How do you feel about FOG?

[delmarrey]

Hey Todd,
I thought you knew how to navigate by instrument? But I guess there aren't any rocks, or boats in the clouds.

[Hoofsmit]

Originally Posted by Hoofsmit

But is it a vessel not under command ..... I thought not if you are on board, ....... I think I need to go read some more col regs.Most approaches are outside of port by laws so not sure how anchoring in general would stand if you felt it was the safest option? Again just asking ?

(f) A vessel at anchor shall at intervals of not more than one minute ring the bell rapidly for about 5 seconds. In a vessel of 100 meters or more in length the bell shall be sounded in the forepart of the vessel and immediately after the ringing of the bell the gong shall be sounded rapidly for about 5 seconds in the after part of the vessel. A vessel at anchor may in addition sound three blasts in succession: namely one short, one prolonged and one short blast, to give warning of her position and of the possibility of collision to an approaching vessel.


The sound signals for anchored vessels in or near restricted visibility are relatively straighforward. All vessels sound their bells, after which larger vessels sound their gongs. Any vessel may also use a whistle signal. The whistle signal can be heard farther away than the bell and should be used when background noise is high or when another vessel is approaching too rapidly. The whistle signal also gives better indication of your position.


INTERNTIONAL

International paragraph (i) and Inland paragraph (h) exempt small vessels from making Rule 35 sound signals, but only on the condition that they give some other signal that can be understood (as coming from a small vessel) and heard early enough to prevent a collision. Any alternative signal must be repeated every two minutes or less, the same as for the prescribed signals. Note that this exemption dovetails with the Rule 33(b) provision saying that vessels less than twelve meters need not carry sound-signal appliances meeting the technical specifications of Annex III.



Thanks to the OP for bringing the subject up, it made me check my sound signals, I wonder how many skips actually know all of them ? Or actually use them?

[Seagull111]

When I was in the Air Force , navigators used radar North up and pilots used it heading up. Now I use chart plotter and radar heading up because that is where I am looking to avoid lobster pots with my eyeballs. It seems to make sense.

[Delancey]

I ran aground once motoring in the fog, while doing a delivery, shortly after being hit by lightning.

Got hit right before sunrise, then as soon as the sun came up the fog rolled in. The LORAN was all reading all Chinese on the LCD readout but we knew where we were when the fog showed up. Problem was the lightning had affected the binnacle compass which put us up on the rocks. Didn't figure out the compass thing until the next day. Obviously, a unique set of circumstances.

Nowadays, if I have any doubt about where I am I drop the hook and wait it out.

[Geoduck]

When you are in the fog, stay out of traffic lanes! One of our ferries just deep sixed a 25' sailboat in the San Juan Islands the other day! Nobody died but the boat is resting peacefully at the bottom of Harney Channel.

[Liam Wald]

Last trip up the coast I left Monterey at 9pm on a beautiful star lit night headed for San Francisco. 3 miles out I hit a wall of dense wet fog. Absolutely zero visibility. I thought that I might pop out of it on the other side of the Monterey Bay and have a decent trip up the coast. No such luck. It was zero-zero and I couldn't see past the bow light until the next morning at 10am when I passed under the Golden Gate bridge. I seriously hated it. That is a really stressful situation. Just horrible. I stayed 10 miles off. Just inside the shipping lanes. Eyes and ears straining the whole way.

[Dustymc]

About 99% of my fog experience is at 90 knots in 3 dimensions with no radar. A little SF fog - which doesn't even contain ice! - at 6kt in 2 dimensions with radar hasn't really been very challenging so far....

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Geoduck

When you are in the fog, stay out of traffic lanes! One of our ferries just deep sixed a 25' sailboat in the San Juan Islands the other day! Nobody died but the boat is resting peacefully at the bottom of Harney Channel.

And... if your in a TSZ like the English Channel when the fog comes... maintain a 90 degrees to the lane track as required at a steady speed of 4-5kts using your horn to signal at the required intervals...

[Tayana42]

If fog doesn't worry you a little your nuts. But it doesn't worry me as much now that I have a boat with radar, plotter, etc. On the California coast fog is a matter of fact and so is heavy shipping traffic. When I was young and sailing a 24 footer on the East coast in Chesapeake and Long Island Sound with only a compass and chart, dealing with fog meant dead reckoning from buoy to buoy and blowing a horn by mouth. The confidence (stupidity) of youth helps you get through the fog.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by David M

That's how I prefer it as well. It's not confusing at all for me. It might be because I am old school where the radars I used back in the 70's never had a gyro or magnetic compass input in order to make it North up. Heading up is what I am used to. Electronic charts came later which are somewhat analogous to paper charts which are North up. So North up with charts is what I am used to. With radar overlay on electronic charts I prefer North up.

In the past, we almost always used north up raster chart on plotter when I'm at the helm... and head up raster chart on plotter when the Admiral is in charge. Head up on the separate radar display... which is older than the rest of our electronics and won't overlay on the plotter display.

Some people think in north up (which for me started with maps in the car when I was about 8 years old), some think in head up. Just as some think East/West where others think right/left.

More recently, we've begun using the split-screen function on the plotter, with north up raster on one side, and head up vector on the other. Head up radar on separate display as before.

OTOH, I'll move to a single screen plotter display in a heartbeat, usually when I'm after more detail without losing the context of the broader area.

On topic: I like RADAR in fog, along with AIS, running lights, sounder, (automated) sound signals... sharp lookout... slow speed... GPS... and whatever else I can think that might help at the time.

For locational context, I find it especially useful near shore to be able to navigate with combination of radar (coastlines) and sounder comparisons to charts... ideally confirmed by GPS

-Chris

[Hoofsmit]

Originally Posted by boatman61

And... if your in a TSZ like the English Channel when the fog comes... maintain a 90 degrees to the lane track as required at a steady speed of 4-5kts using your horn to signal at the required intervals...

...[/QUOTE]

[mrohr]

Fog safely at anchor is cool. I love hanging about an anchorage when there is nowhere I need to be and watching the fog curl about.Time for that good book. i was once fogbound for the better part of a week in Block Island and afraid to go further East which required crossing a busy shipping channel with only a radar reflector ( no radar). Probably the most relaxing week of my life.
Sailing in fog I could also find a relaxing mystical experience if there were nobody else about ,but as indicated above ,it is to be avoided if possible. in early spring when the ocean is still cold but warm moist air is flowing over these yankee waters one can be sailing in a dense but very thin fog and see a clear blue sky above with the mast enjoying a clear view in all directions. Like I said: very cool!

[s/v Beth]

I just left the fog the OP was complaining about. The other day a Washington ferry hit a fisherman because the fog was so thick. I was out in it above the same ferry earlier in the day- had AIS, dig radar and chartplotter, but with the current in the channels I was still being pushed into the way. If you listen to ch 16 up here the coast guard is issuing a warning every hour about the extreme low visibility. I am surprised more people don't die out there (In the San Juans)
The fog finally stopped about Cape Flattery, but was there to greet us when we crossed the Columbia bank. Sailing is not easy out there right now.

[eyschulman]

When I look out the window in the morning and there is heavy fog I go to the gym rather than my sailboat. So what does that mean? Avoid it when you can if you can't proceed with care use your fog horn(few people in the Northwest do so ) use radar or a good reflector and stay out of shipping and ferry channels.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Liam Wald

Last trip up the coast I left Monterey at 9pm on a beautiful star lit night headed for San Francisco. 3 miles out I hit a wall of dense wet fog. Absolutely zero visibility. I thought that I might pop out of it on the other side of the Monterey Bay and have a decent trip up the coast. No such luck. It was zero-zero and I couldn't see past the bow light until the next morning at 10am when I passed under the Golden Gate bridge. I seriously hated it. That is a really stressful situation. Just horrible. I stayed 10 miles off. Just inside the shipping lanes. Eyes and ears straining the whole way.

That sounds perfectly horrendous!