What should you do when the visibility plummets? Jake Kavanagh and others offer advice
1. Establish your position
‘We received a distress call from a man lost in fog in a small powerboat,’ Guernsey lifeboatman Buzz White told me. ‘He had very little navigation gear, and all he knew was that he was “somewhere off the south coast of Guernsey.” Normally, we can triangulate on a VHF position, but this guy was using a mobile phone. He was talking to our coxswain as we looked for him while sounding our horn, but we had a huge area to cover. Suddenly, his phone gave an unusual crackle. “I know where he is,” I said. “He’s south-west of Les Hanois light. My phone always crackles like that just there.” Half an hour later, we found him.’
The failings of a local mobile phone mast had led to a triumph for local knowledge.
When the fog threatens to roll in, make absolutely sure you know where you are. If you are in coastal waters, take a bearing on a landmark before it disappears, cross-check your GPS with your visual bearings if possible, and plot your position on a chart. Keep it updated so you can tell the coastguards exactly where you are. This will change your status from being lost in fog, to simply being unable to see. You will also be able to steer into safer waters from your known position.
2. Reduce your speed
‘Powerboats still tend to go too fast in fog,’ says RYA trainer Peter White. ‘Just because you know where you are, and can perhaps see nothing ahead on the radar screen, there may still be unseen debris in the water, or small craft like inflatables, in your path. Throttle back, and allow plenty of time to dodge lobster pots or small craft that you simply won’t see until the very last minute.’
Another consideration is that the sharp bows of a fast powerboat put it into ‘stealth mode’ when bows-on at speed. Its radar reflector may even be shielded by the flare of the bows. Reducing speed will make you a better radar target.
Rule 19 of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea states: ‘Every vessel shall proceed at a safe speed adapted to the prevailing circumstances,’ and ‘a power-driven vessel shall have her engines ready for immediate manoeuvre.’ Ideally, a yacht that is sailing in fog should have the engine warmed up and ready to go.
The usual rules of the road also get put on hold. The regs say that ‘close quarters situations should be avoided,’ and give advice about reducing speed if you hear a fog horn forward of the beam.
3. Increase your visibility
A few years ago, a fleet of 18 motorboats were cruising in company off St Vaast in Normandy when visibility began to rapidly fall. Only two of the motorboats had radar, and one of these tuned the set to pick up the rest of the fleet. However, the skipper noticed that one of the boats simply wasn’t showing an echo, despite being just visible to the naked eye only 100m away. It was a 30ft twin-engined Omega, similar in shape to the Fairey Swordsman, and made entirely of wood. The Omega didn’t have a radar reflector hoisted, but once the cheap, octahedral type was snapped together and tied to the roof of his boat, it suddenly became a small, bright echo on the radar screen. The owner later said: ‘I thought the boat was big enough to give a good return. I only bought the reflector because it was in the joining instructions for the cruise!’
Porous materials such as wood and GRP can absorb radar energy. The round shapes of masts, rigging and stanchions will bounce it away. If you are a small boat, such as a RIB, sportsboat, sailing dinghy or day angler, carry a reflector that you can hoist, and have it as high as possible. Better still, have one permanently fitted if it’s practical. And bear in mind that just because your reflector is up, it doesn’t mean that ships can see you.
‘We find small craft very hard to spot on radar in anything of a sea,’ Captain Howard Roberts of the Commodore Clipper ferry told us. ‘In fact, it’s much easier to spot light aircraft than a yacht or motorboat in a Force 5, even though that yacht may be bristling with reflectors. Unfortunately, the return is easily lost in sea clutter. This is why we keep a constant lookout with binoculars each side of the bridge, especially as our route takes us through the popular cruising grounds of the Channel Islands. We’re looking for you, but don’t assume we can always see you on radar. Fast motorboats are often the most difficult to spot, as they have a lower profile and are easily lost behind waves, even to binoculars.’
4. Keep a good lookout
Or perhaps we should say keep a good listen out. When visibility really closes in, many motorboats place a crewman on the foredeck, away from the noise of the engine, to listen out. Others stop the boat and switch off, drifting for a few moments to listen. Fog is denser than air, and sound carries further, but it is often difficult to determine exactly where a sound is coming from.
5. Anchor in shallow water
A good defensive strategy in coastal waters is to sound your way into shallow water, that large vessels avoid. After anchoring, continue to sound your horn as you obviously won’t be able to dodge anything. I once steered my 21-footer into water just 5ft deep, and felt I was safe. A fisherman in a dory making at least 10 knots, suddenly shot past me a boat length away, in even shallower water. The scary thing is that he was kneeling over the stern checking his outboard at the time!
6. Know your sound signals
This month’s PBO Skipper’s Check Card lists all the sound signals you will need to make, and identify, in a pea-souper. Carry more than one means of making a suitable signal, as the air horns sold in chandlers have been known to freeze up with extended use. They’ll also need a spare cylinder. A boat’s electric-powered air horn may provide a more reliable means of making noise.
When a small boat became lost in fog, the local lifeboat went to the crew’s aid. As the lifeboat homed in on the triangulated position, they asked the skipper over the radio to sound his foghorn. The skipper apologised, but said he didn’t have one. ‘Do you have anything to make a sound?’ they asked. Suddenly, through the murk, came the sound of a lone, undulating screech. ‘It’s amazing how a party whoopee whistle can carry,’ the lifeboatmen later remarked.
7. Supplement your electronics
While your radar may be clever, it lacks common sense. Don’t trust it entirely. It will do its best to scare you with fast-moving objects. We once saw a solid wall coming towards us on the screen, only to realise it was the sharp edge of a Solent ferry’s wash.
‘Small targets can often be hidden under the radar’s heading line’ says ex-lifeboat coxswain John Hart. ‘Turn the marker off occasionally, or turn the boat through a few degrees to alter the picture.’
8. Be prepared for the worst-case scenario
The worst-case scenario is to be hit and run down in fog. Make sure all your crew are in lifejackets, with a means of summoning help (whistle and handheld radio), have the dinghy ready to launch, and ensure your crew will be able to leave the boat in a hurry. Keep them on deck if possible – besides, the more eyes and ears you have in action, the safer you will be.
First published in Practical Boat Owner April 2004.
Reproduced with kind permission of Jake Kavanagh/Practical Boat Owner/IPC+ Syndication.
