It would pick up the sea buoys and I could then sail close enough to see them, which was very close. I did a trip to Nova Scotia last year where I couldn't see anything for days. It is much easier to interpret than the radar, even when it is overlaid on the plotter. The AIS is great for the big guys and figuring out who they are and what they are doing. I have a Raymarine chart plotter at the helm with a radar overlay. And even if we never saw them, we heard them go by.Īfter one episode in the Sound, with the bone chilling blasts of the ferry horn and the approaching noise of the engines, I decided that the best way for me to deal with fog is to stay at the dock. You shouldn't toot so much that you can't hear anything else. My crew would toot and each nearby boat would report with a toot which was a comfort and I could keep track of their relative positions. And to keep in sound signal contacts with nearby boats, which worked reasonable well once in Watch Hill Passage. I would post a crew member on the bow to look and listen. Not all boats have AIS so it's only partially useful. Radar showed me I should be way more concerned than I previously thought. The other thing I learned from radar is how much traffic there is in LIS or on the way to Block Island. I always amazed me that my perception of where a target was based on the radar, and where I located it visually didn't coincide very well. Oh, and I used to practice quite a bit in clear whether. There is also traffic I saw but never picked up on the radar. When I've done this there are bleeps that I eventually saw and there are some I didn't. To pilot the boat and keep your head out of the boat and follow the radar is very difficult. My experience was that someone needed to be dedicated to the radar display to watch the bogies. Radar is helpful for that but I wouldn't say radar makes it safe or comfortable to be out in fog. At least with that you can know your position. This can't be news to anyone on this forum and certainly not to members who deal with fog. If you live in an area where fog happens, you really need a GPS chart plotter. (disclaimer - my sis-in-law does not normally use any bad language) "Turn this boat the **** around!" and back down the companionway she went. A favorite family story is that my sister-in-law came up from down below to see that my brother was heading into a fog bank. I try to avoid fog in my trip planning, and when it occurs if I can duck into a harbor or anchorage I'm going to take a break. Using the depth finder to keep track of your location really helps. Fog is often (but not always) accompanied by calm wind, so when I am motoring, I keep the revs a bit low so that I can hear better. It's really important to know the flow of traffic (and keep to the proper side of the channel!), but never trust that others will do so also. Extra lookouts, fog horns and using your ears are a must. GPS and Radar make a HUGE difference - but are only part of the plan. How many of you have sailed in fog and what tips can you offer?įog is a way of life in San Francisco and Santa Cruz. When I lost "sight" and got turned around what followed next was I lost confidence and that put me in a dangerous situation. I didn't have radar or GPS to help me out of the situation. Of the 3 senses, SIGHT is the most important and when you loose that "sense" in fog, you're in trouble. We sail with 3 of our 5 senses: touch, sight and hearing. I followed him back to the marina, unpacked the boat and drove to San Diego!! Fortunately, the fog lifted for a second and I got my bearings. At this point I didn't know which way to turn or even where I was. Unfortunately, I turned the wrong way and I heard the horn again. The next thing I hear is 5 blasts of his horn so I turned away. Just before the fog closed in I saw a tug boat pushing a barge and coming in my direction. It wasn't foggy when I left the dock for a 1 week vacation cruise to San Diego but it came in fast and I was stuck in it between the breakwater and land. The second occasion was again in Long Beach, Ca. Shortly thereafter a massive shape looms up - it was a container ship!! If we weren't fore warned, we'd have crashed into the sucker. Turned out it was a seaman chipping paint. In front of us I thought I heard a hammer hitting metal. The skipper decided to drop out of the race but we were not sure where we were. Why a race committee would allow a race in that condition is beyond me but we were out there. I've only sailed in fog on 2 occasions and I didn't like either of them.
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