Fog - To go or not to go

[Fr J Hackett]

The first time I had to use a radar to con a boat in fog was at about 2 am after crossing from Camaret to Fowey it was an old Ratheon RL70 mounted below decks as we went through the entrance you couldn't see either side. It was a bit clearer up towards the town, clear enough for someone on the bow to con the boat slowly through the moorings.

 

[reginaldon]

Not a council of perfection or even in any way to be recommended, just an account of what happened.

I'd bought a Caprice on Oare Creek, N Kent; I needed to get it to Folkestone where the tidal window was a bit longer than 90 minutes. Son was over from Plymouth and as he was returning the next day, the previous day we'd taken the boat up to the confluence with Faversham Creek. Next am: 0615 - thick fog couldn't see 40 yards across the creek. I said, No go, ( normally I'm more likely to take a risk than my son) So he said - it was the last chance that year and anyway he'd borrowed a GPS. As we got in to the Swale, he found out the GPS was U/S. We hoisted our sails - not that they had any effect, and motored with our 5hp outboard, headed off into no more than 50 yds visibility, using our chart and a v. good compass, we buoy hopped with buoys coming up 'on the nose' 50 yds ahead. Fortunately our route was mainly shallow water. Visibility increased to 500 yds later that day. The only vessel we saw at sea during the whole passage was a Sea France ferry off Dover, which took avoiding action - we had taken the precaution of radioing to Dover that we were going down the Channel less than a mile off the breakwater.
Successful but not really to be recommended!

 

[Robin]

The first time I had to use a radar to con a boat in fog was at about 2 am after crossing from Camaret to Fowey it was an old Ratheon RL70 mounted below decks as we went through the entrance you couldn't see either side. It was a bit clearer up towards the town, clear enough for someone on the bow to con the boat slowly through the moorings.

RL70? gee, that is modern stuff we started with a look down a tube CRT 'MARS' VIGIL set bought on sale in GY half price as the controls were all labelled only in French. It did the job for several years before going tits up and beingreplaced with a superb daylight Viewable Furuno 1830 trackball set, one of the best we ever had.

 

[alant]

Not a council of perfection or even in any way to be recommended, just an account of what happened.

I'd bought a Caprice on Oare Creek, N Kent; I needed to get it to Folkestone where the tidal window was a bit longer than 90 minutes. Son was over from Plymouth and as he was returning the next day, the previous day we'd taken the boat up to the confluence with Faversham Creek. Next am: 0615 - thick fog couldn't see 40 yards across the creek. I said, No go, ( normally I'm more likely to take a risk than my son) So he said - it was the last chance that year and anyway he'd borrowed a GPS. As we got in to the Swale, he found out the GPS was U/S. We hoisted our sails - not that they had any effect, and motored with our 5hp outboard, headed off into no more than 50 yds visibility, using our chart and a v. good compass, we buoy hopped with buoys coming up 'on the nose' 50 yds ahead. Fortunately our route was mainly shallow water. Visibility increased to 500 yds later that day. The only vessel we saw at sea during the whole passage was a Sea France ferry off Dover, which took avoiding action - we had taken the precaution of radioing to Dover that we were going down the Channel less than a mile off the breakwater.
Successful but not really to be recommended!

Dover in my experience, expect you to contact the ferries.

 

[temptress]

A HUGE target that close would normally pretty well wipe out everything else in mush, My guess is that the the rain control and sea clutter were turned up too far maybe to compensate in the heavy rain and the VLCC target contact went with it. That said Temptress, who I believe we met once many many years ago in Cherbourg is IMO way too experienced to make that error, but then 'sh!t happens'

and that's the thing -- nothing on the RADAR. We put that down to the VERY heavy rain. Until you've been in a MOONSOON rainstorm you have not seen rain! RADAR seems to work OK now

On the FOG issue --- it's up to the Skipper to decide. It may be OK to go out or it may not. Need to asses the given situation and decide.

 

[reginaldon]

Dover in my experience, expect you to contact the ferries.

News to me!

 

[alant]

News to me!

Well thats what they told me last time I passed by.

 

[Robin]

Well thats what they told me last time I passed by.

Reputation precedes you? I thought they like (even insist) boats check in with the port control office before entering/departing. Never my regular playground, so pure hearsay. Last time I was in there was 1962, went in after crossing from Rotterdam in a full gale and ran up and down inside trying to lose speed and get sails off a Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter where I was the berk assigned to sit on the end of the bowsprit and unhank the headsail as it came down.:nonchalance: I think the skipper got well ticked off for entering as the 'closed' signals were up.. Got pictures in Daily Mirror too.

 

[alant]

Reputation precedes you? I thought they like (even insist) boats check in with the port control office before entering/departing. Never my regular playground, so pure hearsay. Last time I was in there was 1962, went in after crossing from Rotterdam in a full gale and ran up and down inside trying to lose speed and get sails off a Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter where I was the berk assigned to sit on the end of the bowsprit and unhank the headsail as it came down.:nonchalance: I think the skipper got well ticked off for entering as the 'closed' signals were up.. Got pictures in Daily Mirror too.

1962?
Did you communicate with semaphore?

 

[Robin]

1962?
Did you communicate with semaphore?

Aldis Lamps rule OK? Nope the harbour had day shapes up saying Harbour closed, no entry, we had had a very rough trip over and nowhere else to go. Ocean youth Club, on 'Theodora' returning after the 1962 Tall Ships Race.Next crew due and waiting to take over in Dover. Skipper's mobilephone was NFG, must've got wet!.:biggrin-new::biggrin-new:

 

[alant]

Aldis Lamps rule OK? Nope the harbour had day shapes up saying Harbour closed, no entry, we had had a very rough trip over and nowhere else to go. Ocean youth Club, on 'Theodora' returning after the 1962 Tall Ships Race.Next crew due and waiting to take over in Dover. Skipper's mobilephone was NFG, must've got wet!.:biggrin-new::biggrin-new:

Did they have mobilephone's in 1962?

 

[Robin]

Did they have mobilephone's in 1962?

Didn't everyone? (where is that Iron Y front when you want it?)

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Ist mobile phone I had was like the old joke: Here's your phone and here's the case to carry the batteries. 1989 and a handset like a normal phone and a case the size of an airline pilots bag to house it and the batteries, never catch on I thought

 

[Robin]

Ist mobile phone I had was like the old joke: Here's your phone and here's the case to carry the batteries. 1989 and a handset like a normal phone and a case the size of an airline pilots bag to house it and the batteries, never catch on I thought

I had one, called a 'transportable' meant you needed transport to carry it. Part fitted into the boot of the car, handset by dash, 'nother brick thingy installed on boat. Credit card sized SIM card slotted in either as required or others could use their SIM cards and make calls from my car on their phone account very handy when I had overseas clients wanting to call home, that way I didn't pick up their bill..

 

[GrahamM376]

I had one, called a 'transportable' meant you needed transport to carry it. Part fitted into the boot of the car, handset by dash,

Remember them well, mine in '89 was one of these - http://www.mobilecollectors.net/phone/3148/Mitsubishi-MT4

 

[Robin]

Remember them well, mine in '89 was one of these - http://www.mobilecollectors.net/phone/3148/Mitsubishi-MT4

mine was badged by Motorola but looks like the same thing, very good too. IIRC they had more power than the pocketables that followed, I kept mine for a few years in my car/boat even though by then I had a pocket one, the credit card size SIMs were interchangeable until later they went miniature too.