What would you do?

[RJ Foley]

How did this happen?

Gee, you were caught awares by the fog. What were you doing to not notice the closing bank. Presumably your GPS was up and running at the time. So, you have 2 choices. 1) Track back from where you came. 2) use your GOTO and go there. In preparation of the above you should have started your engine, turned on your running lights, dropped sail, hung a reflector, keep your vhf nearby and properly tuned to the appropriate channels for the area you are operating in, if available, have a crew member at the bows ( this is also a good place to man the horn.Upon reaching saftey, buy and install the radar that you should have.

 

[Captain Bob]

Plan ahead!

You are not prepared and should not be sailing.You should always have fog horn or bell capabilities if you are sailing in an area that has the potential for fog.As well as a VHF, which you failed to mentioned.At least with a VHF you could transmit your position.

 

[Ferg]

To heck with banging!

Turn on GPS, give the big fellas a courtesy call,then I’d get a ways out of the shipping lane, craft up a downhaul for the spinaker halyard, hoist the pots and pans to bang themselves and be backup for the radar reflector. Turn on running lights and since the hardcore sport fisherfolk are still out there, hook my big spotlight up to the backup battery and wave it around as well. Ferg

 

[Clyde]

Sailing in Fog *yks

If the fog rolls in while you are sailing, then the fog was formed by Advection. Advection fog develops when warm moist air moves over a colder surface, cooling the air to below its dew point. The question is whether the landmass or the sea is the colder surface, what's the season, and what time of day the fog is forming. Advection fog that is formed over water will spread out and persist until the wind changes direction. Since the sun's warming has little effect on the water surface, the fog can last all day. If the landmass is the colder surface then the fog will be the thickest near shore and will burn off as the sun heats the landmass, if it's in the morning.If I decided to head back, I would move over to the edge of the channel as shallow as possible using the paper chart, GPS, and depth sounder. I would mark the time, position, and speed on the chart in case the batteries in my GPS dies. That way I could still navigate using the last GPS position, my knot meter, the depth sounder, the paper chart, and the compass (I assume that boat has a compass).Per the COLREGS I would have to generate on long blast on my air horn if I'm under power every two minutes. If my engine died and I had to sail, then I would have to generate one long and two short blasts every two minutes. The COLREGS requires specific sound generating appliances, i.e. what frequencies and the range of audibility that is required. Banging on pots and pans doesn't meet the requirements for sound generating appliances. If your airhorn runs out of air, then you have to use what you got, regardless as to whether it meets the COLREGS. If you are anchored in the fog, you are required to generate a fog signal as long as it is foggy every two minutes; no one sleeps at anchor in the fog.A Securite broadcast is for navigational hazard or weather information to other mariners. Ships towing or ships limited by their draft will broadcast a Securite to other mariners in the fog that they will be limited in their maneuvering capability, i.e. if you don't get out of their way, they will run you down and sink you. A sailboat that is capable of maneuvering in the fog broadcasting a Securite on it's position isn't a navigational hazard; all it does is crowd the frequency for the important broadcast, the BIG SHIPS THAT CAN SINK YOU IN THE FOG! A proper Securite would be to broadcast a local fog alert telling other mariners that a fog is rolling in if it wasn't predicted earlier.Radar isn't foolproof, base on the location and height of the radar the radar has blind spots; it's called "Flying under the RADAR". Targets can disappear and then reappear and be mistaken for ghost targets, i.e. electronic reflections and interference with other radar signals being broadcast by other ships in the fog. Radar isn't a "Panacea"; big ships with radar collide all the time in the fog.I would get a manual foghorn, a ship's bell as wells as a radar reflector when I got back to shore.Fair Winds,Clyde

 

[JB]

Funny u should mention it!

Last month I was trying to return from San Pedro to MDR after being there for 5 days to get work done on my Cal 34 that I've restored and refitted, I was anxious to get home. It does not have radar yet, but I had my GPS and a cannister horn. San Pedro is the busy entrance to the L.A. harbor shipping lanes. I left the dock in front of the Marina Hotel at 7:30 am. Visibility was at least a half mile maybe more. As I motored toward the breakwater which is approx 20-30 minutes it started closing in a little bit. This harbor is very tricky, there are concrete bouys in the water with no bells, shallow water on one side and rocks on both once you leave the docks. Not to mention you are then right smack in the middle of three very busy shipping lane entrances and many private boats. Visibilty quickly dropped down to a few hundred yards. A large sailboat towing a dinghy suddenly turned in my path 50 yards ahead. I figured he had radar so I could follow him out of the breakwater. He was probably going to Catalina and could lead me far enough out to clear the marine layer. Visibilty dropped drastically to about 100 feet or less, I had to speed up and get closer to the bigger sailboat to keep him in sight. Suddenly he completely dissappeared and I was down to about 10 feet visability. I was in panic. I could not see a thing in any direction. I looked at the compass and thought turn 180 degrees and go back the way I came. It didn't occur to me I had been following the boat, and maybe we didn't come 180 straight out. Talk about vertigo, plus I thought any second a 1000 ft. long frieghter or tanker was going to loom right over my boat and take me with it. I was going barely fast enough to keep the rudder working and sweating bullets that I would get run over, hit one of the big bouys there, or the breakwater. I gave a couple of blasts on the air horn, and somewhere out there yards away someone answered with his airhorn. There is no feeling like it, it would've been bad enough if I had been offshore in this, but not in the shipping lane entrance, and visibilty down to about ten feet. My thoughts got scrambled trying to think of what I shoud do. Suddenly right smack in front of my bow a huge shadow appeared, I instinctivly pushed the tiller full over and and turned 90 degrees. I almost closed my eyes anticippating the friegher taking me out, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Then I realized I was running parallel within feet of the rocky breakwater which I came within ten feet of smashing into head on. Well grown men aren't supposed to cry, but if I ever felt like it, it was then. Now I didn't know which breakwater it was and had no idea what direction to go in. The GPS dummy!! I gave another couple of blasts on the air horn, and found my GPS from on the cockpit sole where I apparently knocked it. I found the map page zoomed in for the harbor outline, and the little boat was pointing right at the other breakwall. Thank you God for GPS's. I moved the little boat out into the center of waterway on the GPS and headed to where I thought I should, while tooting on my airhorn. The only problem was, I came in here by sight and since there was three or four entrances joining, I wasn't sure which one was right. The other three take you right in the middle of shipping lanes where the frieghter and tankers unload and come out. Then I only had a hand held vhf radio, I changed the batteries in it to make the trip down, but for some reason, now that I desparetely need it, I can only receive. When I push the talk button it turns to static. My cell phone, good old T-Mobile which has sketchy service in this area. I had to walk around while at the dock to find spots where it would work momentarily. I crossed my fingers and turned it on...I had one and a half bars flickering. I called 911 THEY ANSWERED! I quickly told them my predicament, and asked them to connect me with the Coast Guard, which they quickly did. The Coast Guard was aware of the fog and ask for my coordinates which I gladly gave them. Then he said, don't hang up. OH, Don't worry I won't hang up. I was still giving periodic blasts on the airhorn, when suddenly on my port side about 30 feet out an airhorn answered. I could barely see the ghostly outline of a large powerboat going in the same direction as me.Surely a boat that big, about 60 feet has radar. But he came awfully close to me he must think I have radar. He was moving about 5-6 knts. I quickly turned and got in behind him. He's probably going to the Cabrillo Yacht Club where I need to go. At the very least if we get hit by a frieghter, he'll get hit first. The Coast Guard fellow came back on the line, and I told him I was following close behind a big power boat that had just passed me in the fog. He said he would stay with me. When I said close behind, I meant close behind. I had to stay within ten feet of his stern at times to see him. I was not going to let this one dissappear if I had to toss me anchor over his rail. We motored on thru the fog for what seemed an hour. If the guy in the powerboat looked back, he would have thought he somehow snagged my bowline. The Coast Guard Operator ask me my situation just about the same time we burst out of the fog into clear sunshine and 10 miles or more of visability. What the f*** There were even kids racing their little Sabots..did I just come thru a time warp?? I looked back to see the fog. It looked like a wall running up to the sky, this side was a normal sunny California day. Strangely enough I could hear the fog horns still going way out in the harbor. I thanked God, and the Coast guard operator, and told him I'm heading straight for the radar shop.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Great story, JB

and thanks for making it public. We've all done things that we could have done a lot better, and congratulations for sharing your experience. How else can we learn?It would be interesting if you could followup with what you'd do differently if this happened to you again.I had a similar experience outside the Golden Gate last year. The fog line was just west of the bridge, an aircraft carrier had just gone west.I prepared by setting the GPS waypoints with my (OH NO) PAPER CHART with three waypoints to triangulate, so I ALWAYS knew where I was.I listened to Channel 14, the VTS (vessel traffic service) to know what the big ships were doing.I sailed on starboard tack to Mile Rock (which is, interestingly enough TWO miles out) and hit it on the nose with the GPS, with only a bout two boat lengths of visibility.Continuing to listen to both Channel 14 and to channel 12, the outside coast shipping reports every half hour 15 minutes before and after the hour) I knew what was going on with the big boys, and crossed the shipping channel at 90 degrees, and made a "landing" on the buoy just west of Point Bonita. As I came on the buoy, some big MF-ing powerboat, with no one on the helm, came roaring by at 25 knots. Lovely...I headed back by leaving Pt. Bonita 1/4 mile to port and stayed in the north side entry to the Gate, with ships going by in both directions.It wasn't until we were within 1/4 mile of the Gate did we break into sunlight.The deal includes only a few things:1. Know where you are2. Know where you are going3. Know what's going on around you4. Plan ahead5. Listen6. The biggest hazard are the fishermen and wayward power yachts with no clue.I consciously went into the fog as a test, ONLY after doing the same trip in full sunshine and clear conditions, so I knew my waypooints were right and dependable.You'd come in that way, and an earlier post mentioned using the GPS track. I don't have a GPS with that feature, but it does have waypoints, which I catalog in my notebook on a spreadsheet and put right on the charts.Fair winds, sail safely,Stu

 

[Warren Milberg]

Some years ago....

... I was enveloped by a fast moving fog bank. I was only a few miles from my marina, the approach to which has well marked shoals on both sides. Visibility fell to about a boat length. Since I knew where I was, I dropped my sails, turned on the engine and motored VERY slowly toward the channel leading into the marina. All of a sudden, a newish 50+foot sailboat passed me very close to port doing 5-6 kts. Thinking this boat must have all kinds of electronic doodads to navigate the fog at such speed, I boosted the throttle and thought I'd just follow him into the channel and marina. Moments later the boat ahead of me came to a sudden stop and began hobby-horsing. He was aground. I did a very fast 180-deg turn, dropped the throttle to about 1 kt and crept back to where I was. I put down the anchor and decided to wait it out. Some hours later, the wind and sun blew and burned the fog off. I could still see the 50 footer aground -- in a no-man's land part of the channel approach that typically has no more than 3 feet of water. I motored on down the channel and into my slip thinking I was lucky that day and had learned a lot.

 

[CharlieCobra]

Fog?

Hmm, power up the FLIR hood and put it on. Continue sailing. What? You don't have one of these? Unfortunately, neither do I but I know the technology is available. Wasn't it two years ago that a FLIR or Thermal Imaging HUD was available in the Caddilac?

 

[Capt. Sid]

Never encounter this but.......

I have never run into this problem in my sailing area mostly because I am very cognizant of the weather before I embark on a sail. If I were to get into this situation I would slow the boat to dead slow and use the ships bell and air horn to warn off other boats. I would also break out my 2 million candle power light and turn all lights on the boat. I never leave the dock without charts and 2 GPS chartplotters. Other than that I would try to stay to my side of the channel and "Show my red"

 

[Joe McCary]

Fog can scare the heck out of you

If yo have never been caught in fog you can't imagine what it feels about! For now a GPS plotter that your trust will make navigation much easier (not fool proof!) so your fear is limited to avoiding BIG boats. Sailing is better, because it gives you the advantage of being able to hear faint noises. But the trick is to know what direction that low rumble of a diesel is coming from. It is hard, one moment it is ahead and the next abeam and later back in front than aft, etc.. Your radio is your next active device to help you keep safe. Keep a close radio lookout as well as someone on the bow to listen (very important IF you are motoring). Many years ago, before the advent of GPS, I was caught in fog on The Bay. I had to cross the shipping lanes. I did my fog horn routine and I kept hearing a big diesel close by, the radio was full of chatter between boats. I kept to my navigational duties (no GPS remember) and felt much more confident when I passed into skinny water! And even better when the mark I was heading for was dead ahead! All in all, The Bay doesn't get "much" fog, but it does happen and when it does it can give you butterflys in your stomach.