, 2011

The stinkpotters go as fast as they can from waypoint to waypoint or buoy-to-buoy, so you'd be taking your life in your hands. They're inside, all decked out in their wife-beater T shirts, air conditioned or heated depending on the conditions. They have NO clue anyone else is out there, 'cuz they are the king of the hill.

Hell, they're bad enough on a clear day....

higgs · Jun 23, 2011

You will be fine. Just keep your eye on your depth sounder and compass. Been there done that plenty of times.

Morgan30 · Jun 24, 2011

Does anyone use a fog bell anymore? Or maybe with a fog horn?

kloudie1 · Jun 24, 2011

Check out the newest "Sail" magazine.. has a basic article on sailing in fog..

John Nantz · Jun 24, 2011

Too soon wie get alt, und zu soon wie get schmart

Or something like that. It was in stained glass on the door to a Hofbrau in San Jose, California.

I got a kick out of Orion's comment:

orion said:
First of all, I would be skeptical about crossing Block Island sound ina 26 foot sailboat. If it turns nasty there is no where to go. A 30 footer is much safer. As to the fog, do not go unless you have your own radar and gps. Too many things can go wrong if you have not made the trip before and can not see.

Geeze, .... now you tell me!

When I was younger my wife and I sailed from Point Judith to Block one beautiful Saturday morning... in our 16-ft daysailer..... at the end of September. There was only ONE other boat in the harbor - a 65-ft crewed sport fisher owned by the guy who owned many of the billboards in Rhode Island. Heck, what to worry? Even got to tie to the dock for free!

The plan was to sail back that afternoon but it was so beautiful that we walked around the island and wound up using almost every penny to stay in the hotel.

The next day, Sunday, .... did someone say "pea soup"? You couldn't hardly see 100 feet. Fortunately I had along a surveyors compass and we motor-sailed for a while and then finally the breeze picked up so we could sail. All I had was a '65 Johnson 3hp outboard with an onboard gas tank. Used a lot of the gas just fighting the current getting out of Point Judith so I had to be careful.

The visibility increased very slightly to, say, around 300 ft and surprise! We came out right on the breakwater entrance!!!

Since we had a centerboard and a swing-up rudder, beaching the boat was a possibility, or if we went too far east we could have sailed into Narraganset Bay which I was familiar with.

There was nobody to tell me any different. The guy I worked with kept nagging me all summer about going to Block Island and Monday morning when I told him we finally did it, well, don't remember the details but something akin to "stupid" comes to mind. Can't trust those guys from Baintree.

So, if you have a death wish it is potentially possible. Sure wish I had Orion at the time to tell me about the currents at the tip and a better weather forecaster.

P.S.
Fog horns:
1. If you're going to use one please try to be legal with decibels and range. 2. Someone on a powerboat isn't going to have anyone stand watch on deck to listen, either (legal or not).
3. Radar reflector: they're a necessity but I suspect a powerboater will probably spot you on his radar and just use you for a waypoint. I've been out in the middle of the Strait of Juan de Fuca many a time in fog and these jerks come out of nowhere and groan past about a hundred feet away pulling half the sea with them. Ummm, maybe have your flare gun ready???

FourPoints · Jun 25, 2011

I made the trip without radar last year, and the return trip was in fog. If you are carefull and smart about it you should be just fine.

Remember to use your fog horn, and every few minutes turn your VHF to low power and make a security call on 16 announcing your position, heading and speed, and request any vessels in the area to inform you of their position. Not every boat has radar, but every boat out there should be monitoring VHF 16...

Maine Sail · Jun 25, 2011

FourPoints said:
Not every boat has radar, but every boat out there should be monitoring VHF 16...

But they usually are not. I very often hail boats in the fog that I see on radar to let them know they are either a good target or a poor/spotty target and to ask about their "intentions" about 1 in 5 boats is monitoring VHF 16. Pretty sad really... When I get one we move to a non-working chanel and they are always very appreciative of the info. I often hear "Oh thanks I need to get that reflector up."...

This guy was not monitoring VHF, no running lights, no reflector and no signals. He was a horrible target..... Idiots abound out there...

I saw these lights long before the boat...

okawbow · Jun 26, 2011

We sailed by Block Island Thursday morning about 12am on our way from Cape May, NJ to Point Judith, RI. The fog varied from light to heavy, along with heavy rain at times. Even at that late hour, we encountered 4 sailboats, 2 fishing trawlers, and 4 tows, including 1 that was 2000 feet long. We don't have radar, but were on the radio with our position, and talking to the other boats. I didn't feel comfortable then, and hope to avoid the same situation in the future. By the time we got to the Harbor of Refuge, at Point Judith; the fog was so thich, we couldn't see the lighted bouys at the harbor entrance, from more than a few yards. We went toward the middle of the harbor about 500 yards by GPS, and anchored. Part of the joy of sailing.

FourPoints · Jun 26, 2011

Maine Sail said:
But they usually are not.

Sad but true. Between a passive radar reflector and announcing my position with security calls, I still trust the VHF to be the more effective of the two in alerting other boats to my presence. Anyone watching radar, is probably also monitoring 16, as well as many who dont have radar, and who knows if those with radar even have the gain set correctly on the display to be able to distinguish me from the fog / rain drops...

WayneH · Jun 26, 2011

I've been the idiot before. The day after we bought our Tartan, we HAD to move her because her slip rent was running out at her old location.

So the Admiral and I took turns sitting on the bow pulpit looking for hazards as we slowly motored to our new slip in a pea soup fog. We had about 100 foot visibility so being on the bow practically doubled our range. Even though we stayed out of the normal traffic areas, it was a nerve wracking 5 hours of ghosting along. By the time we tied up for the night, I could barely move for all the tension in my back.

We got incredibly lucky when we hit the shipping channels (3 coming together) that we had to cross. The fog lifted completely while we were crossing and dropped back down on us on the other side.

The boat was not outfitted for that transit and I wouldn't do it again for any amount of money. Since then, we purchased a new VHF with a cockpit RAM so we can actually hear the radio while underway, a 15" radome so we can see things out in the soup and we have a radar reflector to hoist during lowered visibility.