T&T: fog

[Bob Clinkenbeard]

I have been caught in fog a couple of times and have had some harrowing 
experiences due to, not having radar.  I recently purchased a unit and built 
a radar mast (yet to be installed due to the heat wave here in the south). 
Glad to hear you were able to avoid catastrophe with having it on board.  I 
can't wait to use mine.

Am I wrong, in that international rules dictate that if you have radar on 
board you must use it at all times regardless of the weather?  Seems I read 
that you face a greater risk of liability if an accident occurs and your 
radar is not on.
Can someone clarify this and perhaps direct me to the rule?
Thanks,

Bob Clinkenbeard
24' custom trailer trawler
http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-aboardbobbinalong





Well, we had an interesting afternoon on the water here in Duluth, MN. We
had not planned to boat in dense fog, but that is the way it turned out.
It is amazing how disorienting fog can be. We are quite familiar with the
17 miles of ship channels and the 50 plus miles of waterfront of the
Duluth-Superior harbor. But it is totally different in dense fog. We
could see between 100 and 200 feet and at times much less than that.
Hence, I wound up navigating strictly by instruments  chartplotter,
radar, and compass. -- and peering into the soup ahead.
As a matter of practice, I routinely run radar even on clear sunny days
to be able to interpret the radar screen and select the most effective
range for the waters at hand. It paid off today.
Because Lake Superior was bumpy, most recreational boat traffic was doing
their thing in the sheltered waters of the harbor. To make things
interesting, there were a number of ships moving as well. We could hear
their fog horns in the area all afternoon.
As we came around a bend, I was sure there was a big ship at hand. I
could hear its fog horn. Then I told the admiral, something is ahead on
radar but I cant tell what it is. Sure enough, a 1,000 foot bulk ore
carrier was maneuvering in the turning basin ahead. The radar made it
look like a massive seawall. It was. We finally saw it looming ahead less
than 200 feet away. Fortunately, we both were going dead slow. We went
behind him.
Continuing, another target appeared on the radar  a sailboat under sail
in the fog tacking across the ship channel. Hmmm. I was amazed at how
fast he was moving. Then another sailboat. As we continued, I told my
wife there was something else ahead but I could not tell what it was. The
radar signature was just a bunch of nondescript dots on the screen, like
buckshot. Suddenly, another large ship loomed close enough that we could
and did wave at its crew. Again, I was going slow, but the ship was
gathering momentum.
It turned out to be a good lesson on tracking channel buoys on radar and
with the chartplotter. There were many small craft  sail boats, fishing
boats, and a few cruisers out in the fog. One guy back at the dock said
he almost got ran over by a ship.
The moral of the story is use your navigation instruments regularly in
good weather: Practice following compass bearings. Use your radar to
learn to interpret the screen in good conditions. I knew what the various
local ATONs looked liked on radar from long practice, but ships and even
sailboats certainly can be elusive and confusing in fog. It is
disorienting.

David Sorenson
Duluth, MN