Boating in fog

December 22nd, 2022

Opua to Pipi Bay, BOIs

Log 302 nm

This morning dawned a very foggy morning. As we motored through the marina on our way out to the bay, visibility was difficult to gauge, but probably only several hundred metres.

Our departure coincided with a large commercial ferry. The ferry was sounding a blast on their hailer frequently. Out of the marina we tucked in behind the ferry and proceeded with navigation lights on.

A yacht emerged ahead and we passed port-to-port. A crew member was on their bow blowing into a manual fog horn. On reflection, it wasn’t very loud.

So at anchor later in the day I checked on the rules regarding sound signals in restricted visibility. The rules require:

“a power-driven vessel making way through the water must sound one prolonged blast at intervals of not more than 2 minutes;”

And

“Sailing vessels…must sound three blasts in succession, namely one prolonged followed by two short blasts, at intervals of not more that 2 minutes”

So we need an easy method of sounding a fog horn. Our VHF has pre-programmed functions for sounding a horn. It would just require installing a hailer, which is now on the do do list.

Link to the maritime rules here: https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/content/rules/part-22/Part22-maritime-rule.pdf

Every time you go sailing you can’t help but learn something.

Cheers from Skipper Adam