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From: Duane Strosaker <strosaker_at_yahoo.com>
subject: [Paddlewise] Foggy Crossing
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 2009 12:13:40 -0700 (PDT)
Paddlewisers,

Earlier this week, I did a 3-day crossing/island hopping trip, and during the 18 nautical mile crossing back, I had one of those crossings that reminds me of why I like crossings so much.

During the last 4 hours of the 5.5 hour crossing back, I was in thick fog. I really like how fog turns the visual world into one of sounds. I didn't bring a GPS on this solo trip, so it was up to me and my compass. Halfway across the channel is an oil rig, and with it's fog horn, I used it as a navigational stepping stone.

Closer to shore, the fog horn at the harbor I was heading for helped zero me in. I aimed a bit left, found the surf zone, and followed it for a few minutes to the harbor jetty. The fog was still so thick, I never saw the outside break wall.

Don't need no stinking GPS!

My photo journal of the trip is at:

http://duane.smugmug.com/Other/AnaCruzCrossings/9499584

Duane
Southern California
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From: Jerry F <gfoodma_at_earthlink.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Foggy Crossing
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 11:59:40 -0700
Duane,
At the risk of repeating a response of mine to one of your earlier trip 
descriptions, are you not terrified of being run over by a large ship when 
crossing the lanes in fog?

Jerry

> Paddlewisers,
>
> Earlier this week, I did a 3-day crossing/island hopping trip, and during 
> the 18 nautical mile crossing back, I had one of those crossings that 
> reminds me of why I like crossings so much.
>
> During the last 4 hours of the 5.5 hour crossing back, I was in thick fog. 
> I really like how fog turns the visual world into one of sounds. I didn't 
> bring a GPS on this solo trip, so it was up to me and my compass. Halfway 
> across the channel is an oil rig, and with it's fog horn, I used it as a 
> navigational stepping stone.
>
> Closer to shore, the fog horn at the harbor I was heading for helped zero 
> me in. I aimed a bit left, found the surf zone, and followed it for a few 
> minutes to the harbor jetty. The fog was still so thick, I never saw the 
> outside break wall.
>
> Don't need no stinking GPS!
>
> My photo journal of the trip is at:
>
> http://duane.smugmug.com/Other/AnaCruzCrossings/9499584
>
> Duane
> Southern California
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From: Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Foggy Crossing
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 13:28:18 -0700
On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 11:59 AM, Jerry F <gfoodma_at_earthlink.net> wrote:

> Duane,
> At the risk of repeating a response of mine to one of your earlier trip
> descriptions, are you not terrified of being run over by a large ship when
> crossing the lanes in fog?
>
>
I have transited that area in tankers many times and *I* would be somewhat
concerned about a foggy crossing in a kayak. However, on the plus side, it's
a very busy channel and the watch is well aware of the risks so they
probably station an AB forward with a radio plus they have their foghorn
going plus they are talking to VTS. If Duane has his VHF on he can hear the
VTS traffic information and tell them when he's in the traffic lanes. Or he
could if he had his GPS with him. :P


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net
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From: John Clinton <jcbikeski_at_gmail.com>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Foggy Crossing
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 16:12:40 -0700
While I know not to count on folks talking or listening on VHF, what channel
might be used for such talk from tanker/container ship -- 16 or some more
dedicated channel?

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net
[mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net] On Behalf Of Craig Jungers
Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 1:28 PM
To: Jerry F
Cc: Duane Strosaker; Paddlewise
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Foggy Crossing

On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 11:59 AM, Jerry F <gfoodma_at_earthlink.net> wrote:

> Duane,
> At the risk of repeating a response of mine to one of your earlier trip
> descriptions, are you not terrified of being run over by a large ship when
> crossing the lanes in fog?
>
>
I have transited that area in tankers many times and *I* would be somewhat
concerned about a foggy crossing in a kayak. However, on the plus side, it's
a very busy channel and the watch is well aware of the risks so they
probably station an AB forward with a radio plus they have their foghorn
going plus they are talking to VTS. If Duane has his VHF on he can hear the
VTS traffic information and tell them when he's in the traffic lanes. Or he
could if he had his GPS with him. :P
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From: Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Foggy Crossing
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 18:06:19 -0700
On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 4:12 PM, John Clinton <jcbikeski_at_gmail.com> wrote:

> While I know not to count on folks talking or listening on VHF, what
> channel
> might be used for such talk from tanker/container ship -- 16 or some more
> dedicated channel?
>
>
It's important to know that vessels participating in the VTS systems in the
USA are specifically exempt from monitoring channel 16 so calling them on
that channel is probably futile. Channel 13 is the "bridge-to-bridge"
channel and is generally used to negotiate passing/meeting/crossing
strategies. So channel 13 would be one of the choices.

Secondly, contrary to popular opinion small vessels and/or hand propelled
vessels do NOT have the right-of-way over power or sailing vessels. At least
not in Federally controlled waterways (basically, any waters which carry
international shipping - which are waters with buoys and lights maintained
by the USCG). In some states they do... just to keep things interesting...
but on "navgable" waters they (meaning you) do not have any specific rights
at all over anything; including a sailboat.

I really think that kayakers (or all boaters) should familiarize themselves
with the VTS system they are paddling in. For instance, in Puget Sound
virtually the entire water territory is "VTS" although there are major lanes
and turning points that are marked specifically on charts.

As far as frequencies and specific VTS instructions each VTS area (Seattle,
Santa Barbara, Los Angeles/Long Beach, etc.) operates on its own channels.
You can, however, usually get all the instructions via a web search. For
instance when I searched for "santa barbara channel vts" I found this:
http://www.mxsocal.org/pdffiles/UserManual.pdf which covers the "Los
Angeles-Long Beach Vessel Traffic Service" which does not actually cover the
area Duane was paddlling. But I guess it's good enough. I tried finding
charts on my computer but I don't have any of that area in order to get the
specific wording of the VTS system.

This particular document specifies both channel 13 *and* channel 14 for
bridge-to-bridge (which is why it's vital for paddlers to know something
about the VTS system they're using... they're all different and use
different frequencies/channels for communications) in addition to other
channels, depending upon which "sector" the vessel is in, for communication
with the VTS control center.

Non-particiapating vessels (this would be you as a kayaker) are highly
encouraged to monitor the frequencies and communicate with VTS control
and/or the specific vessels. This doesn't mean announcing your presence to
every boat you see but it does mean you should let someone know that you are
there. I've had kayaks call me and ask me to tell VTS where they are since
their hand-held radios would not reach. Once VTS control knows about you
they can issue cautions to any vessels in the system; often vessels you
haven't seen yet.

You are also encouraged to cross the traffic lanes (usually marked on the
charts) at a right angle in order to get across them as fast as possible.

Do not assume vessels will only be in the traffic lanes! They can be
anywhere in the area depending on their needs and the needs of VTS
operators.

As far as I know at the present time kayakers are not required to
participate as active participants in any of the US VTS schemes. But I'll
bet there will come a day when we are; especially if there are serious
incidents between small vessels and large vessels in which the small vessels
are in the wrong and some serious damage or loss of life results. So it pays
to have some inkling of what is going as as you move back and forth (or up
and down) these waters.

Violations of the rules in these monitored waters can carry fines and other
punishments. In California there are state laws which mandate how the
vessels inside VTS waters behave so this is something to pay attention to as
well.

Hope this helps a little.


Crag Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net
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From: Duane Strosaker <strosaker_at_yahoo.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Foggy Crossing
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 22:04:18 -0700 (PDT)
Jerry and All,

Most definitely, foggy crossings are more dangerous. My forecast that day was for patchy fog. As it turned out, four hours or around 13 nautical miles is not patchy. But I probably still would've done the crossing with a worse forecast for fog. Traffic, not navigation, is my biggest concern in the fog. Not having strong currents and aiming off makes the navigation pretty easy.

Like I always say, it's not the big ships that scare me. They are really good about sounding their fog horns, and even if they aren't, the ships have a pretty loud hum, making it easy to identify where they are at. They also go pretty straight, making it easy to get out of their way.

The smaller, high speed boats scare me. Fortunately, they don't venture out in the fog much. But sometimes you get caught in the fog with them. I can hear them coming for miles.

On this crossing, I heard the hum and fog horn of a ship in the north bound lane, and I could easily hear it was going to pass far behind me. Later, I heard a smaller boat, which I think was a sport fishing party boat, going about 15 knots. For a while I heard it coming pretty much head on, so I knew it was going to be close. Visibility was about 50 yards at that point, so I turned sideways to be ready to move either way out of its way and stopped paddling to tune in better to the sound. Quickly, I was about to tell it was passing to one side. I could hear people talking on the boat, but I never saw it.

These channels down here are pretty big, and surprisingly, there isn't much traffic in them. I think crossing a small crowded lake in the fog would be much more dangerous.

People have different ways of doing things. I think using a radio to try stay out of trouble wastes a lot of valuable time that could more reliably be used listening and paddling to get out of the way. I know roughly by time and speed when I'm around the shipping lanes, but I treat the whole channel like a shipping lane and assume no one sees.

That foggy crossing is among my favorites, because it's amazing how much more you tune into sound when you can't see. When you stop paddling and listen occasionally, it's amazing how much you can hear. For at least a couple hours, I heard the rumble of surf and car traffic on the coast. As I came closer, I was shocked how loud the coast really is. It was like someone put a microphone on it and cranked up the amplifier.  

Duane
Southern California
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From: Dave Kruger <kdruger_at_pacifier.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Foggy Crossing
Date: Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:30:11 -0700
Duane Strosaker wrote:

> That foggy crossing is among my favorites, because it's amazing how much
> more you tune into sound when you can't see. When you stop paddling and
> listen occasionally, it's amazing how much you can hear. For at least a
> couple hours, I heard the rumble of surf and car traffic on the coast.
> As I came closer, I was shocked how loud the coast really is. It was
> like someone put a microphone on it and cranked up the amplifier.

Duane,

I have only done a couple longer foggy crossings, both within the confines 
of the Lower Columbia River, albeit in many places it is some 4-5 miles 
bank to bank!  Never enough traffic around to worry about it much.  But, I 
did get vertigo once; not really anything like mal de mer, but definitely a 
disorientation.  This was in very thin fog, with a lot of all-around 
illumination.  Very eerie.  Not at all like the pea soup stuff, which I 
somehow find comforting.

Question:  you ever suffer anything like that?  Any of your companions?

BTW, like you, I feel pretty confident when crossing my "home" waters. 
And, timing my runs and keeping my ears about me seemed to work pretty well 
for navigating, when current was minimal.  We get typical currents of a 
couple knots on the ebb many places, and not always consistent with the 
current atlas, so you could get pretty lost in current around here. 
Sometimes currents will run up to 3-4 knots, usually confined to an area 
half a mile across or less, complicated by quarter-mile-long pile dikes 
(aka strainers from hell) in places.  One foggy downriver jaunt danced past 
the tips of three or four of these, with current assist.  Definitely a day 
for relying on the GPS!

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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From: Duane Strosaker <strosaker_at_yahoo.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Foggy Crossing
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 12:46:31 -0700 (PDT)
Dave K.,

I've never felt any motion sickness in fog. Although I do see how when the fog blends in with the horizon line people can be more prone to motion sickness. I did have a friend suffer motion sickness on a 40 nautical mile overnight crossing, but he hung tough and kept paddling. Generally, I avoid crossings with people who have a history of being seasick in a kayak. Towing is miserable work.

Forty NM overnight crossing report:
http://www.rollordrown.com/sbi.html

I agree that in areas of small targets, currents, and low visibility, a GPS is a must, at the very least for back up, with checks on progress before potentially getting in trouble. I also agree that navigating in familiar waters is much easier. I'd be much more cautious in strange waters.

Duane
Southern California
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From: Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Foggy Crossing
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 13:26:23 -0700
I suppose this is as good a time as any for another story. Its possibly
apocryphal but I've been around boats and ships a long time and I almost
believe it. This didn't actually happen to me but I'm going to tell it in
the first person anyway because.... well.... I want to.

I was on watch on the bridge of the M.V. Oregon State enroute from San
Francisco to Prince William Sound following the rhumb line course headed
about 300 true. As Chief Mate I had the dog watch (12 to 4; both am and pm)
and it was about halfway through my watch. We were just north of the Cape
Flattery (although we could not see it since we were about 300 nm offshore).

This is what you might call an interesting area as the great circle route
from Asia intersects the rhumb line (straight) course too/from SFO and
Alaska somewhere around here. Much farther north and you don't see many
container ships... much farther south and you don't see any factory
trawlers. There are always the smaller (under 100-ft) fishing boats
though... mostly tuna trollers. At any rate, while the ocean was by no means
crowded it also paid to keep your eyes open in all directions.

I got another cup of coffee and walked over to the CAS to see what was up.
The CAS is a handy device as it uses radar to plot courses and future
positions of both one's own vessel and any other vessels in range. CAS
stands for Collision Avoidance System. I could see another vessel at the
edge of the screen but the computer in the CAS had not yet figured out a
plot so I grabbed the binocular and tried to find the other ship. No luck.

Fifteen minutes later the CAS showed a potential colllision but since I was
the "stand-on" vessel I held my course and speed and watched the situation
develop. As the other ship drew closer I could see that it was an older bulk
cargo vessel headed SE'ly apparently on the great-circle route from Asia. I
was not overly concerned as it was quite likely the officer on watch also
saw me and would soon correct his course to pass astern.

Another five minutes later and I was able to see into the windows on the
other bridge and was now somewhat concerned as there was no one there. I
could see a dog bouncing up and down and apparently making quite a ruckus
however. But the ship drew closer and closer with no sign of any human
activity on the bridge.

Just as I was about to disengage the autopilot and make a sharp turn to
starboard I saw a person appear on the bridge of the oncoming ship. I
watched through my binoculars as he took one look at my ship, went over to
disengage his autopilot, make a turn to starboard to pass astern of me,
re-engage the autopilot, pet the dog, and disappear below.

It never pays to assume that they see you in time. All you can do is hope
they have a well-trained dog on watch.


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking..net
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From: Gary J. MacDonald <garyj_at_rogers.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Foggy Crossing
Date: Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:25:20 -0400
Hence the long-standing term "dog watch."
GaryJ

Craig Jungers wrote:
> It never pays to assume that they see you in time. All you can do is hope
> they have a well-trained dog on watch.
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From: Mark Sanders <marksanders_at_sandmarks.net>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Foggy Crossing/Dog Watch
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 17:34:23 -0700
And do you know why it is called the "dog watch"?
Because it is "cur-tailed"!

As per Stephen Maturin of the "Master and Commander" series

-----Original Message-----


Hence the long-standing term "dog watch."
GaryJ

Craig Jungers wrote:
> It never pays to assume that they see you in time. All you can do is hope
> they have a well-trained dog on watch.
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From: Doug Lloyd <douglloyd_at_shaw.ca>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Foggy Crossing
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 20:20:19 -0700
Yeah Jerry, I've mentioned this to Duane too a few times; however, he seems 
to do more than well with his audio cues. Those less experienced at kayak 
crossings (across those channels), of course, would be better to err on the 
side of a more cautioned navigational approach.

I tend to shy away from foggy crossing where I live as there's just too much 
current to also contend with.



> Duane,
> At the risk of repeating a response of mine to one of your earlier trip 
> descriptions, are you not terrified of being run over by a large ship when 
> crossing the lanes in fog?
>
> Jerry
>
>> Paddlewisers,
>>
>> Earlier this week, I did a 3-day crossing/island hopping trip, and during 
>> the 18 nautical mile crossing back, I had one of those crossings that 
>> reminds me of why I like crossings so much.
>>
>> During the last 4 hours of the 5.5 hour crossing back, I was in thick 
>> fog. I really like how fog turns the visual world into one of sounds. I 
>> didn't bring a GPS on this solo trip, so it was up to me and my compass. 
>> Halfway across the channel is an oil rig, and with it's fog horn, I used 
>> it as a navigational stepping stone.
>>
>> Closer to shore, the fog horn at the harbor I was heading for helped zero 
>> me in. I aimed a bit left, found the surf zone, and followed it for a few 
>> minutes to the harbor jetty. The fog was still so thick, I never saw the 
>> outside break wall.
>>
>> Don't need no stinking GPS!
>>
>> My photo journal of the trip is at:
>>
>> http://duane.smugmug.com/Other/AnaCruzCrossings/9499584
>>
>> Duane
>> Southern California
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From: Jerry F <gfoodma_at_earthlink.net>
subject: [Paddlewise] crossing lanes
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:34:05 -0700
About 20 years ago, about 1/3 of the way crossing Rosario Strait in the San 
Juans from the north end of Cyprus to Orcas,  I looked north and saw a towed 
barge heading my way.  The barge was twice the size of Mongolia.  I was in a 
double with my pregnant wife and could in no way determine if it was going 
to pass in front or behind me.  Quite frightening, and I had no VHF.  In the 
event it passed about 1/4 mile in front.

About 3 years later I was about to cross Captains Passage in the Gulf 
Islands, again with my wife, though no longer pregnant.  This time I had a 
VHF and called Vancouver Traffic, who informed that the Queen of Nanaimo was 
6 minutes from exiting a blind passage and would cross my path.  Exactly 6 
minutes later she suddenly appeared.  These giant ferries really move.  I 
would have hated to be in the channel looking at her approach.  During the 
crossing afterwards I heard Vancouver Traffic warning other shipping of our 
presence.  After we crossed we so informed Vancouver Traffic, who were 
extremely thankful for the transmission.  I was more thankful for the 
warning.

I don't know how Duane and other So Cal paddlers cross the local shipping 
lanes to the islands with such confidence.  But I have never heard of an 
incident with a ship.

Jerry 
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From: Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] crossing lanes
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:06:29 -0700
On Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 10:34 PM, Jerry F <gfoodma_at_earthlink.net> wrote:

>
> I don't know how Duane and other So Cal paddlers cross the local shipping
> lanes to the islands with such confidence.  But I have never heard of an
> incident with a ship.
>
> It's only a matter of time as the sport of kayaking gains more paddlers.
The real menace to large ships are windsurfers crossing the shipping
channels just inside the Golden Gate. They go back and forth between San
Francisco and Sausalito and often just miss being run down by ships.
Latitude 38 has had some very interesting photographs. That looks like a
large waterway until you look at it from the bridge of a tanker.

Then there was the sailboat in New York Harbor who sailed right under my
tanker's bow. I was off watch and the six blasts of the ships whistle
brought me out on deck to see a 28-foot yacht only ten feet away. Guy and
his wife blithely motoring along... with their two kids in the dinghy
trailing behind.

I suspect they thought that the smaller boat has the right of way.

Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net
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From: James Farrelly <JFarrelly5_at_comcast.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] crossing lanes
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:52:45 -0400
On Sep 11, 2009, at 2:06 AM, Craig Jungers wrote:

>
>
> I suspect they thought that the smaller boat has the right of way.
>
I was flipping through my son's drivers education material. It stated  
that the right of way is a gift. You don't have it until someone  
gives it to you. I liked that comment.

Jim et al
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From: Doug Lloyd <douglloyd_at_shaw.ca>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] crossing lanes
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:15:37 -0700
I tend to be a bit more liberal with safety in open water shipping lanes, 
considerably more prudent in the more restricted waterways like those near 
Active Pass and Turn Point, and then extremely vigilant on rivers with 
shipping routes such as the Columbia River.

I wouldn't paddle a barge myself crossing Rosario though. :-)

Doug Lloyd



> About 20 years ago, about 1/3 of the way crossing Rosario Strait in the 
> San Juans from the north end of Cyprus to Orcas,  I looked north and saw a 
> towed barge heading my way.  The barge was twice the size of Mongolia.  I 
> was in a double with my pregnant wife and could in no way determine if it 
> was going to pass in front or behind me.  Quite frightening, and I had no 
> VHF.  In the event it passed about 1/4 mile in front.
>
> About 3 years later I was about to cross Captains Passage in the Gulf 
> Islands, again with my wife, though no longer pregnant.  This time I had a 
> VHF and called Vancouver Traffic, who informed that the Queen of Nanaimo 
> was 6 minutes from exiting a blind passage and would cross my path. 
> Exactly 6 minutes later she suddenly appeared.  These giant ferries really 
> move.  I would have hated to be in the channel looking at her approach. 
> During the crossing afterwards I heard Vancouver Traffic warning other 
> shipping of our presence.  After we crossed we so informed Vancouver 
> Traffic, who were extremely thankful for the transmission.  I was more 
> thankful for the warning.
>
> I don't know how Duane and other So Cal paddlers cross the local shipping 
> lanes to the islands with such confidence.  But I have never heard of an 
> incident with a ship.
>
> Jerry
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From: <rcgibbert_at_aol.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] crossing lanes
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:02:05 -0400
Jerry,

Not a bad idea to have a VHF if you are crossing ship channels. Listen 
to VTS (Vessel Traffic Service) on ch 14, I think. You may also 
telephone them at 206-217-6051 and inquire about traffic on your route. 
You may be asked which unit and the demarcation point in Western 
Washington is north or south of Smokey Point.

Cheers,

Rob G

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I don't know how Duane and other So Cal paddlers cross the local 
shipping
lanes to the islands with such confidence.  But I have never heard of 
an
incident with a ship.

Jerry
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