Sound signals at anchor

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Has anyone on here ever made sound signals whilst anchored in fog? I had 6 hours of . _ . today from a container ship 6 miles away. Other ships anchored in the same position in low viz have never bothered, IME. Neither did I as it seemed entirely impractical, though I do if underway.
 
Only six hours, you were lucky! We had 18 hours of HORN (1) 30S at Sark.

When anchored I've never sounded a signal, the big stuff should be well away and the small stuff is not moving.
 
Not unless you count my snoring. Wouldn't know how to either, and if I did, it would probably interfere with my sleep (as the best thing to do in fog is to sleep a few more hours and then check again if it's gone yet). I have seen some old-fashioned boats with a big bell mounted in the cabin and it always makes me wonder how they keep it silent when it's rolly.

Don't think it's an issue. I can only think of one situation in Sao Jacintho where we were anchored in fog and there was a regular ferry going. It did have radar, and we have the prerequisite reflector.
 
Sandy said:
Only six hours, you were lucky! We had 18 hours of HORN (1) 30S at Sark.
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Me too.

On a buoy beneath the Point Robert lighthouse. It was so magical sitting in the cockpit earlier that evening as the sun went down, and the light swept across the bay. It wasn't so great when the fog horn started at about 01:00 and continued throughout the night.

Although I did manage to get back to sleep eventually, I now have earplugs on board.

Never bothered doing fog signals at anchor. I don't have a bell, nor an automatic horn, so I would have to be constantly blowing into my vuvuzela.
 
I often thought that if I were to learn a new musical instrument it would be a trombone. You don't need digital dexterity and it could back up as a fog horn.
 
My grandfather once spent a week as a (paying) crew on a large yacht, the Gladoris II (now on charter in Ibiza for a cool €16k/week in high season), in which they sailed across the Channel to Guernsey. This must have been in the late 40s/early 50s. He reports that they arrived in St Peter Port after sailing for some time in thick fog, the skipper looking rather worried given the limited means of navigation available to him, and tied up in a spot that turned out to be just under the foghorn. As the table was laid for dinner, the cutlery vibrated along the large dining table with each blast of the foghorn...I don't think they had a restful night.
 
I have, when anchored in a real pea-super somewhere off Rosslare (S E Ireland). We could just hear the beach and children playing but barely see the foredeck. It was in the days pre-gps, and we rattled a spoon in a saucepan every minute or so.

After a while I could hear an engine and so rattled the spoon more vigorously. Eventually a local small fishing boat came alongside and asked me if I had any idea where we were. I told them where I thought we were, and they thanked me profusely and set off again now they knew where they were.
 
Fog occurs a lot in the seas around Gib. Across the bay is a routine anchorage for vessels bunkering or waiting for orders in Spanish waters. The big gas ships will sound Romeo, dot dash dot, in addition to Europa point lighthouse sound signal. Add that to the busy Straits and it can be a noisy night......
 
Angele said:
Me too.

On a buoy beneath the Point Robert lighthouse. It was so magical sitting in the cockpit earlier that evening as the sun went down, and the light swept across the bay. It wasn't so great when the fog horn started at about 01:00 and continued throughout the night.

Although I did manage to get back to sleep eventually, I now have earplugs on board.

Never bothered doing fog signals at anchor. I don't have a bell, nor an automatic horn, so I would have to be constantly blowing into my vuvuzela.
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That's the place.

We popped up for tea with the vicar, a long standing promise that we would sail over for Sunday tea.
 
I have never done this myself, but I think the sound signal for a vessel at anchor is supposed to be a bell, or a bell and a gong for larger vessels.

It’s a bell for five seconds, followed by a gong for five seconds at the stern of a vessel at anchor if the vessel is >100m, at one minute intervals. I just checked.

I don’t have a bell on board and even if I did, it wouldn’t carry far as I only have a 26’er.
 
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JumbleDuck said:
I did not feel the need to parp the horn regularly.
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Euphemism?? :ambivalence:

Anyway, I suspect that you didnt park your car where other vehicles are gonna continue to operate whist you are in your kip. You will notice, for example, no one in marinas needs to sound a signal in restricted visibility. :)
 
I have a childhood memory of being half-asleep, snuggled under the blankets in the early morn, listening to the shipping on the Clyde some miles away.... 'Here I Come, Sounding One...'

Evocative.
 
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