Fond Memories

[clay]

It was a typical New England day, rain followed by more rain, I was sailing alone just off the cape when a thick fog bank rolled in masking every object. I sat and listned becalmed in a misty world, after an hour of only fog horns in the distance I heard a screen door slam just in front of me.

[mike ohlstein]

Carver

[Mikey]

Racing in a blind fog on the Chesapeake several years ago. As tactician I was continually being asked how I knew when to tack so as not to run aground. Just as I was about to answer for the fortieth time a dog barked in the fog.
"Ready about, hard alee!"

[Carl]

Carver

LOL...now thats funny!

[Carl]

A good morning fishing before work was cut short as a heavy Fog rolled in soon after the sun came up. I normally ran flat out for a few minutes to get me to work on time...but with fog that wasn't happening.

So I tried running a little harder then I would have liked with helm window wide open, head poking thru window to see and hear anything and a hand on the throttle. I knew where I was and where I was going, knew water depth of channel and made a run just on plane for harbor...every so often I'd bring head back in to check gauges, verify course, water depth, time...I was looking good!!...that was till I heard a laugh and a guy light up a cigarette what seemed like only a few feet ahead of boat. He was surf fishing on the beach. A sharp turn, hit throttle, then cut it back to putt putt around the jetty to my harbors channel. Apparently a little wind and tide put me on the wrong side of jetty far enough the water depth never came up. If that guy didn't light up, I would have spent the rest of that morning surf fishing from my boat.

That was the last time I tried that move of running in the fog.

[Charlie J]

hate fog

[Joseph Fikentscher]

In the Long Island Sound on the way to Block Island in the 1960's. Out of the fog with about 150 feet visibility comes an Americas Cup sailboat real fast. Just turned in time. It was scary that it was so silent. Same trip an hour later a Sub surfaces about 100 feet off the port bow.

[PeterPalmieri]

On my first boat I was anchored up fishing the bridge pilings at night, we were anchored maybe 50 feet away. The fog rolled in to the point we could not see the bridge, after about 4 hours we figured we'd make our way home at idle speed. An hour into the return trip we came across a giant object with lights on top of it, scared the heck out of us, we kept our distance wondering what it could be in the middle of the bay. It must be something on the shoreline, maybe it's a barge? Thinking we may have went through a black hole and ended up on mars we dropped the anchor. The fog finally lifted and we were at the bridge we had initiallty left.

I soon after took a course on navigation.

[Tony Meola]

Fog and no radar

Did that once, came in Barnegat inlet cut the bay all on the compass. Took 5 hours to cover what should have taken 20 minutes.

Missed the last marker for us to turn up the bay and head north. Almost wound up putting her up in the shallows but we managed to back her out and get our bearings home. Not fun.

[Rawleigh]

I took an old menhaden boat captain out fishing with me back @ 1990 in fog like that. I had my first hand held loran. He was amazed that I could find the buoys with it. Thick as soup out there.

[Carl]

I took my first handheld GPS down to my boat in thick soup to start punching in all my favorite numbers from the Loran....not much else to do in the fog....loved that little unit so user friendly compared to the Loran.

For fun I decided to use GPS to locate my slip. I had done a MOB the day before so numbers were right on.
GPS had me go down the gangway, told me to go right at the perfect spot and I proceeded to go went several docks over to my dock but instead of directing me to the right...it said my boat was to the left. The left was water...by boat was 10 slips in the opposite direction Ooops. Checked my numbers and sure enough the unit was off a hundred feet or so..
So back home I went, grabbed the box, tucked it in all nice E nice and back to Worst Marine I went.
Sales guy had given me a talk about the government never using the differential anymore and I'd never have a problem...yeah..that what you get for believing a sales guy at worst marine....he was still pushing the unit, but I just wanted my money back.
The only thing worse then being lost in the fog....is "thinking" you know where you are in the fog.

[IRGuy]

POTATO NAVIGATION

The crusty old down Maine lobsterman was sitting in the local bar after having been out in the fog all day tending his traps. A couple of vacationing red pants yachties saw him come in, and asked him how he managed to deal with the heavy fog that was keeping them and their gold plated boats tied up in the harbor.

The old guy.. a man of few words stated simply.. "Potato navigation", and went back to his shot and beer.

The yachties, after a few minutes scratching their heads built up enough courage to approach the old timer again... "Please, old timer, we have been motoring all over the east coast for years, and both of us have owned yachts for years, but neither of us has ever heard of "potato navigation".. can you explain it to us?"

"Sure" says the old timer.... "Simple"!

"First, before you leave in the morning, stop in the market and get a bushel basket of potatoes."

"Then start up your motor, put it in gear, and head out in whatever direction you think you want to go."

After about 3 or 4 minutes grab a potato and heave it over the bow as hard as you can throw it".

"If you hear a splash, keep on going.. If you hear a thud.. stop!"

[Marshall Mahoney]

I just bought a new radar/GPS combo unit last week to keep from getting lost in the fog. To try it out, I set the radar on top of my truck in my driveway and played with it for about an hour. I couldn't figure out where the hell I was...

[Bob H.]

TRy fishing a tournament in early june out of montauk, 200+ boats heading for the point in pea soup fog, and the working boats heading in...nerve racking to say the least, we did it for 17 years straight on my dads Westwater, finally after that many years we actually saw the point on the way out...so thats what the light house looks like..you have to trust your equipment or dont even try it..we had an old raytheon radar that crapped out at the perfect time..in the fog..bought a furuno got us through.. I went Simrad digital for the in close navigation with gps overlay..will see how it works going in weeks end..BH

[Rocket]

Marshall, you were in your driveway....

[Carl]

POTATO NAVIGATION

The crusty old down Maine lobsterman was sitting in the local bar after having been out in the fog all day tending his traps. A couple of vacationing red pants yachties saw him come in, and asked him how he managed to deal with the heavy fog that was keeping them and their gold plated boats tied up in the harbor.

The old guy.. a man of few words stated simply.. "Potato navigation", and went back to his shot and beer.

The yachties, after a few minutes scratching their heads built up enough courage to approach the old timer again... "Please, old timer, we have been motoring all over the east coast for years, and both of us have owned yachts for years, but neither of us has ever heard of "potato navigation".. can you explain it to us?"

"Sure" says the old timer.... "Simple"!

"First, before you leave in the morning, stop in the market and get a bushel basket of potatoes."

"Then start up your motor, put it in gear, and head out in whatever direction you think you want to go."

After about 3 or 4 minutes grab a potato and heave it over the bow as hard as you can throw it".

"If you hear a splash, keep on going.. If you hear a thud.. stop!"

Love it!
That story is now in my internal collection of useless facts and jokes.