Boating in fog

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Wednesday, July 5. 2023

I would never boat in fog on purpose. Commercial fisherman do it all the time - no choice. Furthermore, they know their waters by heart.

Got stuck in a fog bank this morning for an hour or so. Not fun. Where would recreational boaters be without GPS? I do have radar but not expert with it. I am a fair-weather boater. Not in the past, but now.

Navigating In The Fog - When the heat of summer rolls in, humid air and cold water create a dense fog that blankets the coastline.

Posted by Bird Dog in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 13:14 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0)

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Don't know where you are at present, but I remember the 'pea soup' fog on the Maine coast very well. Usually accompanied by the stink of a paper mill. And sometimes so thick, it would muffle the sound of the fog horn at the Portland head light.

#1 Aggie on 2023-07-05 16:57 (Reply)

I worked on race committee for a regatta in the San Francisco Bay. Towards the end of the regatta, the last race of the day, pea soup fog rolled in. We had to shorten the course which was a potential problem because it would be very difficult for competitors to see the signal and actually to hear the accompanying sound signal. In addition to what was required by the Racing Rules of Sailing, we sought a verbal acknowledge from the competitors.

But the real challenge was working out way back to the marina. It was so difficult to see. We went VERY, VERY, VERY slowly, with people looking out on either gunwale and two people watching forward. Total silence as we inches forward. Very spooky.

#2 Lee Also on 2023-07-05 20:11 (Reply)

The Vikings used a special crystal to navigate in fog. If you don't happen to have a special crystal with you it can be possible to determine where the sun is by taking a sharp pointed knife and setting the point on your horizontal thumbnail with the knife oriented vertically. By rotating around slowly you will see a faint shadow appear that will indicate the sun's direction. Not exactly perfect for navigating but in some situations it will help. The South Sea Islanders used wave direction and amplitude to determine direction and the location of a land mass. That might be a little complicated though.

#3 OneGuy on 2023-07-05 22:43 (Reply)

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Wednesday, July 5. 2023

Boating in fog