Coping with Fog

by Genevieve Jacobs

Carl Sandburg wrote a wonderful short poem about fog, describing it as coming "on little cat feet' and "looking over the city and the harbor on silent haunches." But, when you're out on the water and are suddenly confronted by thick fog, there's nothing benign about it.

If you find yourself in fog — and it can happen very suddenly — your first and foremost weapon is a watch on the bow, totally focused on both seeing and hearing what’s out there. Have the watch put on warm clothing and foul weather gear, as he or she should be comfortable and ready to stay there for a while. A proper watch is an absolute requirement under the Navigation Rules, as are running lights and the use of a sound signaling device. Required signals vary depending on the length and propulsion of your boat, and whether or not you are stopped. Consult the Navigation Rules, and be sure to make the required signals.

Your next line of defense is a radar reflector. Even if you can’t see a thing, a radar reflector will help ensure that you will be clearly seen by a radar-equipped vessel. If fog is common in your waters, a permanently-mounted reflector is the way to go.

Of course, boat owners have access to a wide range of sophisticated navigation tools for use in a duel with a fog bank. Due in great part to the digital age, radar has become both compact and affordable. As a result, it's found on more and more recreational boats 26' and up — a once-unthinkable development. And, in the hands of an experienced and educated operator, radar is very effective in thick fog, where it can alert you to the presence of other vessels, locate navigational aids like buoys, and lead you through harbor entrances.

However, radar is only as good as its operator. Distortion, clutter, and multiple echoes can affect the accuracy of the image on the screen. The positions of targets must be manually recorded over time to determine their true location and progress relative to your boat. Plotting radar positions isn't difficult; small boat operators can use home made plotting sheets, noting times and targets on a graphic representation of the radar screen. Or, you can use a grease pencil or erasable felt-tip marker, and do your plotting right on the screen. The important point is that you must learn how to use radar effectively. Much as it may seem otherwise, a radar set is not a completely intuitive tool.

Regardless of its quality or the skill of its user, radar will not identify underwater hazards like rock ledges or sandbars. If you find yourself in thick fog anywhere near shore and decide to proceed (at slow speed, of course!), you'd better have a good depth sounder and know how to use it. Here, too, the instrument itself won't keep you out of trouble. You'll have to track numerical depth readings - not just mentally, but also on paper if you want to be warned of water that's growing progressively shallower, perhaps because you're approaching a reef or shoreline.

Here's where an LCD recorder designed for fishermen really shines: instead of simply telling you in feet or fathoms how deep the water is, it provides a complete picture of the bottom and will inform you at a glance that you're approaching the shallows. The better ones will also let you know whether the bottom is hard or soft, which can be useful in avoiding hazards, anchoring, and double-checking your position on nautical charts (which normally identify bottom composition). Many of these recorders are only marginally more expensive than numerical-readout depth sounders. So, even if you never intend to do any fishing, they're a much better choice, especially for navigating in the fog.

GPS can eliminate much of the guesswork and anxiety that goes hand-in-hand with getting caught in fog. However, as with radar, GPS systems are subject to malfunctions, to outright failure, and to distortion caused by a wide range of factors - from electrical interference to atmospheric conditions. And, like radar, they won't do everything: they won't tell you about underwater hazards and they won't alert you to the presence of other vessels in the area. GPS is best used in conjunction with other equipment, including your depth sounder, your radar, and, yes, your compass, charts, and parallel rules.

Practice using your radar, depth sounder, and GPS together before you become stuck in pea soup fog. Find out to what degree one piece of equipment confirms the position, speed, and/or heading indicated by the other, and put that knowledge to work for you when visibility is limited or nonexistent.

But what if, like a lot of boats, yours isn't outfitted with a full complement of electronics? When the fog descends, your options are more limited and the chances of your getting into trouble are greater.

Consider the case of one boater who was enjoying an afternoon of sun and light winds as he cruised along the coast of Southern California in his 27-foot powerboat. His fun was interrupted by a darkening in the north, where a long gray line of advancing fog was beginning to block out the sun. The boat was fully engulfed "in a matter of a few minutes." The owner decided to inch his way toward his home harbor "at a very slow rate while keeping sight of land."

That proved to be a big mistake. The visibility was so poor that, in order to keep track of the coastline, the helmsman had to stay close inshore. Over a period of minutes, he found the swells getting larger and larger. Suddenly, "one about 10 feet tall hit us and pushed us into the reef, where we immediately lost power." Successive waves threw the helmsman's companion from side to side, injuring her. Fortunately, his call to the Coast Guard was quickly answered, and both people were soon removed to safety. The boat, however, wound up on the beach and split in two down the centerline. It was a total loss.

Let's look at what this unfortunate boat owner could have done differently when suddenly confronted by fog. First, his decision to continue ahead, staying close to the shoreline "in order not to become disoriented and lost," was clearly the wrong one. A strategy of proceeding at slow speed through thick fog toward a safe harbor sometimes works, but it's a disastrous choice unless you're in open water that you know is free of invisible hazards like boulders, ledges, and sandbars. Hugging the beach-where such hazards are common is a recipe for disaster.

When in doubt, stop When you find yourself with virtually no visibility and don't feel confident of your ability to navigate through the thick stuff, there's only one appropriate strategy: stop. Here again, you're faced with a choice. If you're in a high-traffic area, in shallow water close to shore, or in a shipping lane, then you should almost certainly proceed slowly out of harm's way, plotting and following a compass course that will take you directly to safer and, ideally, sheltered water. (In the cited case, of course, heading offshore to open water was the best choice available.) Resist the temptation to speed up, not only because speed makes collisions of any type more likely and more serious, but also because increasing engine speed results in more noise and reduces your ability to hear other approaching boats, both big and small.

When you're well clear of other vessels, and potential hazards like surf and strong currents, it's time to turn to the arsenal of weapons that have served fog-bound boat operators for hundreds of years: an anchor, a horn, and, if you’re over 12 meters in length, a bell. (Check the Navigation Rules for the appropriate required signals). Set the anchor, and pay out plenty of scope, and signal as required. Waiting out a thick fog "on the hook" isn't fun, but if you've chosen a decent location and have done a good job of anchoring, it's very safe. By contrast, stumbling along through the pea soup, hoping that nobody will run into you, that you won't hit anything, and that your compass will lead you to the next buoy, is nerve-wracking and risky. (This is also true for boats that are equipped with electronics. Stopping and waiting out the fog is often a better choice for them, too.)

Whether you choose to anchor or to continue on, keep that watch on the bow, and use your ears. Sounds are held closer to the water by fog and you can hear engines, buoys, etc., sooner than on clear days when the same sounds are projected upward. Sound can be deceiving in thick fog; it's often difficult to pinpoint the direction of an oncoming vessel. However, you'll never hear anything if you yield to temptation and turn on your boat's stereo to help pass the time. Other background noise, like loud conversation, is also a problem. In the fog, you simply can't afford to give up any of your very best tools: your eyes, your ears, and your good judgment.

Genevieve Jacobs; The author of Coping with Fog lived aboard her family’s catamaran on both sides of the Atlantic as a young child, and later lived with her husband aboard their 18-foot boat, sailing it from the northeastern U.S. to the South Pacific via the Panama Canal, where they lived aboard for 12 years.

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