Pea Soup Fog - COLREGS

[Pye_End]

Motoring up river this morning in the fog, with visibility about 3 boats lengths. I was doing sbout 1kn on the far RHS of the main channel next to a line of moored yachts (moored fore and aft).

Very surprised to find 2 other yachts coming my way in these conditions on the wrong side of the river - not very much time to react.

More worryingly - one of the yachts was a head on situation and he turned to PORT towards the line of moored boats to avoid me.

Since I was doing only 1kn I just stopped, waiting for the other vessel to come to their senses, which they eventually did.

So, if I had been doing 4kn and unable to stop in time, what should I have done?

 

[shmoo]

Yesterday I saw a couple of near misses in quick succession in when the survey boat working with the dredger Norma off Felixstowe container port had to change course at the last minute to avoid two boats sailing and standing on. The survey launch was showing "restricted" day marks and was clearly running lines but still they stood on.

Orwell is getting like the Solent...

 

[johnalison]

I think it may be hard to impose a right-hand-side-only rule on a large river like the Orwell. There may be occasions when a boat wants to follow a line of moorings to find his own, say, or a boat without a plotter or radar may only be able to proceed along a line of moorings on one side if there is nothing else visible.

I was out in the Wallet today and in retrospect I now realise that I didn't hear a single sound signal from any of a couple of dozen craft we were within earshot of, nor I'm afraid from us.

 

[sailorman]

there woz one yacht motoring from Wrabness > Ipswich who used his Dutch Brass Fog-horn 4 the very first time /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif Also monitored Ch 71 /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[BobnLesley]

there woz one yacht motoring from Wrabness > Ipswich who used his Dutch Brass Fog-horn 4 the very first time Also monitored Ch 71
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With a cone up too?

 

[sailorman]

No as just plain motoring no sails "Bent-On " but with radar reflector i belive + Bi nav, stern & steaming Light showing & on the Stbd Hand side of the river /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Pye_End]

[ QUOTE ]
I think it may be hard to impose a right-hand-side-only rule on a large river like the Orwell.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes I am usually fairly chilled about this on any normal day, but it is a tricky decision on a pea soup day - trying not to spend too much time in the main channel, but also staying out of the way at the edges.

The problem is these days, on a day as nice as today in October after such an awful summer everbody is out there enjoying themselves waiting for it to clear - so much easier with chartplotters. In the good old days before GPS there would have been hardly anybody to hit! Mind you, you would also be spending far too much time at the chart table.

The turn to port though was a different matter.

I too thought about my forgorn, but did not want to go down and get it once in the thick of it! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[sailorman]

when i was close to the "Fagbury" By i couldnt see the ULCS on the north of Trinity /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Pye_End]

Yes it was bout as thick as it gets.

From the marina it looked ok, but on the river it was much thicker - as soon as I was out I was nearly run into by 3 jet skiis pounding along - they must have been visible for about 2 seconds before they went past!

 

[sailorman]

one boat beating down river down tide into the hbr WOT a PRAT Unbelievable.
then above SYH a 101 hoister a spinnaker another tosser

 

[Pye_End]

So it really brings about the best seamanship!

 

[Jomo]

[ QUOTE ]
one boat beating down river down tide into the hbr WOT a PRAT Unbelievable.
then above SYH a 101 hoister a spinnaker another tosser

[/ QUOTE ]

There's always a few of them!

 

[Marmalade]

Came up the wallet today sounding the fog horn every 2 mins (is that right by the colregs?) and concentrating on the radar and looking out. Haven't been so mentally exhausted after a sail for a long time. Vis was 150m for most of the way...

 

[sailorman]

wot about all the unlit bouys laid 4 the rock unloading /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[AliM]

Are you supposed to have nav lights on in fog?

Yesterday (Colne, Raysand and Crouch) we did, but no one else seemed to, except the harbourmaster's launch, Watchful - not that we saw any boats until the fog had cleared a bit!

 

[Marmalade]

We did

 

[SwedishLass]

We showed lights and partly rolled the genoa so we could see under it. We seemed to be the only vessel under sail by the sound signals heard.

At least we know what the tin trumpet probaly sounds like at a distance but I have my doubts as to the audibility when a pleasure fishing boat came up rapidly from astern.

 

[Cotillion]

I had lights on but in truth I doubt there use. I was travelling in tandem with another boat and although they were barely a stones throw away, it was easier to make out there mainsail than any lights.

 

[Leighb]

I would agree, it is similar to cars sidelights, you can see the car before the lights, which is why headlights should always be used.

Why oh why do some motorists still only put sidelights on in fog.

 

[davidfox]

And me,fired off the foghorn for the first time, just behind the missus, she thought that was a great laugh. Funny, but i never use the chart plotter unless going across the north sea or channel, but i used it to some effect to get up the dredged channel to the lock at Shotley, it was a complete whiteout.