There has ben considerable traffic on the list indirectly revolving around this issue of paddling in the fog. It definitely falls into the category Kevin and Scott bring up about personal limits. I mentioned a few posts ago that I never do it. I meant that I never paddle in the fog in context of what I feel might be a dangerous situation. That doesn't mean I don't ever paddle in a fog (posting in a fog can be dangerous too!). Paddling in the fog can be a wonderful, surreal experience. Many do it, I'm sure. It was either Peter or Fred or someone who asked the list a few days ago, if there were any hints about fog paddling. I didn't see any come up. Perhaps there was some back-channel communication. Perhaps paddlers don't like to talk about it in a public manner, preferring to keep it to themselves. I can understand this. Voluntary fog paddling is an area that can be done safely. My routes include areas that I know well. Large tidal flushes tend to keep me from an area, however, as does heavy vessel traffic, and open water with a lot of swell and reefs. Long crossings can be difficult. I have done them in the fog in remote areas where the traffic was restricted more to slower moving displacement hull vessels like fish boats. Fog can play mind games with you, and this is why I'm always cautious both for myself, and when talking about the subject around beginner kayakers or canoeists. I find it very difficult to distinguish other vessel direction and speed in a thick fog, by the use of sound. It just isn't reliable enough - IMHO. I don't know what the situation is like in the USA and other parts, but here in the south coast of BC, Vessel traffic Services has a voluntary program you can participate in during crossings of busy shipping channels. When transiting lanes or traveling down them, it is mandatory depending upon vessel displacement, to contact VTS. Kayaks don't have to. When I do cross lanes, my back-up plan would be to call these guys up, not just try to broadcast to ships in the general vicinity if trouble was underfoot. VTS can DF you position from your VHF, and then work with other large vessels with restricted abilities to maneuver. VTS can give you a compass heading to follow, to avoid collision (read - you being run over). They can factor in currents and your speed if you know it. Fog paddling can also be aided with an ARC product, inflating helium balloon radar reflector. They are used on life rafts. I'm not sure if we have discussed them before on PW. BTW, Canada has a new option just announced recently. You can now use "16" on your cell phone to get the Coast Guard, just as you can with your VHF. Of course, they can't DF your position with your cell phone. All in all, fog paddling can be a hoot and done safely and within most reasonable personal limits. I just choose my places as carefully as I can. I have back-up plans for involuntary fog paddling, and as usual, the navigation and dead reckoning needed to paddle fog safely is something done best by a more intermediate paddler. New paddlers don't always no what there limits should be, but are, of course, free to expand there horizons. Or is that limit their horizons? BC'in Ya Doug Lloyd *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Doug Lloyd <dlloyd_at_telus.net> wrote: There has ben considerable traffic on the list indirectly revolving around this issue of paddling in the fog. Fog can play mind games with you, and this is why I'm always cautious both for myself, and when talking about the subject around beginner kayakers or canoeists. I find it very difficult to distinguish other vessel direction and speed in a thick fog, by the use of sound. It just isn't reliable enough - IMHO. Big SNIP All in all, fog paddling can be a hoot and done safely and within most reasonable personal limits. I just choose my places as carefully as I can. I have back-up plans for involuntary fog paddling, and as usual, the navigation and dead reckoning needed to paddle fog safely is something done best by a more intermediate paddler. New paddlers don't always no what there limits should be, but are, of course, free to expand there horizons. Or is that limit their horizons? Paddling in Fog can also create problems. I have paddled in it several times and never really feel comfortable. One time, three of us decided to paddle out of Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, CA. The harbor entrance has a rock jetty on either side and a rock breakwater running perpendicular to the main channel about 1/4 of a mile past the harbor entrance. The breakwater is about 1/4 mile in length and then it is just open ocean and coastline. When we started out, there was no fog, but it was a cloudy dreary day with swells of about 4 feet. There was also no wind chop to speak of. Just as we passed the end of the breakwater, a heavy fog rolled in and it was impossible to tell the difference between the ocean and the air. I turned my head for an instant to answer a question from one of the other paddlers and lost all sense of positional awareness. The paddler I was talking with said she was uncomfortable in the fog and wanted to go back but wasn't sure she could find the harbor. I called our other partner and told him that 2 of us were going to turn back and he should join us (he did). I started navigating back to the harbor by compass heading. After a short while, I saw the rocks of the far jetty and told my companions that we just needed to turn left now and we were home. I also suggested we stay very close to the rocks so we wouldn't get run over by any other boats. As we paddled in, I started feeling better until, 10 feet in front of my boat was breaking surf!!! Instead of paddling inside the far jetty, we were actually outside the near jetty and about to make a surf landing. I shouted a warning and back paddled like crazy. Even though these waters are very familiar to me and I paddle out of this harbor frequently, fog can really mess up your senses. Having experience crossing the shipping lanes in the Santa Barbara Channel, I know that if I can see a ship 6 - 7 miles away and if it is doing 20 knots, chances are that I can't beat it across the lane. I would definitely stay out of shipping lanes in the fog. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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