Ok - I've been thinking about this one for the last few eeks and thought I'd post the question and see what you think. The day is sunny and the winds are 10 to 15 and the world is good - You take the boat out and are sailing in the bay - Buzzards or Narranganset for me - both places where there can be a lot of commercial traffic, fishermen and motor boats etc etc. A front comes in and a wall of fog decends - The visibility goes from the horizon to less than 2 boat lengths - What do you do? You can hear the other boaters - you have your horn - maybe you have your GPS. Have you found yourself in this situation? Where you with a significant other? - What did you do from a safety perspective and where were you when the fog lifted - eaxctly where you thought you were or ..... a little off course? I've had a couple of experiences, both as a crew member on someonelses boat and it has been interesting. - none in a really dangerous situation but they made me think. Recently - last weekend - I was in fog again and wondered - what is the right thing to do - So lets hear your stories and advice - here is one of mine ... Was it a dark and stormy night - No - It was October 2002 and we were on our way, early in the morning, under power to the start of a race in Newport/Narrangansett bay. The fog was heavy but ... the captain (owner of the boat) knew where we were and handed over the helm and instructed me to steer course 171 (I don't remember if that was the exact course but will use it for now) - The captian had just purchased a GPS chart system with a colour screen which showed where we were - where the various hazards were, the channel etc etc - "I know where we are James - don't worry just steer 171" "Aye Aye captain". And he took the GPS off the stand to program the waypoints for the race - Oh by the way the race was the "Sail for Hope" in Newport RI - aptly titled I think - we were motoring "in Hope" As we motored down the bay the fog was thick and visibility was less than 25 yards - As I stood behind the wheel of this 37 ft boat I asked my fellow crew members - "where are we? - anybody see anything? - a Green thing? - a Red thing? Anything - I know there are supposed to be channel markers out there somewhere" - "Don't worry James just keep it headed 171" - Aye aye captain! Alls well in the fog until .... the fog began to lift and we begin to look around "Oh Sh__" There's land over there" and we were supposed to be in the middle of the channel surrounded by water. We stopped all engines to try to figure out where we were. For those familiar with the bay we had strayed off course and were almost on the rocks near Dyer Island just off Melville. Bit of a suprise to say the least and as we slowly moved forward the bottom came up suddenly to say hello! "Bang" No one was hurt - except my ego - I'd never hit bottom before - But what a lesson. Should we have been more careful - Dhhhh Yes. How many times do I need this lesson! Will I ever drive a boat and not know where I am - No Never again The next time I'm at the wheel we will go marker to marker so that we know exactly where we are. The next time I will pull out my own GPS and have someone check position if I need to - certainly no more driving in the white soup - regardless of whose boat it is or who says - "don't worry - I know where we are". That said the fog lifted within minutes and we motored to Newport for the start of the race -the day was great and the "Sail for Hope" was superb! Around the Island 19.5 n-miles. But I will always remember that bump! - Lesson learned James
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UBS race up close ... they raced in fog like that
see link ... almost ran us over ... but the real problem was the fleet of spectator boats that were following them up close. Vic
see link ... almost ran us over ... but the real problem was the fleet of spectator boats that were following them up close. Vic
In The Shipping Lanes
Bringing a boat up from Mexico, Pacific side. Been motoring north all night up from San Diego. Early February. Really , really cold but crystal clear. Destination: Marina del Rey, about 30 miles NE. 0400 approaching L. A. Harbor. We are laying out about 5 miles. No radar, no chart plotter, but a chart kit. I am on the helm admiring the Palos Verdes lights. They disappear. I check around, can still see the lights in the harbor. Then they slowly disappear. It's a dense fog bank. I can tell from traffic control that there is a bunch of commercial traffic headed in and out. I wake up my crew, hand him the wheel, fire up the handheld GPS and hope I remember my plotting skills. I get a position, plot it, stick my head out and there is a white blanket over everything. We discuss and decide the best strategy is to stay at the same speed and course. We do so and I take a position fix every 15 minutes and hope I'm right. Unsettling running at six knots in a 40' boat and only 50' visibility! An hour and a half later we pop out nine miles away just about where I thought we'd be. The only pressure in deep water out where we were was the fear of something very big appearing out of the fog and moving 12 knots. That's why I appreciate radar even more. Rick D.
Bringing a boat up from Mexico, Pacific side. Been motoring north all night up from San Diego. Early February. Really , really cold but crystal clear. Destination: Marina del Rey, about 30 miles NE. 0400 approaching L. A. Harbor. We are laying out about 5 miles. No radar, no chart plotter, but a chart kit. I am on the helm admiring the Palos Verdes lights. They disappear. I check around, can still see the lights in the harbor. Then they slowly disappear. It's a dense fog bank. I can tell from traffic control that there is a bunch of commercial traffic headed in and out. I wake up my crew, hand him the wheel, fire up the handheld GPS and hope I remember my plotting skills. I get a position, plot it, stick my head out and there is a white blanket over everything. We discuss and decide the best strategy is to stay at the same speed and course. We do so and I take a position fix every 15 minutes and hope I'm right. Unsettling running at six knots in a 40' boat and only 50' visibility! An hour and a half later we pop out nine miles away just about where I thought we'd be. The only pressure in deep water out where we were was the fear of something very big appearing out of the fog and moving 12 knots. That's why I appreciate radar even more. Rick D.
sailing in fog
We were just in fog outside Vancouver harbour several days ago. Had chart plotter GPS so we were not concerned about knowing where we are but were concerned about other boat moving. We were sailing and so everything is quiet and we can hear boats going by. There are freighters anchored in the area and we can hear some of the generator and tinkering noises from the freighters but cannot see them. All of a sudden the bow of a big anchored freighter showed up about a boat length on the port bow. There was never any danger but it is scarry to have this giant image suddenly appear. We had tug boats past us. We can hear the tug but we won't be able to hear what they are pulling. Will think about radar. Oliver.
We were just in fog outside Vancouver harbour several days ago. Had chart plotter GPS so we were not concerned about knowing where we are but were concerned about other boat moving. We were sailing and so everything is quiet and we can hear boats going by. There are freighters anchored in the area and we can hear some of the generator and tinkering noises from the freighters but cannot see them. All of a sudden the bow of a big anchored freighter showed up about a boat length on the port bow. There was never any danger but it is scarry to have this giant image suddenly appear. We had tug boats past us. We can hear the tug but we won't be able to hear what they are pulling. Will think about radar. Oliver.
my first trip....
this past July on my new O'day 28 ( new to me of course) me and my girlfriend went on a Long Island Sound Vacation. Destination...Block Island. After 4 days of beautiful weather, we got a slip for the night in New London. When we woke up the next morning, ready to head to Block, I could tell that there was some fog. Not until we got out into Fisher's Island sound did we really realize how foggy it was. I could see,maybe 2 boat lengths. Being my first time there, (not that it mattered as nobody could see) we inched our way east using the gps and charts not knowing exactly where we were. Finally after an hour, I was beginning to get disoriented. We could hear talking on a boat somewhere to port but couldn't see a thing. We blew our fog horn and got a verbal reply....we're overe here.... The boat appeared out of nowhere about 30 feet from us. I had enough. I plotted a course to Stonnington to wait out the fog. About 45 minutes later, out of the fog (and 50 feet from our bow, was the inner breakwater in Stonington...whoa, hard to starboard!!!! We inched our way into Stongington harbor, unable to se either shore. Eventually we were motoring through a mooring field. I've had enough, and picked up the first empty mooring I could find ( sorry if I took your mooring...) After mooring up (it was around 11am) there was nothing left to do but take a nap and see what happens. The fog was SO thick, it was coming in the open foward hatch like smoke....... Well, around 1 PM, we woke up and I took a look outside. WOW, I was able to see both sides of the harbor, the fishing boats tied off at the dock, alll the boats in the mooring field. The sun was out and it was getting warm. By 4 pm, we were moored in the salt pond having mudslides!!!!
this past July on my new O'day 28 ( new to me of course) me and my girlfriend went on a Long Island Sound Vacation. Destination...Block Island. After 4 days of beautiful weather, we got a slip for the night in New London. When we woke up the next morning, ready to head to Block, I could tell that there was some fog. Not until we got out into Fisher's Island sound did we really realize how foggy it was. I could see,maybe 2 boat lengths. Being my first time there, (not that it mattered as nobody could see) we inched our way east using the gps and charts not knowing exactly where we were. Finally after an hour, I was beginning to get disoriented. We could hear talking on a boat somewhere to port but couldn't see a thing. We blew our fog horn and got a verbal reply....we're overe here.... The boat appeared out of nowhere about 30 feet from us. I had enough. I plotted a course to Stonnington to wait out the fog. About 45 minutes later, out of the fog (and 50 feet from our bow, was the inner breakwater in Stonington...whoa, hard to starboard!!!! We inched our way into Stongington harbor, unable to se either shore. Eventually we were motoring through a mooring field. I've had enough, and picked up the first empty mooring I could find ( sorry if I took your mooring...) After mooring up (it was around 11am) there was nothing left to do but take a nap and see what happens. The fog was SO thick, it was coming in the open foward hatch like smoke....... Well, around 1 PM, we woke up and I took a look outside. WOW, I was able to see both sides of the harbor, the fishing boats tied off at the dock, alll the boats in the mooring field. The sun was out and it was getting warm. By 4 pm, we were moored in the salt pond having mudslides!!!!
Hit the chart
I won't second guess anybody else's skills, but after putting some thought into it I decided that my first procedure in heavy fog would be to write down the time, gps coordinates, and compass heading on paper immediately. This starts the clock on those dead reckoning procedures we never get to practice. After that careful work with chart, compass, and GPS should get one to a safer place if we make good choices about where to try to go.
I won't second guess anybody else's skills, but after putting some thought into it I decided that my first procedure in heavy fog would be to write down the time, gps coordinates, and compass heading on paper immediately. This starts the clock on those dead reckoning procedures we never get to practice. After that careful work with chart, compass, and GPS should get one to a safer place if we make good choices about where to try to go.
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